SULLIVAN COUNTY – Tonight on neutral ground at 6 pm at James I. O’Neill High School, the Sullivan West Bulldogs will take on the Eldred Yellowjackets for the second time this season. But there’s a difference this time. The 8-man Section IX Championship Title is on the line, and only one of these teams can advance through to Regionals.

 When these two teams met back in October, the Bulldogs utilized their homefield advantage, playing to a packed house in Lake Huntington to defeat the Yellowjackets by just one touchdown, 52-48. 

The Bulldogs boast a six-game win streak, with their only loss coming at the hands of Pawling, who the ‘dogs easily defeated last week 30-6,  playing a perfectly crafted game and holding the Tigers to their lowest scoring game of the season. The Bulldogs are looking for their fifth Section IX Title in a row.

Ahead of the Bulldogs/Yellowjackets matchup, Sullivan West Head Coach, Ron Bauer said, “It’s gonna be a tough game. We have to play the same type of football as we did last week against Pawling. Eldred is a good team, and we’ll have to try to control the line of scrimmage and their receivers. It’ll all come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes!” 

 The Yellowjackets took out the #1 seed Millbrook/Webutuck on the road with a massive 44-12 win last weekend. Eldred Head Coach Sean McAveney has praised his team this season for correcting mistakes and their work ethic. He said, “This year we’re focused,” after the Yellowjackets fell short of making it to the playoffs last season. After their win over Millbrook last week, McAveney said, “Looks like it will be an all Sullivan County Section IX championship game!”