SULLIVAN COUNTY — After Sullivan West’s 32-16 victory over Fallsburg on Friday night, the Bulldogs are in sole possession of the first place spot. With four regular season games yet to play in the 8-man division, there is still plenty of time before playoff seeding starts to shake out.

Tri-Valley earned a second league win as they defeated Eldred in the Bears’ home opener.

Monticello and Liberty both lost their 11-man matchups last weekend, with the Panthers falling 33-7 against F.D.R. and the RedHawks losing 33-0 against Burke Catholic.

Let’s look ahead to this weekend and see what we can expect from the upcoming matchups.

Friday Night Lights

Monticello at Washingtonville, 6 p.m.

The Panthers are still looking to get back in the win column after their victory over Liberty earlier this season.

Monticello will be back on the road tonight as they take on the undefeated Wizards.

Washingtonville has outscored opponents 142-35 this season, most recently a 22-2 victory over New Paltz.

Rafael Liciaga is leading the way for Monticello with an average of 66 receiving yards per game, 16 rushing yards per game and five total touchdowns so far this year.

Including tonight, Monticello has four regular season games remaining, taking this one would be a huge momentum swing.

Fallsburg at Rondout Valley, 7 p.m.

Fallsburg had a tough time last weekend as they took on Sullivan West. Their high-powered offense was slowed down by the Bulldogs, and they put up a season-low 16 points after scoring 48, 40 and 26 through their first three.

Tonight they head out to Rondout Valley to take on the 2-3 Ganders.

Rondout has had an up-and-down season so far, losing a non-league game 45-0 against Moravia to start the season. They lost to Pawling, defeated Millbrook/Webutuck, lost to Sullivan West and most recently defeated Pine Plains/Rhinebeck.

All three of Rondout’s losses have been against undefeated teams, with Moravia sitting at 5-0 and Pawling and Sullivan West each at 4-0.

If Fallsburg can get their offense going they should do well tonight, but they’ll need to secure the win tonight to help with the playoff push and seeding.

Saturday Showcase

Sullivan West at Tri-Valley, 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs are back on top of the division after going undefeated in the league last year. They have a chance to do it again with just Tri-Valley and Eldred standing in their way.

Tri-Valley got a big win over Eldred last weekend, and they will surely try to build off that momentum as Sullivan West comes to town tomorrow afternoon, but the Bulldogs surely have other plans.

Rally Cruz rushed for over 200 yards against Fallsburg and a strong second half set the Bulldogs up for the win. If he can get going again this weekend then Tri-Valley will have a tough time.

Similarly, Tri-Valley Quarterback Josh Fanslau had 130 rushing yards and 135 passing yards totaling four touchdowns against Eldred.

Expect both teams’ playmakers to look to get going early and make a statement tomorrow.

Port Jervis at Liberty, 1 p.m.

Liberty is still looking for their first win of the 2023-24 campaign as they take on the Port Jervis Raiders tomorrow afternoon.

Liberty has struggled to get their offense going this season, scoring just 19 points through their first five games. 

Port Jervis, on the other hand, has outscored opponents 147 to 121 through five games, giving them a 3-2 record on the season so far.

This season has been a year of learning for Liberty so far, but hopefully the RedHawks will be able to put something together this weekend against the Raiders.

Eldred at Livingston Manor/Roscoe, 7 p.m.

Unfortunately due to Livingston Manor/Roscoe’s low numbers this season, this game has already been decided.

In an email on Wednesday night, Livingston Manor/Roscoe Athletic Director Dave Eggleton stated that the game would be a forfeit win for the Yellowjackets, moving their record to 2-2 and giving them their first league win.

Eldred will have an extra week of rest before taking on Sullivan West next Friday, while the Wildcats will look to get healthy ahead of their league game against Fallsburg.