SULLIVAN COUNTY — Football season is starting to heat up as the weather begins to cool off. With Fallsburg, Sullivan West and Tri-Valley all notching wins in Week 4. Livingston Manor/Roscoe and Eldred suffered their first losses of the year and Monticello and Liberty lost close matches against Warwick and Saugerties respectively.

As we rapidly approach the middle of the season, let’s take a look at this weekend’s matchups and see what fans can look forward to this weekend.

Friday Night Lights

Fallsburg at Sullivan West, 7 p.m.

Two undefeated teams will make their way to the Lake Huntington field this evening, but only one will leave unscathed.

Fallsburg is out to a hot start. In fact, it’s their first time in program’s history that they’ve started 3-0, and they’re looking to keep that momentum going as they hit the road to visit the undefeated Sullivan West Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are no stranger to being at the top of the food chain, constantly vying for a playoff berth and finishing near the top of the standings, and this year is no different as they’ve gone on the road twice and won a game via forfeit to start at a perfect 3-0.

The Bulldogs have gotten through Onteora, Livingston Manor/Roscoe and Rondout Valley so far this season, with the two games that they have played against non-league opponents, and the forfeit over LM/R giving them a league win.

Fallsburg, on the other hand, has two division wins (Tri-Valley and Eldred) and a non-league win (Ellenville). The Comets offense has been spectacular to start the season, using various weapons to score touchdowns and put points on the board.

Sullivan West, similarly, has a high-powered offense as well as a smothering defense that has started them at a 64-22 point differential through their first two games played.

Rally Cruz is averaging nearly 130 yards/game on the ground, and Adam Ernst is completing more than half the passes that he throws for Sullivan West.

With three of the teams in the division already suffering league losses, this game could very well decide the division champion when the regular season ends, as well as provide a potential playoff preview for two teams that are both looking to enter the 2023-24 postseason.

Saturday Showcase

Burke at Liberty, 1 p.m.

The RedHawks are going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday afternoon as they host Burke Catholic in a non-league matchup.

Liberty has yet to win a game through their first four contests, while Burke is coming in at 3-1 overall. Burke’s point differential is much closer than Liberty’s, only outscoring opponents 54-48 through their first four games while Liberty has been outscored 19-110.

You can expect this game to be a tough one for the RedHawks, who are coming off a 21-7 loss to Saugerties.

Eldred at Tri-Valley, 3 p.m.

The Yellowjackets are coming off a heart-breaking 26-20 loss against Fallsburg on Friday night and are looking to get back in the win column as they head to Tri-Valley to take on the Bears.

Eldred and Fallsburg were both missing some big playmakers in the league matchup, but it was hardly noticeable as both teams seemed to move the ball well and make big plays in the biggest moments throughout the game.

Tri-Valley got their first win of the season on Saturday night as they defeated Livingston Manor/Roscoe in their season opener under the lights on Saturday night. Despite an early offensive surge by the Wildcats, the Bears settled in rather quickly and took control of the game, going on to win 36-6 behind Josh Fanslau’s multi-touchdown game.

As the defending champs, playing at home for the first time this year after three road matchups to start the season, Eldred certainly has a tough task ahead of them, but Tri-Valley’s youth will likely play a role in Saturday’s contest as Eldred looks to rebound from the loss and stay above .500.

Livingston Manor/Roscoe vs Tupper Lake, 3 p.m.

The Wildcats got their first taste of game action on Saturday as they hosted Tri-Valley for their Homecoming game under the lights. The young team, comprised of mostly underclassmen held their own early on, but it was Tri-Valley’s high-powered offense that controlled the pace of the game for the second and third quarters, building an unsurmountable 36-point lead heading into the final quarter.

On Livingston Manor’s final drive of the evening, the Wildcats were able to find the end zone to escape the shutout, but the young team is still getting up to speed at the varsity level. A non-league game against Tupper Lake on neutral ground should be just the thing this team needs to gain some more varsity experience before returning to Sullivan County to take on Eldred in Week 5.

Monticello at F.D.R., 7 p.m.

The Panthers are continuing their 2023-24 campaign tonight as they’re on the road taking on the 2-1 Presidents. F.D.R. will be playing their first game at home tonight, opening their season with three consecutive road games and outscoring opponents 68-55.

Monticello, on the other hand, is entering the non-league matchup at 1-3 with a point differential of 53-118.

The Panthers hung tough against the Wildcats last week, with Monticello scoring the final 14 points and losing 27-14.