Can second-seeded Margaretville's speed negate the size of top-seeded South Kortright?
"They're bigger than us," Margaretville boys soccer coach Jeremey Marks said. "We have to play in space. We can't play it where those big guys are. We have to play it on the ground."
The teams will meet for the third time this season and the sixth time over the past two years at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame fields with the Section Four Class D title at stake.
"It's going to be a tough game," said the Blue Devils' Cody Fronckowiak, who scored the decisive goal in Margaretville's 2-1 Section Four Class D semifinal victory over Morris on Thursday. "We just have to battle right off the bat for 80 minutes."
The Rams are sure to do the same, especially since they are playing for their first sectional crown since 1968. SK is coming off a convincing 3-0 semifinal victory over Laurens, which played defending sectional champion Cherry Valley-Springfield to a scoreless tie in the Tri-Valley League championship.
"We haven't had very good luck," SK coach Bob VanValkenburgh of the Rams' sectional-championship appearances.
Most recently, SK fell, 2-0, to Laurens in the 2006 Class D final.
The last time SK and Margaretville met, the Rams earned a 3-2 victory in the Delaware League title game Oct. 18. During the regular season, the Blue Devils won, 2-0, on Oct. 2.
"Both teams know what's at stake and they'll be ready to play," said Marks, whose team will try to win its first sectional title since a 1-0 victory over Downsville in 2002.
Senior striker Josh Smith leads Margaretville (16-4) with 24 goals and is tied with Greg Lehn for the team lead in assists with seven.
"Josh is our playmaker," Marks said. "His speed and strength and ability to finish have led us this year. He's a marked guy every time he steps on the field. He just has to stay composed and not get frustrated."
Sophomore forward Fronckowiak and junior Marcus Moore have nine goals apiece for the Blue Devils. Teammates Javier Martinez and Lehn have six and five goals, respectively.
"We can't get caught up with playing the ball up in the air," Marks said. "We need to keep it on the ground. We like to use the short pass, move and use our speed."
The Rams (17-2-1) have several big, physical players, most notably senior midfielder Kyle Hotaling, who won numerous 50-50 balls against Laurens on Thursday.
Balanced scoring has paced an experienced SK squad this season as six Rams have at least five goals.
Senior Josh Palmatier has a team-high 12 goals and classmate Eric Burns has 11. Senior Ryan Dorosky has eight goals, and Hotaling and eighth-grader Trevor Holdridge have seven apiece. Junior Damon Gardner has five goals.
Palmatier and Dorosky also have 10 assists apiece.
Freshman Cody Burns also has emerged as a scoring threat for the Rams. He had a goal and an assist against Laurens after scoring the winner in SK's 2-1 sectional quarterfinal defeat of Edmeston on Oct. 24.
"You know it's funny, everybody says they're physical and defensive-minded, but they're very good offensively," Marks said of the Rams, who have shut out 12 opponents this season. "They don't have one guy in the scoring leaders. They have three-to-five guys who can score, and that's tough to prepare for."
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Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.
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