Off to the States: Wildcat Football squad set to face-off against Waverly in State Regional

VESTAL, NY- "There's no other feeling like it," said Senior Offensive Tackle and Defensive End Wyatt Kratzenberg as he recalled the clock expiring Sunday against General Brown.

Kratzenberg was a Sophomore two-years ago when the Wildcat Football squad made it to the Dome in Syracuse, NY for their first Section III Title Game in 30-years.

However, the dream only came half-true, as the Wildcats suffered a tough loss against Dolgeville.

Hopes were high for the Wildcats to return to the Dome for a second try in 2022, but fell short in the semi-finals against Holland Patent. 

"A lot of our guys dug-in real hard. They were on the team last-year when we came up short against Holland Patent," Kratzenberg added.

"It gave us a lot more motivation this-year to go all the way." Listen to our latest on-air coverage here:

And that's just what the Wildcats did. After a hard-fought loss during the regular season against General Brown, the Wildcats would end up re-matching the Lions in what would be their second trip to the Dome in three-years. 

This time around, that motivation paid off. When the clock expired, Adirondack was 30 and General Brown was 26, earning them their first Section III Football Title since 1991. 

"In the beginning of the year, we had some adversity with some injuries," Head Coach Rob Hennessey told us.

When Coach Hennessey played Adirondack Football, it was always his dream to get to the Dome. "The top two teams in each division would go and they would play a semi-finals and a finals and that was it. There was no state playoff system."

Even with a Section III Title, the dream for Adirondack Football isn't over yet. The Wildcats depart at 1:00 p.m. Friday, November 17 for Vestal, NY, where they will take on Section IV Class C Champs on Saturday: Waverly. 

"Executing a game plan is going to be key and critical," said Wildcat Offensive Coordinator Steve Bala.

"We're pretty battle tested. We are ready for a battle against Waverly, so it should be a fun football game."

On behalf of Adirondack Football, Coach Hennessey, his staff and players would like to thank the community for their never failing support.   

Image by Tom Spencer: The winning touchdown that claimed the first Wildcat Football Section III Title since 1991 over General Brown 30-26.