Moriah, Ti to renew football rivalry Oct. 19

TICONDEROGA | Moriah and Ticonderoga's varsity football teams will renew their storied rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Sentinel Field. It's the first meeting between the two Essex County programs since Ticonderoga's departure from the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference to play an independent, eight-man schedule after the 2022 season. While Ticonderoga remains committed to fielding an eight-man team in 2024, the non-conference game will feature traditional 11-on-11 rules. "We had some room on our schedule, and Moriah was looking to fill a bye," Ticonderoga Athletic Director Dan Dorsett said. "We wanted to accommodate, and it helped us get another home game. "We had to look into the legalities of the situation. We wanted to remain eligible for the eight-man postseason, and it was OK for us to proceed. "Really, it was a collaborative effort between the Superintendent, Board of Education and Athletic Director." Casey Nephew, athletic director and varsity football and baseball head coach at Moriah, said the game should make for an exciting day. "Growing up in both communities, Moriah-Ticonderoga games are always a big deal," Nephew said. "It's nice to have the varsity football game back on the schedule after a couple years away. The kids are excited, and you can tell it's something they're looking forward to experiencing." The two high schools are separated by about 18 miles. "Yeah, we know those kids. We live so close, you just see them around," said Jacob Mascarenas, a senior running back, wide receiver and cornerback for Moriah. "It'll be fun to play those guys, especially because guys last year didn't get to play them." Joe Pelkey, now in his second full season at quarterback for the Vikings, indicated that he and his teammates were introduced to the gridiron feud at an early age. "Oh, yeah, 100%. Growing up, we always watched the rivalry," Pelkey said. "We have friends from Ti. "We used to play pick-up football games at the (varsity) games because we were so excited, and we never got to play them when we were younger because they were in Glens Falls' PAL football (program). So it's definitely exciting." Citing declining enrollment and participation numbers, Ticonderoga announced it would pursue the eight-man route in June 2023. Under the direction of Scott Nephew, Casey's brother, the Sentinels went 37-16 between 2014 and 2018, highlighted by a NYSPHSAA Class D runner-up finish in 2015. But the program fell on hard times, winning only two of 26 games between 2019 and 2022 while experiencing two head coaching changes. "We wouldn't have been able to have this game unless we had good numbers, and we're in very good shape," Dorsett said. "People are going to look at us and wonder why we're not playing 11-man football. "We had some last-minute additions from kids who haven't played in a few years. I think we'll have about 26 kids." Dorsett, however, indicated the participation numbers are a blip. "Between ninth and 10th grade, we have only 11 football players," Dorsett said. "We predict eight-man to be our future because when you look at the lower grades, as far as some class sizes really shrinking, they're in the 50s and as low as the 30s, and that's not considering boys in each class or how many are participating in athletics." Moriah and Ticonderoga's renewed rivalry game will give the Ticonderoga Alumni Association an opportunity to induct its 2024 Hall of Fame class at halftime. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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Moriah, Ti to renew football rivalry Oct. 19

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