ANOTHER TEAM, ANOTHER TEST FOR LIONS

DEXTER — Saturday's Class C football state quarterfinal matchup between General Brown and Section 4's Chenango Forks feels a little like a winner-take-all contest.

"If we win this," said General Brown's Jared Flath, "we'll definitely be confident that we know we can win state(s)."

In the red corner, it's the Blue Devils. They're a two-time state champion at Class B, ranked second in the state and boast multiple linemen pushing 300 pounds. Chenango Forks also posted six shutout wins.

In the blue corner, it's the competitor and underdog Lions. They grinded their way to a season few expected. They won Section 3, defeating yet another state-ranked team in the process. They rose from relative obscurity to the state's fourth-ranked team. The Lions are undefeated and have four shutouts to their name.

"People can say what they want," Flath said of the talk against the Lions, "But once they play against us, they don't actually know."

Cazenovia was the last to fall in a 27-14 General Brown triumph at the Carrier Dome last weekend. Before that, it was Bishop Ludden. The Lions came from behind, scoring 16 fourth-quarter points to win, 28-21.

"They were a good, hard-hitting team," General Brown lineman Kyle Rust said of Bishop Ludden. "That's what Chenango is like: hard-hitting and fast."

He thinks a win will be determined by who has the freshest legs come the fourth quarter. That's what won General Brown the Bishop Ludden game.

That game's fresh in the mind of coach Steve Fisher as well.

"I haven't watched the Cazenovia game," he said. "I watched the Bishop Ludden game at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday because I couldn't sleep."

The Lions didn't back down then, not even when it faced a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The players and Fisher believe that Chenango Forks plays in the same style.

"We've scouted them twice," Fisher said. "They're a power-running team. They're good up front. Their running backs are powerful. They're very fast, not very big, but really strong."

The Blue Devils tout four capable running backs — Jordan Barnett, Jimmy Miller and twins Tyler and Ryan Lusht.

The foursome has combined for more than 2,000 rushing yards this season. That's due in part to Chenango Forks' inability to pass. The Blue Devils have completed only 11 passes all season.

That's not necessarily a bad thing for the Lions. Opposing teams have struggled to run consistently against the tough defense.

"Our defense is just so good that we haven't let anyone get past a certain point," Flath said. "Yeah, they may run on us, but they haven't made it in the end zone. That's pretty decent."

Fisher said controlling the line and making sure those four running backs don't have big games is crucial to winning the game.

"Staying low and fast is the key," he said. "We have to keep lower than them and faster than them."

Offensively, the Lions can boast nearly unstoppable running backs Flath and Nick Klusacek. Each has been pivotal this season and both must run well against Chenango Forks.

"We have to get Flath and Klusacek going," Rust said. "We need to block the line and get them outside and up the middle."

Should they falter, there's running back Kyle Scordo ready to go.

"We've got Thomas, Klusacek and Scordo that can run," Fisher said. "We're looking forward to playing (Chenango Forks)."

General Brown is scheduled to depart at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday for the 3 p.m. game played at Union-Endicott High School.