Section II has finalized the high school football schedules and playoff format for the 2023 season. The schedule for the second season of the Granville-Whitehall merger has the potential for the team to taste success under new coach Kevin Gebo. Although challenging, the ledger does not appear to be as daunting as last season’s when the team suffered a few one-sided losses.
The athletic council for the section recently approved an eight-team playoff tournament for Class A and Class C. There are 11 teams in the classification.
Granville-Whitehall will compete in Class C North with Corinth/Hadley-Luzerne, Schuylerville, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac and Watervliet.
Class C South is made up of Cobleskill, Coxsackie-Athens, Fonda, Johnstown, Rensselaer and Taconic Hills.
Granville-Whitehall will open the season at Sam Eppolito Field Sept. 2 against Class D opponent Cambridge-Salem. Cambridge-Salem won last year’s meeting, 18-6, in a highly competitive contest. This game is considered a Week 0 contest. Week 0 is the week that teams can use for either a game or a scrimmage.
In Week 1 Cobleskill-Richmondville comes to Sam Eppolito Field. The Bulldogs were 6-3 last season.
On Sept. 15 Granville-Whitehall hits the road for the first time as they travel to Rensselaer. Granville-Whitehall cruised past the Rams 33-6 a year ago.
In Week 3 on Sept. 23, Granville-Whitehall will face one of its stiffest tests of the campaign, hosting Schuylerville at Ambrose Gilligan Field. The Black Horses claimed last year’s meeting 42-0.
Former Granville coach Brian Bowe and the Corinth/Hadley-Luzerne Mountaineers come to Sam Eppolito Field for a Week 5 matchup on Sept 29. It will be the first time the teams have met since the Granville-Whitehall merger.
Granville-Whitehall plays at Watervliet on Oct. 6. The Cannoneers dropped a 66-0 decision to Granville-Whitehall last season.
Gebo and his coaching staff will have a little time to rest their team and make tweaks for the stretch run on the weekend of Oct. 13-14 with a bye week.
In the final week of the regular season Granville-Whitehall visits Hoosick Falls-Tamarac. The Wildcats won last season’s game 34-0.
Playoffs and crossover games will begin the week of Oct. 27-28. Semifinals and crossovers will be contested Nov. 3-4. The Section II championships are scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 10-11.
Football practice will officially begin on Saturday, Aug. 19, although Granville-Whitehall players have already begun off-season workouts with Coach Gebo and the staff.
Numbers seem to be on the rise for the program as nearly 60 student-athletes have signed up for the team this season, a steep increase from recent years.
