By Rob Potter
SULLIVAN COUNTY — May 24, 2005 – This is the week that the athletes and coaches from many of the county’s high school sports teams have been preparing for the entire spring sports season.
The Section IX baseball tournament, boys’ golf championship, girls’ golf championship and softball tournament are all being held this week.
The sectional boys’ golf championship was scheduled to begin yesterday at the Villa Roma Golf Course in Callicoon. The second round of the event, which includes only the top 21 golfers from yesterday’s first round, is slated to held today at Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston.
The top nine golfers will advance to the state championships, which will be held on June 5 and 6 in Ithaca.
The sectional girls’ golf championship is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. today at Stony Ford Golf Course in Hamptonburgh.
Eldred and Sullivan West are the only two county teams playing in the sectional baseball tournaments. Eldred, which is the number four seed in the Class D tourney, plays at top-seeded John A. Coleman Catholic at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
If the Yellowjackets upset Coleman, they would play either third-seeded Chapel Field or number two S.S. Seward in the championship game. That Class D title game is slated to be held at 4 p.m. Friday at Gruner Field, Lake Katrine.
SW is the fourth seed in the Class B tourney and will host fifth-seeded Highland in a quarterfinal game at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Lions Field in Jeffersonville.
If the Bulldogs defeat Highland, they would play at number one seed Spackenkill at 4 p.m. tomorrow in a semifinal game.
The winner of that contest would then meet either Marlboro or John S. Burke Catholic School in the championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday at SUNY New Paltz.
In Section IX softball, the SW Lady Bulldogs and Tri-Valley Lady Bears were the only Sullivan County teams to qualify for postseason play.
At 4 p.m. today, SW, which is the sixth seed in the Class B tournament, will play at third-seeded Ellenville in a quarterfinal game.
Should the Lady Bulldogs prevail, they will travel to Goshen to play second-seeded Burke Catholic in the semifinals. That contest would be played at 4 p.m. Thursday.
The winner of the SW/Burke contest would then advance to the Class B title game, which is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Pat Burke Field, Lake Katrine.
T-V, seeded fourth in the Class C tourney, will play at number one seed Chester at 4 p.m. Thursday in a semifinal game.
The team which prevails will then meet the winner of the other semifinal (Millbrook vs. Rhinebeck) in the championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Pat Burke Field, Lake Katrine.
Of course, this schedule could be altered if inclement weather forces events to be postponed.