SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – The New York State Sportswriters’ Association released their weekly football rankings on Wednesday, September 27, and seven local teams made the list.

While most teams stayed where they were, in the large-school rankings, two teams made big jumps to land just outside the top 10: Whitesboro, who jumped four spots to land at number 13 in Class A this week, and New Hartford, who moved up ten slots to sit at #12 for the week in Class B.

Warriors quarterback Kyle Meier led Whitesboro to a 41-0 shutout of West Genesee on Friday, September 22 for their first shutout of the season. The Dartmouth commit had 328 combined yards and four touchdowns in the win to move Whitesboro to 3-1 on the season. The Warriors will play two Class AA schools next, hosting Henninger on Friday, September 29 at Chiz Frye Field before traveling to play RFA on Friday, October 5.

New Hartford had their first shutout of the season last Friday as well, as they rolled to a 42-0 win over Central Valley Academy. The Spartans, led by quarterback John Vitullo and running back Cole Raux, have not given up more than 14 points in any game this season. During their game against the Thunder, Raux posted his best rushing game of the season, running for 242 yards and three touchdowns. They’ll travel to Oneida to take on the Express on Friday, September 29.

One of two teams this season to crack the top five in the state rankings are the Adirondack Wildcats, who remain at number four in the rankings after a narrow 30-26 win over Syracuse ITC. The Wildcats will not have to travel far for the rest of the season, as their next two games are at home against Little Falls and General Brown. Their last two games are approximately a half-hour’s bus ride away, traveling to Lowville (32 minutes away) and Holland Patent (29 minutes away).

The Mount Markham Mustangs are just outside the top five, staying at the sixth spot in Class D. The Mustangs have not given up a point while scoring 169 themselves. Last week, the Mustangs scored 41 en route to a shutout of Cato-Meridian. Mount Markham faces another tough task on Friday, September 29 when they travel to Beaver River. The Mustangs will round out the season on the road as well, heading to Bill Bynon Field to take on the Dolgeville Blue Devils.

In the eight-man rankings, three local teams find themselves in the week’s rankings, including the other local team to crack the top five: Frankfort-Schuyler, who like Adirondack, stood pat at number four in the eight-man polls. Dual-threat Rocco Martino has put up over 500 combined yards this season, including 196 passing yards in a 62-12 victory over New York Mills. Two of the next three games for the Maroon Knights will be at Lieutenant Ferraro Field, but the Knights get to enjoy a week off before hosting Sauquoit Valley on Friday, October 6.

The Sauquoit Valley Red Hawks have also jumped out to an unblemished start, going 4-0 to earn the seventh spot in the eight-man polls. The Red Hawks have also not allowed more than 14 points in three wins, and last week, they scored a season-high 40 in a 40-14 win over Cooperstown. Led by two-headed rushing attack Brenden Lee (286 yards, 4 TD) and Aiden McKenney (295 yards, 4 TD), the Red Hawks will play three of their next four games on the road, starting with a trip to Section IV Oxford on September 29 before traveling to Frankfort-Schuyler on October 6.

Quarterback Sean Burdick has led West Canada Valley into a tie for tenth place in the eight-man rankings. The senior has thrown for 615 yards this season, 264 of them coming in their 30-26 loss to Frankfort-Schuyler. Burdick has also rushed for over 300 yards this season, racking up eight touchdowns on the ground as West Canada Valley has outscored their opponents 122-38 this season They will stay home for their next two games, hosting Waterville and South Lewis.