SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — The latest New York State Sports Writers Association (NYSSWA) polls for football were released on Wednesday, October 4, and six local teams have cracked the polls, with one ranking in the top three in the state.

The only local team to drop out from last week’s polls was Class D’s Mount Markham, who dropped out from number 6 in the class after a stunning 34-13 loss to Beaver River. The Mustangs will look to redeem themselves when they host Herkimer on Friday, October 6. However, Mount Markham’s road back to the top of the polls is still perilous, as they will host #6 Sandy Creek on October 13 before traveling to Dolgeville to round out the season.

In Classes A and B, both Whitesboro and New Hartford have placed in the top ten of their respective NYSSWA polls, both of them coming in at number 10. The Warriors moved up three slots after their fourth-straight 40-point night, a 48-14 win over Henninger. They’ll face one of the more surprising teams this year in RFA on Friday night, who sits at 5-0 after a narrow six-point win over Auburn. Whitesboro will finish out the regular season with games against Corcoran on October 13 and Auburn on October 20.

New Hartford also finds themselves at number 10 at Class B, moving up two spots after racking up the least amount of points this season — 35 against Oneida in a 35-6 victory on September 29. They will travel to Camden on Friday night before rounding out their season with two games at Don Edick Field, with their biggest test coming against Carthage — who have won back-to-back games after starting 0-2 — on October 13. They’ll finish the season on October 20 when they host VVS.

The first local team to crack the top three this season is the Adirondack Wildcats, who move up one spot to number three in the Class C polls after a 56-20 win over Little Falls last week. They are not the only Section III team in the top three at Class C, however, as Skaneateles currently occupies the top spot. The Wildcats and Lakers will not face each other until the playoffs, but before that, Adirondack will face two-state ranked teams, starting with twelfth-ranked General Brown on Friday. They’ll round out the season by traveling to 20th-ranked Lowville on October 13 and rival Holland Patent on October 20.

The other three local poll-climbers occupy the eight-man ranks and stay steady in their place. Frankfort-Schuyler is the highest of the three, remaining at number four for the third straight week after their bye week last week. The Knights come off their best night of the season two weeks ago, racking up 62 points in a win over New York Mills two weeks ago. They will face seventh-ranked Sauquoit Valley at Lieutenant Ferraro Field on Friday, October 6. They will host Waterville on October 13 before a rematch of last year’s Section III championship against Morrisville-Eaton on October 20.

The seventh-ranked Sauquoit Valley Red Hawks have not allowed more than 14 points all season, only allowing six last week in a win over Section IV’s Oxford. That defensive performance has brought them to a 4-0 record, including big wins over Section IV Class D school Unadilla Valley. Keeping the Red Hawks at number seven in the state might prove to be difficult, as they will face fourth-ranked Frankfort Schuyler on October 6 at Lieutenant Ferraro Field. They will also face 10th-ranked West Canada Valley on October 12 before traveling New York Mills on October 20 to finish the season.

West Canada Valley dropped one spot into a tie for the tenth position in the eight-man polls after a blowout win over Waterville last week, bouncing back from a close loss to Frankfort-Schuyler the previous week. West Canada Valley’s biggest test will come in two weeks when they face seventh-ranked Sauquoit Valley, but before that, they will have one last home game on October 7 when they host South Lewis. They will round out their season on October 21 when they travel to Cooperstown.