For the first time in recent memory, the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots have found themselves looking up Class B competition.
Despite losing only one game in the Foothills Council - to Scotia-Glenville - and tying another game - to South Glens Falls - the Patriots were forced to settle for the No. 4 seed in the Section II Class B tournament.
Last year, the Patriots had the opportunity to appeal their seed, but that's not the case this season.
"It is what it is," Broadalbin-Perth coach Brian Henry said. "We're happy with our positioning. We understand you're going to have to beat everybody to be the best."
They will open their defense of last year's New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship at Patriot Field at 5 p.m. Thursday against the Doane Stuart/Rensselaer.
"My contentions are if we play at the level we're capable of playing at, we're capable of beating anybody," Henry said.
A win Thursday will send the Patriots back to their home turf Saturday night for the quarterfinals, which will pit them against the winner of No. 5 Chatham and No. 12 Cohoes.
"The boys are really fired up about it," Henry said. "They like the idea of home-field advantage. That's a really nice thing for the guys. If we make it to the semifinals, that's up in Queensbury, another facility we're familiar with."
Their Foothills Council rival, the Johnstown Sir Bills earned the 16th seed in the tournament and will travel on the road to meet the top-seeded Ichabod Crane Riders, who won the Colonial Council Division II with an 11-0-1 record.
The Sir Bills finished with a 2-10 Foothills Council mark, in a three-way tie for fifth-place, 17 points behind league co-champions Broadalbin-Perth and Scotia-Glenville and eight points behind fourth-place Queensbury.
The Fonda-Fultonville Braves earned the 13th seed in the tournament and will pay a visit to Greenville, who suffered only one loss in Patroon Conference play.
The Class C tournament will get under way today when the No. 16 Canajoharie Cougars face No. 17 Mechanicville in a playoff game.
The winner will travel to Lake George on Friday for a 3 p.m. game against the tournament's top seed.
In an all-local matchup, the Western Athletic Conference South leaders, the Fort Plain Hilltoppers, will host No. 9 Mayfield on Friday at Harry Hoag Elementary School. Formerly WAC North rivals, who played each other twice a year, played each other once this year, Oct. 12 in Mayfield, a game the Panthers won 5-0.
After finishing last in the WAC North, a division that also was home to Mekeel Christian Academy, Mayfield and Galway, the Northville Falcons drew a fourth seed in the Class D tournament and will host No. 5 Argyle at 1 p.m. Saturday.
It is a great seed for us," Northville coach Steve Clapper said. "It is a credit to the strength of our league and the strength of the schedule we play. This is what we prepare for our whole season."
Last year, Northville entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and lost to then-No. 6 Argyle in the quarterfinals. Argyle reached the championship game, where they were edged by top-seeded Fort Ann in the finals.
We are going into Saturday's game looking at it as a rematch from last year only this time we are looking for a different result," Clapper said.
The eighth-seeded St. Johnsville Saints will open the tournament in the first round today against No. 9 North Warren. The winner will have an appointment at 3 p.m. Saturday at the North Colonie Sports Complex to meet top-seeded Loudonville Christian.
The winner of that quarterfinal will meet the winner of the Northville and Argyle game at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Queensbury.
In Class A, the Amsterdam Rams earned the No. 9 seed and will travel to No. 8 Averill Park for a game at 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner will face top-seeded Albany Academy at 3 p.m. Saturday.
SECTION II BOYS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Class AA
Opening Round
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 3 p.m.
Game 1: 4B. La Salle at 4S. Guilderland, 3 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 25
Game 2: S8. Ballston Spa at S7. Columbia, 7 p.m.
Game 3: S9. Saratoga Springs at B1. Albany, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 26, 3 p.m.
Game 4: S5. Shaker at B3. Schenectady
Game 5: S6. Colonie at B2. CBA
Quarterfinals
Oct. 27 or 29
Game 6: Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Monday, Oct. 29
Game 7: Game 2 winner at S1. Bethlehem, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 at S2. Shenendehowa, 7 p.m.
Game 9: Game 4 winner at S3. Niskayuna, 3 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, Nov. 1
at Colonie H.S.
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 11: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 5 p.m.
Championship
Monday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m.
at Colonie H.S.
Game 12: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Class A
First Round
Thursday, Oct. 25, 3 p.m.
Game 1: No. 9 Amsterdam at No. 8 Averill Park
Game 2: No. 10 Mohonasen at No. 7 Lansingburgh
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Oct. 27
Game 3: Game 1 winner at No. 1 Albany Academy, 3 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake at No. 4 South Glens Falls, 7 p.m.
Game 5: No. 6 Queensbury at No. 3 Troy, 6 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner at No. 2 Scotia-Glenville, 3 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday, Oct. 30
at Johnstown H.S.
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 5 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 3, 4 p.m.
at Colonie H.S.
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Class B
First Round
Wednesday, Oct. 24
Game 1: No. 16 Johnstown at No. 1 Ichabod Crane, 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 9 Catskill at No. 8 Tamarac, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 10 Cairo-Durham at No. 7 Coxsackie-Athens, 3 p.m.
Game 4: No. 15 Corinth at No. 2 Schuylerville, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 25
Game 5: No. 12 Cohoes at No. 5 Chatham, 3 p.m.
Game 6: No. 13 Doane Stuart/Rensselaer at No. 4 Broadalbin-Perth, 5 p.m.
Game 7: No. 14 Fonda at No. 3 Greenville, 3 p.m.
Game 8: No. 11 Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk at No. 6 Schalmont, 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
at higher seed
Friday, Oct. 26
Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 10: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, TBA
Saturday Oct. 27
Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, TBA
Game 12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 3 p.m.
at Queensbury H.S.
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Game 14: Game 10 winner vs. Game 12 winner
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 3, noon
at Colonie H.S.
Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner
Class C
Play-in
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 3 p.m.
Game 1: No. 17 Mechanicville at No. 16 Canajoharie
Game 2: No. 18 Saratoga Catholic at No. 15 Middleburgh
First Round
Thursday, Oct. 25, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 12 Berne-Knox-Westerlo at No. 5 Maple Hill
Game 4: No. 13 Hoosic Valley at No. 4 Mekeel Christian
Game 5: No. 14 Stillwater at No. 3 Berlin
Game 6: No. 11 Schoharie at No. 6 Greenwich
Friday, Oct. 26, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Game 1 winner at No. 1 Lake George
Game 8: No. 9 Mayfield at No. 8 Fort Plain
Game 9: No. 10 Voorheesville at No. 7 Hoosick Falls
Game 10: Game 2 winner at No. 2 Galway
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Oct. 27
at higher seed
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 12: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 1 or 3 p.m.
Game 13: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 14: Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner, 3 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday, Oct. 30
at Johnstown H.S.
Game 15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 16: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 5 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.
at Colonie H.S.
Game 17: Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner
Class D
First Round
Wednesday, Oct. 24
Game 1: No. 9 North Warren at No. 8 St. Johnsville, 3 p.m.
Game 2: No. 10 Salem at No. 7 Hartford, 3 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Oct. 26
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 Loudonville Christian at North Colonie Sports Complex, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Game 2 winner at No. 2 Fort Ann, 2 p.m.
Game 5: No. 6 Bolton at No. 3 New Lebanon, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 27
Game 6: No. 5 Argyle at No. 4 Northville, 1 p.m.
Semifinals
Wednesday, Oct. 31, 3 p.m.
at Queensbury H.S.
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2 p.m.
at Colonie H.S.
Game 9: Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner