FONDA — When the Fonda-Fultonville football team arrives at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse on Saturday, it will be the first time in program history it will play for a state championship.
Riding a 12-game winning streak, Fonda-Fultonville will face its biggest challenge of the season against Section 4’s Waverly.
For head coach Mike Mancini, a state championship is something he’s been chasing since he was the school’s quarterback, and his father — Alex — was the head coach.
“We have a bright history, we’re one of the winningest programs in the history of Section 2 football,” said Mike Mancini. “It’s not like we haven’t won, we just haven’t gotten to this point. It’s definitely new territory, but it’s not something we’ll shy away from.”
During his sophomore year of high school in 1999, Mike Mancini was the star quarterback under his father’s watch, on a team that won the Section 2 Class B Super Bowl. However, it lost in the first round of the state playoffs to Peru.
A few years after Mike Mancini graduated in 2002, Alex Mancini stepped away from his coaching duties in 2005. Mike then took over the program as head coach last season.
“My father was the coach here for 20-some-odd years. It definitely means a lot to our family and to our community for the rich tradition that we have,” said Mike Mancini, noting that his dad has enjoyed his retirement. “He definitely lends his advice, but he also enjoys the fact he’s able to be more of a casual observer, not wrapped up in the game.
“He doesn’t want to step on my toes, or cast that shadow on what we’re trying to do, but I know he’s excited and has been extremely supportive of us. A lot of guys on our staff played for him and it means a lot to him, seeing us bring the program to where it is.”
Fonda-Fultonville has a well-rounded roster, which includes 13 seniors, as well as three freshmen — one of whom is starting quarterback Keegan Croucher.
Both Fonda-Fultonville and Waverly enter Saturday’s NYSPHSAA Class C championship with 12-1 overall records. Fonda’s lone loss came in a Week 0 game against Schuylerville 34-32. It has since won 12 straight games, including defeating Schuylerville in the Section 2 Super Bowl.
Waverly’s only loss came in overtime, 23-17, at the hands of Tioga, a Class D team that is set to play Stillwater on Saturday for the state title in that classification.
“They have a really good front and weapons on the outside,” Croucher said of Waverly. “It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re up for it and it should be a dog fight.”
Fonda-Fultonville is no stranger to being put to the test, especially after facing Hoosick Falls/Tamarac and Stillwater a combined four times this year.
“It definitely helps that Section 2 is very competitive,” said offensive and defensive linemen Logan Miller. “Especially going on a state run where you don’t know who you’re playing against, we played very good Schuylerville and Hoosick Falls teams throughout the year. It’s almost like playing a state playoff game during the middle of the season.”
Miller, a senior, is taking it all in during the final week of his high school football career.
“It’s definitely a dream come true, to be playing at this time of the year,” he said. “It’s fun, especially the other day we had snow out here, it’s really cool to be a part of something like this.
“This is the most fun group I’ve ever played with. Everyone’s pretty tight knit and if anyone makes a mistake, we pick each other up. If we make a good play, we’re all celebrating. I really think this is the tightest-knit team I’ve ever been on. … Now, we’re just looking to take care of business.”
“We worked all season to be here,” added senior linemen Aidan Frederick. “It’s really rewarding being able to be out here for one more week.”
Frederick pointed out that his class began their high school careers in a time of incredible uncertainty, with school and football very different due to the pandemic.
“We started off in the COVID year, which was tough for us, but that journey really helped us grow and now this is the first time in school history we’ve done this,” Frederick said. “It feels great to be a part of this, that we’re bringing this to the school. As we’ve gone on, the community’s gotten more and more behind us too, and that really brings us life.”