Dakota Vandermark of Bainbridge-Guilford, and Kurt Shear of Greene set new single-season rushing records for their schools, and the running duo head up our 2010 Evening Sun Football All-Star Team.

From a team perspective, Norwich returned to the playoffs a second straight year, Greene made it six straight winning seasons under head coach Tim Paske, and B-G fifth-year head coach, Tim Mattingly, piloted the Bobcats to a fifth straight winning campaign.

Norwich typically dominant with its running game, used a stingy defense that allowed less than 14 points a game during the regular season to garner a Class B playoff spot.

“We asked a lot of our defense, and they really gave us a lot,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We just need to improve our rushing game next year, and the passing comes off of our running. We’ll be back and we’re optimistic about next year.”

Greene found itself in a division that included state-ranked Sidney and Chenango Forks, yet still managed to post its best rushing numbers in the eight years under Paske. With the exception of losses to Forks and Sidney, Greene’s defense was usually pretty sound. “We just turned it over too many times in key situations,” Paske said of the losses. “We had nine players this year with varsity experience when we started the season. With young kids in key positions, it put us in situations that can be stressful. By the end of the year, we improved.”