By Patrick Newell

Sun Sports Editor

pnewell@evesun.com

Once a consistent doormat, cellar-dwelling-bottom-of-the-heap football program, fortunes have changed drastically over at Sherburne-Earlville.

The progress under head coach Mike Jasper is undeniable, and what we have now in Marauderville is a football team with four straight non-losing seasons, currently the longest streak amongst the six Chenango County-based outfits.

Two years ago, Jasper led the Marauders to their first Section III postseason appearance, and a year ago – thanks to a 7-0 start – the Marauders hosted their first-ever Section III playoff game.

State-ranked, likely favored, and dominant statistically at the end of 48 minutes, S-E was hampered by early mistakes in a 23-12 playoff loss to Thousand Islands.

"Obviously that last game left a bitter taste in our mouths," Jasper said. "We believed we were a better team, but we picked a heck of a day to have things go wrong. Turnovers and miscues even up a game pretty quick."

S-E turned it over twice inside its own 25-yard line, and Thousand Islands capitalized on that. The visiting club also returned an interception for a touchdown to cave in the Marauders' hopes.

Several key players graduated from that club including three-time all-state player Austin Jasper; however, several components remain from last year's 7-1 club, and the goals remain the same: Make the playoffs, and advance farther than the year before.