OXFORD – Jeff Newton played his high school football at Norwich, four years of college football at Ithaca, and for the previous nine seasons, served as a head coach or assistant coach at Sherburne-Earlville.

The Marauders play in Section III, so Newton freely admitted he did not keep close tabs on Oxford football. "Being in Sherburne, you're worrying about your own team and what's upcoming there," Newton said. "So I really didn't follow Oxford on a weekly basis."

If Newton had followed Oxford football, he would have seen a once proud program that has performed significantly below its usual standards. Since John Curtis' last year at the helm in 2006 – one that yielded a 6-3 record – Oxford has followed with just one winning season over the last seven, and zero playoff appearances.

Yes, zero appearances in the playoffs on the heels of an 11-year run by Curtis in which Oxford won three Section IV championships, and appeared in three other sectional championship games.