Messiah Hampton (2) leads Monroe with 52 catches for 952 yards. The Redjackets will face Owego Free Academy (IV) in the NYSPHSAA Class B semifinals on Saturday. (Photo: DENNIS JOYCE)
Dennis Joyce
Messiah Hampton (2) leads Monroe with 52 catches for 952 yards. The Redjackets will face Owego Free Academy (IV) in the NYSPHSAA Class B semifinals on Saturday. (Photo: DENNIS JOYCE)

State Semifinal Previews: Football

11/29/2025 11:38:47 AM

By: Pickin' Splinters

Spots in state championship games are on the line this weekend when Brighton (Class A) and Monroe (Class B) take the field in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Football semifinals. 

It’s the second time in two seasons that Brighton has reached the state final four. In 2024, the Bruins finally broke through and won their first Section V title in program history. They won the Far West Regional, but fell in the NYS Class A state semifinals to Whitesboro (III).

Now, Brighton is back in the spot where its year ended the year before. They’ve already beaten two sectional champions in East/World of Inquiry and McKinley (VI), and will aim to beat another when taking on Union-Endicott (IV) on Sunday.

Union-Endicott (IV) needed a two-point conversion stop in overtime to win the Section IV Class A championship against Horseheads. But in the state quarterfinals against Whitesboro, a team that was looking to go to its third straight state championship game, the Tigers roared; using 32 unanswered points to win in blowout fashion.

The programs have quite the opposite histories. Brighton has won two sectional titles. Union-Endicott has won 20. But they both have one thing in common: they’ve never won a state championship. READ MORE. 

Prior to 2023, Monroe football hadn’t won a sectional title in nearly 45 years. Now, the Red Jackets enter this year’s NYS Class B state semifinals having won two in the past three seasons.

Monroe is undefeated and has won eight games by at least four touchdowns this year. The Red Jackets are outscoring their opponents by more than 400 points this season and have won 28 of their past 32 games dating back to 2023. One of those losses, however, was in the same spot they are now: the state final four.

Owego Free Academy’s (IV) past two seasons ended in the Section IV Class B championship game, just shy of winning a program-first sectional title. This season, the River Hawks got over the hump, winning by three touchdowns against Waverly to win a sectional title. In the state quarterfinals, a last-second field goal gave the River Hawks a 36-34 victory over New Hartford (III) and kept their best season in team history alive.

The two squads will meet Saturday, each trying to earn their program’s first ever state title game appearance. READ MORE.