Last week, following a practice we started at the turn of the century, we identified the top sports stories of the year. Here are the picks we made in previous years.
2019: Repeating and Retiring: The football team defended its title and Don Blaine retired after 36 years as a wrestling coach. In his final appearance he saw Will Leonard win a state championship.
2018: Twin Titles: The football team and girls cross country team won state championships in November.
2017: Homecoming Happiness: The Dragons scheduled NFA (the Class AA champion) for their homecoming football game, and then treated their fans to a thrilling 31-28 victory.
2016: Year of the streak: Led by the tennis team (56 straight victories), several varsities compiled impressive winning streaks.
2015: Bubblegum pink: Keeping a promise, Coach Dave Feuer dyed his hair bubblegum pink after his relay team won a state championship.
Marathon in Marlboro: Our boys won the section soccer crown after two overtimes and a shootout.
2014: Defining perfection: The tennis team defeated every opponent 7-0. The team played over 200 sets and won them all.
2013: Debut at the Top: In its first year of high school competition, the boys’ lacrosse team won the section championship.
2012: Baseball and McNally: The Dragons won the state Class A championship and Brian McNally signed with the Washington Redskins of the NFL.
2011: Wallkill Reversal: After three straight losses to Wallkill, the football team downed the Panthers 28-14 to regain the section title.
C. Lo says “no” to keeping Derek Jeter’s historic home run ball and becomes an overnight celebrity. Christian Lopez was a 2006 Cornwall graduate.
2010: Aisling’s Triumph: The Cornwall runner won the national cross country championship by 150 yards.
2009: Quest to be Best: Aisling Cuffe won the state and northeastern championships on her way to the national finals.
2008: Show with Monroe: Over 2,000 fans circled the field to watch the Dragon football team open its season against the state finalists from Monroe-Woodbury.
2007: Six out of Six: In one weekend, six Cornwall teams competed for section championships and all six won.
2006: The March to the Dome: The varsity football team won 10 straight games to advance to the state finals in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
2005: The Day of the Dragon: Between Friday noon and Saturday night Cornwall teams won six section titles.
2004: Basketball Doubleheader: The boys and girls’ teams both defeated Wallkill to win section titles before a large crowd at West Point.
2003: Football Championship: Cornwall won its first football title in 25 years, clinching the Section 9 crown with a win at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.
2002: Post-Season Showdown: After the Cornwall and Kingston tennis teams were undefeated during the regular season, they scheduled a special match to see which team was better.
2001: A Trip to Staten Island: The Little League All Star Girls advanced to the state semifinals in Staten Island.
