WEEK 13 An exciting and heartbreaking weekend at the Carrier Dome closed out the Section 1 football season this weekend, with a couple of big what-ifs hanging in the air. New Rochelle and Nanuet are both left wondering if things would have turned out better if not for a couple of critical injuries that could not have occurred at worse times. For New Rochelle it was the ankle injury to senior quarterback and defensive back Lewis Edney, who left the game in the first quarter never to return. The defense brought its "A" game yet again in the Huguenots´ 14-7 loss to North Tonawanda, but the offense struggled without its dynamic signal-caller. If Edney plays that entire game in full health, does New Rochelle walk away with the Class AA state championship? I have to think that it does. Khaliq Butts did an impressive job filling in for Edney after having barely any playing time this season, but Edney´s ability to run or pass - as well as his experience - would have made the difference. It´s a shame that the Huguenots have to go home with that question lingering over them, but in the end everyone has to deal with injuries at some point. It just stinks that New Rochelle had to deal with its biggest injury in the worst possible moment. The big question that the fans are discussing, of course, is the coaches´ decision to keep senior Jonny McGhee at receiver rather than have him fill in under center for the injured Edney. Who gives New Rochelle a better chance to win that game at quarterback, McGhee or Butts? Regardless of the fact that he hasn´t played quarterback in a year, the answer is obviously McGhee, no question. A lot of people wouldn´t have hesitated to throw McGhee in at quarterback once Edney went down, but that´s what sets Coach DiRienzo apart. His courage to stick to his principles and beliefs may have hurt his team´s chances against North Tonawanda, but it is those very same values that got the Huguenots to that point in the first place. Without the discipline and accountability he instills and demands, there´s no way you build a program like New Rochelle´s. The win the short-term battle, the answer would have been McGhee. Butts, however, was the answer in the long-term fight to building a perennial contender. Nanuet must also deal with a big what-if, but not of the controversial kind. Center Brendan Siegriest went down on the opening kickoff of the second half, and the Golden Knights fumbled the snap on the ensuing play, leading to a Hornell score. If Siegriest doesn´t get injured, does Tom Hanney get a clean exchange from under center on the next play? Does Nanuet score rather giving up a touchdown to Hornell with the turnover? Who knows. The painful thing about the outcome was Hornell converting both of its two-point conversions, a risky strategy that paid off with the state title. If Hornell had elected to kick extra points as Nanuet did, that game might have gone to overtime and who knows what would have happened. It was a tough spot for the Golden Knights to be in, charged with mounting a potential game-winning drive, but they gave Hornell all it could handle right down to the last minute. One of the more amazing stats came out of that game: Nanuet turned the ball over twice in the game, finishing the season with five turnovers. Is that crazy or what? That´s amazing ball security and decision-making from Nanuet. Simply amazing. There isn't too much to say about Bronxville's loss to Jamestown Southwestern, other than the mighty Broncos finally met their match. Southwestern won its second straight title and 29th consecutive game with its 40-14 defeat of Bronxville. The Broncos were good, but Southwestern was better. No shame in losing to a better team, especially after a gritty first half that saw Bronxville trail by just six points at the break. Bronxville surprised a lot of people this year and should be proud of an incredible season that proved a lot of people wrong, myself included. Great year for the Section 1 squads.