Middletown, Port Jervis win 7-on-7 titles, show early season promise

Middletown and Port Jervis turned Warwick High’s Hudson Valley 7-on-7 Shootout into an early-season barometer, and both Orange County programs left with hardware that hinted at bigger things ahead. Middletown won the large-school division by beating Warwick in the championship, while Port Jervis took the small-school bracket with a win over Roosevelt High of Long Island.

The format made the results worth watching. Seven-on-seven football is non-contact and built around the passing game, with smaller fields and end zones designed to sharpen quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs. That makes the shootout less about brute force and more about timing, spacing and communication, the same traits that often separate a promising summer from a sharp start in September.

For Middletown coach Tim Strenfel, the day offered a reason for optimism about the 2026 roster. He said this group may finally have both athleticism and experience at the same time, and he liked the way the Middies communicated on offense and defense. That combination matters in a format where a missed hand signal or late adjustment can wreck a drive, and it also suggests Middletown may have more leadership in place than it has had in recent years. What still remains to be proven is how that chemistry holds up in full pads, against run-heavy pressure and across a full fall schedule.

Port Jervis had its own message to send. The Raiders’ small-school title at Warwick fit neatly with the program’s recent standard, especially after their 2024 Class B state championship run. Port Jervis beat Maine-Endwell 33-26 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B final at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, winning the first state football championship in school history and finishing that season 12-1. It was also the sixth Section 9 state football title ever, a reminder that Port Jervis now belongs in the same regional conversation as the county’s most established programs.

Warwick’s role in the offseason calendar continues next, with Camp of Champions scheduled for June 18-21. The training-camp-style event will give local teams another chance to measure themselves before the real scoreboard season begins, but Saturday’s shootout already suggested the Orange County order could be in motion. Middletown and Port Jervis did not settle every question. They did show they intend to ask a lot of them.