Helderberg Valley made its case for playing in the Section 2 Class C football playoffs with a 31-14 victory over Taconic Hills Friday, Oct. 12.

The win tied Helderberg Valley (4-3 overall) and Catskill-Cairo-Durham for third place in the South Division with a 3-2 record, and it holds the tiebreaker over CCD by virtue of its 46-12 victory on Sept. 8. The top two teams from each of the three divisions automatically qualify for Sectionals, along with two wildcard teams.

Touchdowns by Charlie Grieggs and Jake Stahl in the first quarter gave Helderberg Valley a 12-0 lead. Devon Charron scored on a 24-yard run in the second quarter to pull Taconic Hills (1-4, 1-6) within six points, but Jessie Waddell returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards for a touchdown to put Helderberg Valley in control.

Grieggs added his second touchdown run of the game in the third quarter, and Waddell caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Xander Monroe to make the score 31-6. Charron had a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and caught a two-point conversion pass from Markus Hartman.

Sectional seedings will be released Sunday, Oct. 14.