FOLLOWING FOOTBALL: A CHAT WITH THE COACHES (2018-09-14)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA COUNTY - The high school football season is underway and through the first two weeks of the season the local teams have been doing pretty good. Newark Valley and Owego are off to 2-0 starts while Spencer-Van Etten / Candor is 1-1 with its only setback being a tough 28-20 loss to Tioga in week two.

This week, NV (2-0) opens Section IV Division IV play on the road at Harpursville / Afton (1-1) while SVEC holds its senior game against Dryden (2-0) in Candor - both on Saturday afternoon. Owego gets the home field advantage Friday night against powerhouse Chenango Forks (2-0) in a Division II clash.

Forks is ranked No. 1 in the New York Sportswriters Association Class B rankings while Owego debuts at No. 24. The Cardinals are also ranked, at No. 4 in Class C. SVEC's opponent, Dryden, is an honorable mention. Elsewhere in Tioga County, Tioga (1-1) is No. 5 in Class D.

This week, we begin a question and answer series with head coaches Ted Hardenstine (Newark Valley), Steve Virkler (Owego) and Mike Chaffee (SVEC). Here's what they have to say about three topics posed to them about their teams.

Q: Through the first two weeks of the season, what has impressed you most about your team?

Hardenstine: Through the first two weeks I have been happy with the improvement of our team.So far, our kids haven't been satisfied with their performance and have been willing to continue their hard work at practice to improve.

Virkler: We've been happy with our overall defensive play - all 11 guys have worked as a unified group and it shows in their results - giving up only 20 points in the first two weeks.

Chaffee: I am most impressed with the way our team has continued to work to get better. Each week we are progressing and developing and that falls back on our grit and determination to be successful.

Q: What one area would like to see your team improve most at before the next game?

Hardenstine: This week I would like to see our fundamentals continue to improve.On defense, having correct alignment and having our kids execute their assignment. On offense, we had excellent effort and physicality last week, but we had a few breakdowns with our blocking assignments. I am excited to see if we continue to improve in these aspects.

Virkler: We need to continue to work on consistency in all aspects of the game - we need to be able to keep drives alive on offense for four quarters and put the ball in the end zone.

Chaffee: Our kicking game really needs to improve. Right now we are struggling with our PATs, which need to be automatic for us.

Q: What can the fans expect to see from your next opponent?

Hardenstine: Our opponent this week will throw the ball more often than our opponents did in week 1 and 2. The QB is a good athlete, and they have some good athletes at the skill positions as well. That being said, they were able to run the ball with some success the first two weeks as well. I expect that they will try to establish their run game, hit us with some short passes to get the ball out quick, and take a few chances throwing the ball down the field.

Virkler: Chenango Forks brings with them one of the most successful programs in New York State regardless of class size. They are able to have success year in and year out because of the hard work and effort they put in. This year is no different as they show no signs of letting down. They controlled both opponents in weeks 1 and 2 from start to finish. This will be a good measuring stick for our guys at this point in the season.