FOLLOWING FOOTBALL: COACHES SIZE UP THEIR GAME PLANS (2018-09-28)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
The 2018 high school football season is at its midway point, so let's see where we stand.

Newark Valley, Spencer-Van Etten / Candor and Owego all have the capability of being around when the Section IV playoffs begin. NV and Owego, barring catastrophe, are shoe-ins. SVEC can stay alive with a win this week, but will be "realistically" eliminated with a loss.

Newark Valley (4-0, 2-0) is sitting pretty in Division IV. However, last week's 30-25 escape against SVEC proved the Cardinals are not invincible. Yes, they routed Deposit / Hancock and Harpursville / Afton in Weeks 2 and 3 - and took it easy on them in the process - but those are two programs going through downturns. Against better teams - Tioga and SVEC - they merely survived.

Up to this point, people talk about NV and Sus Valley as if they are the only two teams that exist in D-4. However, Whitney Point (3-1, 1-0) could pose a problem this week if NV isn't on its toes.

The good news is Trentyn Rupert is back. Injured in a car accident in late August, the two-way lineman missed the first three games, but made a brief appearance against SVEC. Once he's up to full speed, his blocking capability will add another dimension to NV's running game - and his ability to play "D" will knock opposing offenses down a peg.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals suffer from what I call "Section IV Small School Syndrome." They can't throw the ball. If they can, they haven't shown me anything through the air yet. This disease seems to affect almost all of the Class C and Class D programs. If you think I'm kidding, go check the archives of your local newspaper and see how many games a C or D has thrown for more yards than they've run for.

I believe the only way you can beat Sus Valley (4-0, 0-0) is to throw against them, because nobody will beat the Sabers scoring less than 35 points. And you won't score that many against the SV run defense.

SVEC (1-3, 0-1) is hosting Sus Valley this week and it truly is a must-win for the Eagles. With a loss to NV last week, a setback against SV all but knocks them out of the postseason chase - unless NV or SV falls apart during the next four weeks - and Donald Trump will stop Tweeting. The good news is SVEC now realizes it's not too bad at throwing the rock.

However, the Eagles are a team of what-ifs. The Eagles beat Walton in Week 1, then lost to Tioga by 8, Dryden by 7 and NV by 5. All four of those teams are either state-ranked or been given an honorable mention by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

Of course, you need to take the NYSSWA rankings with a grain of salt. A great conversation piece, the validity of the rankings' accuracy in the early season is questionable at best. However, the prognostications do take on more substance as the season progresses.

Then there's Owego (3-1, 2-1 Div. II), which this season has the misfortune of playing in the same division as Chenango Forks and Maine-Endwell - the two most successful programs in the history of Section IV. The Indians played Forks (4-0, 3-0) closer than the 25-10 final score indicates. They also beat Chenango Valley worse than that 34-25 final would lead you to believe. I think it should have been 41-13, which is much more along the lines of the 44-14 loss CV took against M-E. So, maybe Owego and M-E are more evenly-matched than some would believe?

The Indians' biggest problem right now is a few injuries, most notably Christian Sage, who is a key play maker. He messed up his shoulder on Owego's first possession last week, and sat out the rest of the game. He will miss the M-E game too.

Now, without further ado, our coaches weigh in on some pluses and minuses of their game plans - and once again tell us what we can expect from this week's opponent.

Q: As the season reaches the midway point, which aspect of your game plan has been the most successful - offense, defense or special teams?

Chaffee: Although we have given up a lot of yards on the ground, our defense has allowed us to stay in games and has given us chances to win. Our losses have been by margins of eight points or less.  

Hardenstine: Our special teams have excelled the first half of the season. I think this will continue to give us an advantage as the year goes on. We have had multiple TDs on special teams, and have yet to give one up. We have also converted a high percentage of our extra points and FGs. I have also been pleased with our in-season weight program. Joe Lakin, our strength coach, has done an outstanding job running the weight room and we have had many athletes continue to make gains in the weight room during the season.

Virkler: Overall we have been happy with our performance. We certainly have things to work on in all aspects of the game but there have been moments each week that show we can become a complete football team.

Q: As the season reaches the midway point, which aspect of your game plan needs the most improvement - offense, defense or special teams?

Chaffee: Our offense needs to find its rhythm earlier in the game. We have to control the time of possession and keep our defense off the field. Each week we find ourselves not converting on third downs in the first quarter which has led to points for the other team. 

Hardenstine: We need to continue to have all 11 players be fundamentally sound in the execution of our scheme on both offense and defense. We have left many opportunities for success unfulfilled thus far and have been fortunate to still enjoy four wins. I am excited about our performance if we can continue to improve in this area.

Virkler: Offensively, we need to continue to finish drives and put points on the board - we can't afford to get inside the 20 and not score. Defensively, we have given up a few big plays the last two weeks so that has been our focus - bend but don't break! We had a special teams letdown last week with a punt blocked for a TD - can't remember the last time that happened (if ever), but we have worked hard to fix that problem and hope we have it taken care of.

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

Chaffee: Susquehanna Valley is a very balanced football team. Offensively, they run a lot of different stuff out of the same look. They can hit you with speed, power or through the air. Defensively, they are always on the attack and try to force you to play outside of your comfort zone.

Hardenstine: Whitney Point has a really good play maker at QB. He can hurt you throwing the ball, and is even better when he runs the ball. They use a variety of formations and use a lot of motion. On defense, they run to the ball well and are aggressive.