2018 FOOTBALL WRAP-UP: SVEC A HARD-LUCK TEAM IN SEASON OF FIRSTS (2018-11-28)
BY TIM TAYLORTioga County Sports ReportNEWARK VALLEY - If there were an award for a hard-luck team this season, chances are the combined Spencer-Van Etten and Candor team would have won that honor. The Eagles went 3-6, losing five games by a combined 30 points. The other loss was to the eventual state champion.
As notable as those tough losses is the number of "firsts" the season presented to SVEC.
"All year we talked about this season as being a season of ‘firsts' for us," head coach Mike Chaffee said. "It is the first time having a merged modified team between the two schools, it is the first year having a JV team, it was my first as head coach of the SVEC Eagles and it was the first year running a new offensive system. We also had two first-year varsity players competing for the starting QB job.
"With all of that and looking at our schedule, we anticipated some growing pains and some uncertainty of how everything was going to play out. I would have to say the season was a success for building a program. Even though we finished at 3-6, we were competitive in all of those games expect for one."
SVEC opened the season with a 20-14 win over Walton, then fell to Tioga 28-20. Next up was a 14-7 loss to Dryden. The Eagles made an impressive comeback against Newark Valley before falling, 30-25. Then came their only lopsided loss, 36-7, to eventual state champ Susquehanna Valley. SVEC rebounded with a 43-6 thumping of Harpursville / Afton, then came another close loss, 28-22 to Whitney Point. The Eagles ended the season with an impressive 27-13 win over Chenango Valley and a 23-19 heartbreaker against Windsor.
"Starting out and getting a win against Walton in week one was a big highlight for us," Chaffee said. "With all of the build-up to the season it was nice to get our first win on our home field in front of our fans.
"I thought we played really well in the Chenango Valley game. On the road, playing a Class B and on their homecoming/senior night we definitely had the chips stacked against us. It was a tough atmosphere to play in but we rose to the occasion. We had over 300 yards of offense and controlled the clock 36 minutes to 12. Our defense did a great job of keeping their offense off the field and keeping points off the board."
The Eagles had several players step up and excel throughout the season.
"Our group of skill position guys really exceeded my expectations this year," Chaffee said. "We knew that was going to be our strength because of the guys we had, but they really stepped up and performed. We were able to spread it out to multiple guys that each had over 15 receptions. Those are Noah Mack, Christian Haynes, Shawn Watson, Nathan Mack, James Sutherlin and Cameron Fitzgerald. With that said, I have to give some credit to our young offensive line and sophomore quarterback Matthew Byrne who threw for over 1,000 yards."
The season of firsts should give the SVEC program an opportunity to grow and improve in 2019.
"Our players gained a lot of knowledge and confidence throughout the season and that is crucial for our development," Chaffee said. "I also anticipate our numbers to grow next year because of the excitement that surrounds our program."
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IN PHOTO: Christian Haynes (left) and Matthew Byrne were key contributors to the SVEC team.
