SECTION IV FLAG FOOTBALL: OWEGO DOMINATES CHAMPIONSHIP GAME TO CAPTURE REPEAT (2025-05-24)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
ENDICOTT — Owego dominated from the start to defeat Susquehanna Valley, 44-6, and repeat as Section IV flag football champions at Union-Endicott’s Ty Cobb Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The River Hawks scored on the game’s opening possession and never looked back as they punched their ticket to their second consecutive state championship tournament.
Head coach Rusty Virkler might have to pinch himself in the morning to make sure he isn’t dreaming.
“It's unbelievable. It hasn't really sunk in yet,” he said. “I'm so proud of this team for all the work they've put in. It feels great.”
With the sport gaining popularity, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association expanded from two to three divisions this season. Owego, the Section IV champion and state semifinalist in Division 2 in 2024, took the Class C sectional crown this time around.
"We worked super hard to lock in and focus our mentality on this game, because we wanted to prove that we deserved to be here," said Olivia Dodge, who scored two touchdowns and intercepted a pass to contribute to the win.
Despite a lopsided victory over Sus Valley in the season opener, Virkler was still a little wary of what the Sabers might bring to the table this time.
“I was super nervous coming into it,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for coach (Mike) Ford. He's a phenomenal coach. I think he's got a very athletic team. And I thought we started hot and kept it on the gas.”
The River Hawks took just nine plays to get on the scoreboard with Bella Silvestri scoring on a 3-yard run just five minutes in. Kylie Grippen’s PAT pass to Ashlyn Dalton proved to be the decisive point, making it 7-0.
Despite a 24-yard run by standout Gracie Wallace, Sus Valley’s offense sputtered at the start with three plays going for losses and was forced to punt. Owego turned that into a 47-yard drive with Grippen hitting Dodge for a 15-yard TD strike and a 13-0 lead at 15:25.
The Sabers performed much better on their second possession with five double-digit gains before a Leah Clark interception in the end zone halted the drive.
Owego responded with a 56-yard scoring drive highlighted by Silvestri’s 37-yard run and Grippen’s 18-yard toss to Dodge. Dodge capped the drive with a 4-yard TD run to make it 19-0 with 4:38 remaining in the half.
Sus Valley would again move the ball on the ensuing possession, but on 4th-and-6, Wallace was stopped three yards short of a first down by Kylie Craven.
The River Hawks turned that opportunity into one more scoring drive before halftime. Grippen connected with Silvestri for 23 yards, then hit Dalton for another 22. With one second on the clock, Grippen and Dalton teamed up for a 6-yard TD pass, and the PAT pass to Dodge made it 26-0 at the break.
Following a four-and-out by the Sabers to open the second half, Owego went 19 yards in three plays with Grippen tossing a 16-yard TD pass to a leaping Lexi Herceg at 21:54 for a 32-0 cushion.
Sus Valley’s first play of its next possession resulted in a Dodge interception at the SV 29 and she returned it to the three. Silvestri ran it in on the next play and the River Hawks’ advantage bulged to 38-0 at 21:39.
Owego’s Elizabeth Reigle nearly picked off a Madeline Miller pass two plays later and Dodge deflected another aerial on the next play to thwart the Saber offense, but the Sus Valley defense finally rose to the task to stop the River Hawks on their next possession.
Sus Valley would finally remove the goose egg from the scoreboard on its next series, riding some big plays in the process. Miller hit Miley Urso with a pass between a pair of Owego defenders for a big gain, then followed up with a QB keeper around the left side before connecting with Amanat Duillon for a TD pass with 11:26 remaining in the game.
With a 38-6 lead in hand, Owego scored one more time. Eliana Vasquez put the final points on the board on a 1-yard run with 5:34 to go to cap a 56-yard march. She toted the pigskin seven times for 36 yards with her TD coming on fourth down.
The River Hawks’ final possession ended with Herceg taking a knee at the SV 17 to run out the clock.
Owego displayed its depth as eight different receivers and six backs got touches. All three River Hawk QBs took snaps as well. The team finished with 375 yards with 201 coming through the air while picking up 174 on the ground.
Grippen completed 20 of her 23 pass attempts for 183 yards while Dalton was 2-for-6 for 18 more.
Herceg caught three passes for 60 yards, Dodge snagged eight for 53 yards, Dalton had seven receptions for 39 yards, Silvestri added one grab for 23 more and Lexi Cheeseman tacked on one catch for 14 yards. Leah Clark, Keira Henry and Jaelynne Lovell pulled in one pass apiece for a combined 12 yards.
Silvestri rushed 55 yards on eight carries and Vasquez tallied 50 more on 10 runs. Dalton toted the rock four times for 23 yards, Scarlett Hessberger had three runs for 22 yards, Kayla Casterline rushed once for 15 yards and Dodge picked up nine yards on a pair of runs.
“It's an awesome group, Virkler said. “It's so much fun. They make my life so easy to come in and try to work hard, and do my best for them to succeed.”
Owego, now 15-0, will face Rhinebeck (9-1) from Section IX Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Goshen High School.
NOTE: Owego is 43-5 since New York began flag football in 2022.
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IN PHOTO 1: Owego’s Lexi Herceg. ... IN TOP PHOTO: Back-to-back Section IV champions. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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