SECTION IV FOOTBALL: OWEGO RUNS PAST SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, 34-8 (2025-09-12)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — It wasn’t pretty, but it was a victory as Owego ran past Susquehanna Valley, 34-8, in its Youth Night home opener here Friday.
“It was an awesome atmosphere,” said coach Patton Taylor. “It's our youth night tonight.
“It wasn't pretty at times. SV came in with a pretty good game plan, gave us some fits really, but able to get the first win of the season at home on a special night for our youth program.”
The River Hawks worked a 14-0 advantage in a penalty-plagued first half that saw the host get flagged seven times for 61 yards and SV get nailed seven times for 60 yards.
Owego moved the ball 65 yards on the opening drive with Dylan Brace scoring on a 10-yard run and kicking the PAT for a 7-0 lead at 6:58.
He added what would be the winning points on a 7-yard run at 5:27 of the second period, and split the uprights to make it 14-0.
The River Hawks and Sabers battled through a scoreless third quarter, but Brace scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the final stanza, then kicked the PAT for a 21-0 cushion. His final run of the night gave him 162 yards on 22 carries.
Payden Morales picked off a Logan Weed pass near midfield which was tipped by Nolan Card. Four plays later, John Farrell swept around the right side for a 15-yard touchdown dash. Brace’s kick made it 28-0 with 11:55 remaining in the game.
Owego’s final penalty of the game proved costly. On third-and-10 from the River Hawks’ 20, the hosts were penalized 10 yards and Nick Layton took it in from there. Weed’s PAT run made it 28-8 with 8:17 on the clock.
Sus Valley attempted an onside kick, but got to the ball before it went the required 10 yards, giving Owego the pigskin at the SV 46.
Mason Schneider, Lynkon Craft and Farrell covered the yardage in eight plays with Farrell taking it in from the two for the TD. The PAT kick failed, leaving the River Hawks with a 34-8 triumph.
Owego racked up 367 yards offense with 302 coming on the ground, and more than doubled Sus Valley’s offensive output.
Taylor credited the play of the River Hawks’ line.
“They had a lot of guys packing the box,” he said. “They were kind of doing some different stuff up front that we haven't quite seen a whole lot, so our linemen, they were kind of trying to figure things out as the game went on. At halftime, the message really was just stick to it, stick to it, and eventually those holes will start opening up.
“It wasn't pretty at times. Some self inflicted wounds, which was a theme last week, but it was a step in the right direction, so definitely up front, we're progressing as a team.”
The River Hawks’ defense played a role equal to that put forth by their offense.
“Defense was solid,” Taylor said. “We were kind of mixing in some other guys in there too just to see what they could do and they did a fantastic job. They were also in some tough situations.”
Sus Valley returned the kick following Owego’s second TD 51 yards to the River Hawks’ 29, but turned it over on downs at the 22.
“We were sending them back out with a short field, and they did an awesome job of shutting that down,” Taylor said.
Boland and Card were among several Owego players to make some nice defensive plays, blocking or tipping several passes, and Dom Scherrer recovered a fumble.
Offensively, in addition to Brace, several other backs contributed to the running game. Craft contributed 44 yards on five rushes and Farrell added nine runs for 42 yards. Phelps had 36 yards on eight carries and Schneider tacked on 19 yards on five runs.
“That’s something we’re figuring out as a staff,” Taylor said. “We have a lot of guys that can do some damage when they touch the ball, so finding the right situations to get them out there, because we do ask a lot of Brace. We’ve got to get someone ready to go in for him just so we can get him some breaks. We want to spread the ball out and not just give everything to our fourback.”
Phelps also completed four of his seven passes for 65 yards with Atlas Boland grabbing three aerials for 62 yards and Brace adding one reception for three yards.
For the Sabers (0-1), who finished with 182 yards offense, Weed went 11-for-18 for 114 yards and one interception passing and added 23 yards rushing. Maverick Aton was SV’s leading receiver with three receptions for 49 yards and Sam Miller added 41 more on four catches. Layton was the team’s leading rusher with 34 yards on 10 rushes.
Owego (1-1) is back on the road next Friday at Vestal (2-0), a 42-22 victor over Utica Proctor.
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IN PHOTO 1: Dylan Brace. IN TOP PHOTO: Owego’s defense in action. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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