SECTION IV FOOTBALL: UNSUNG HEROES HELP SVEC KNOCK OFF STATE-RANKED DELHI (24 PHOTOS) (2025-10-03)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
SPENCER — Rodney Vaow and Teagan Kwiatkowski may not be the Spencer-Van Etten/ Candor football team’s headliners, but they are key role players for the Eagles.
On Friday night, the duo stepped into the spotlight to make the first and final big plays of the game as the Eagles knocked off sixth-ranked Delhi, 24-22, in Section IV football action here.
“Any time you win it feels good,” said coach Gino Martone. “To win a game like this,it was a great game. It’s a great team we just played, a win like that is even better. That feeling of winning just amplifies it even more.
“The guys are really excited about it. It’s been a long time since we’ve won a big game, so this was a big game for us and definitely one we’re going to build on and keep going forward with.”
Kwiatkowski returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown after the Bulldogs kicked away from SVEC’s other deep man — Logan Aman. Vaow intercepted a Lucas Nealis pass near his own 20 yard line as time expired in the Eagles' come-from-behind victory.
It was Vaow who made what was arguably the biggest play of the game in the final minute of play when he slipped behind the defense then caught Aman’s halfback option pass for an 18-yard gain on fourth-and-11 from the Delhi 36. Aman ran for a 14-yard TD on the next play, giving the home team a 24-22 lead with 28 seconds remaining.
A short kick following the go-ahead TD gave the Bulldogs the ball at their 48 and Nealis completed two of three passes to the SVEC 37 before a penalty put the ball back at the 42 with four seconds to go. Vaow then tipped and picked off the pass intended for Lincoln Raba to seal the victory.
“Rodney's a quiet player,” Martone said. “He talks a lot but on the stat sheet he doesn't show up very much. He's a hard worker and his effort from practice into games is unbelievable and that paid off for him tonight on that last play. He's smart. He knows where he's supposed to be and he just made a play for us at the end and he does it a lot for us. It’s good for him to get the recognition he deserves.”
S-VE homecoming night started out nice for the Eagles as Kwiatkowski’s kick return and a failed PAT run made it 6-0 just 11 seconds into the game. The SVEC defense then forced three consecutive incomplete passes.
The celebration didn't last long as the Eagles had to punt and a low snap allowed Delhi’s Justin Dorio to break through the line and block the kick, giving the Bulldogs the ball at the SVEC 44.
Nealis and Saverio Prisco were dropped for 1-yard losses, then Ryan Huizinga sacked Nealis for a 6-yard loss to force a punt. This time, the Eagles’ offense was able to capitalize on the punt, driving 86 yards in 10 plays for a TD.
SVEC shook off two false start penalties, taking advantage of a 19-yard keeper by quarterback Jakobe Foster, and scampers of 12 and 10 yards from running back Charlie Hilbert to set up a 36-yard Foster-to-Aman TD pass at 10:32. The PAT run was unsuccessful, leaving the Eagles with a 12-0 lead.
The Bulldogs responded with a 17-play, 68-yard scoring drive which took up the majority of the remainder of the half and was capped by a 7-yard toss from Nealis to Raba. Nealis powered the PAT kick through the uprights to make it 12-7 with 46 ticks on the clock.
After nearly botching the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles found a way to put one more TD on the scoreboard before intermission. Aman cut left on a sweep, but with nowhere to go, he reversed field and bolted down the right sideline for a 72-yard TD. The PAT kick failed, making it an 18-7 ball game.
Delhi took the momentum away to start the third quarter, going 60 yards in eight plays to get on the board. An 18-yard Nealis pass to Prisco and a 17-yard dash by Prisco set up Adam Cook’s 5-yard TD run and Nealis’ PAT pass to Levi Shepard made it 18-15 at 8:06.
A holding penalty wiped out a 42-yard Aman run to the Delhi 11 on SVEC’s next possession and the Bulldogs turned it into a 5-play, 75-yard scoring drive with Cook scoring from six yards out. Nealis split the uprights to put Delhi ahead for the first time, 22-18, with 3:10 left in the quarter.
The Eagles would respond by moving the pigskin to the Delhi 39, but a fumbled snap on fourth-and-1 gave the Bulldogs the ball at the 41.
“That's something we drilled from day one,” Martone said of the two miscues. “Football's not an easy sport. You're not going to have a perfect game every week. You're going to have adversity and we know it's coming. We just don't know when. Tonight, that holding and the fumble, that's two examples of it.
“The guys, they didn't hang their heads and they came back, and we knew we had two quarters to go or whenever that happened. They just kept fighting and that's what we've been drilling into them all year, and you see the fruits of that right now.”
Delhi put together another impressive ground performance on the ensuing possession, pushing the ball to the SVEC 4 in 10 plays. The Eagles’ defense would rise to the occasion as Hilbert and Foster came up with big plays and the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs at the three.
With time becoming a factor a 41-yard keeper by Foster set the stage for the go-ahead TD, moving the ball into Delhi territory.
SVEC (4-1) outgained Delhi (3-2), 328-280.
The Bulldogs did a good job containing Aman on the ground at times although he did finish with 111 yards on 15 carries. He also contributed 74 yards on two pass receptions and completed his only pass attempt for 22 more.
Foster went 3-for-5 through the air for 79 yards and added 74 yards on five rushes. Hilbert added 48 yards on 10 carries.
Prisco carried the rock 17 times for 98 yards and Cook ran it 16 times for 88 more. Nealis completed nine of his 12 passes for 98 yards. Mason Reed had four receptions for 63 yards and Cook added three for 25.
Defensively, Foster led the way for the Eagles with 12 tackles. Vaow contributed 3 1/2 tackles and the lone interception and Hilbert added 3 1/2 tackles also. Jak Smith and Kwiatkowski chipped in with three tackles each, Nevin Mack had two tackles, Zane Showerman pitched in with two tackles and a 1/2 sack, and Ryan Huizinga had one tackle and 1 1/2 sacks.
SVEC visits Trumansburg (3-2) next Friday. Both teams are 1-0 in Division VII.
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IN PHOTO 1: Rodney Vaow. IN TOP PHOTO: Jakobe Foster. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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