SECTION IV FOOTBALL: GRITTY OWEGO RALLIES PAST WINDSOR, 10-7 (24 PHOTOS) (2025-10-10)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — It’s not often you see a high school football game decided by a field goal, especially among smaller schools, but Owego did just that to hold off Windsor, 10-7, in its annual “Pink Out” game.

It wasn’t pretty, but the River Hawks will take the victory.

“We found a way,” said coach Patton Taylor. “Again, those self-inflicting wounds keep coming back, but you know we were able to just kind of stick to our game plan. We had some big runs, got some first downs there at the end to drain the clock. Tonight was all about finding a way to win. It doesn't have to be pretty, you just find a way.”

The contest was a Section IV crossover between the River Hawks, ranked 13th in the state in Class B, and the Black Knights, No. 11 in Class C.

It came down to a 25-yard field goal attempt with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter and Dylan Brace drilled the pigskin through the uprights to give Owego a 10-7 lead. From there, the River Hawks forced a turnover then ran out the clock to improve to 4-2 on the season.

“That's about as big of a field goal we've had all year,” Taylor said. “Against Vestal. He had a big one early in the game and then tonight, got us a win. We work on special teams a good amount in practice. Funny enough, from that exact spot he's been a little iffy in practice, but with Dylan Brace, when it comes to game time, he's always locked in, so we had all the confidence in him to make that kick.”

Lucas Boccasini sacked Windsor quarterback Graham Klumpp, forcing a fumble and recovering it at the visitors’ 39-yard line. The River Hawks would run a half-dozen plays, picking up a pair of first downs in the process, to end the game.

The Knights did their damage early after Tyler Schmitt came down with an interception at the Owego 49 and returned it to the River Hawks’ 38. Klumpp’s 14-yard pass to Matt Boyce put the rock at the 22 and Klumpp scored on a keeper on the next play. Dylan Newman’s PAT kick made it 7-0 at 8:46.

Owego responded with a long kick return by Sam Sherwood to the Windsor 25. Seven plays later, on second-and-goal, the River Hawks coughed the ball up at the one.

Of course, Windsor usually gives Owego a battle.

“(When the) McCombs kid was at Windsor, that was a phenomenal football team they had,” Taylor said. “They beat us here on our homecoming 12-7, very similar style to this game we just played, and the second time we beat them 21-20. Again, very similar. It's always a very physical, in the trenches kind of game with them.

“Their line play is always fantastic. They're disciplined, fundamentally sound. They're doing some things up front that were giving us an issue, but we kept with it, stayed committed to the run and ended up getting some big first downs there in the end to kill the clock.”

The Owego defense held strong, but on third-and-eight, Klumpp hit Bryson Werner for a 40-yard gain despite solid coverage from Sherwood on the play. Derique Ellis quickly tracked Werner down to save a TD.

The River Hawks’ defense rose to the occasion again as Nolan Card broke up a pass, then sacked Klumpp two plays later to force a punt.

Stefano Scherrer set up the Owego TD on the ensuing possession, galloping for a 74-yard gain to the Windsor 8. Four plays later, John Ferrell swept right and took it in for a 5-yard TD. Brace then played a little pinball with the PAT kick, ricocheting the ball off the left upright and the crossbar to tie the score with 10:37 to go in the half.

On Windsor’s next possession, Sherwood picked off Klumpp and gave the home team the ball at his own 45. The River Hawks drove to the Knights’ 15, before Boyce and Mason Colgan stopped Brace for a 5-yard loss on fourth down.

Windsor tried to move the ball, but only got to their own 33 before the first half clock expired.

The Knights managed just two plays to start the second half when Klumpp fumbled and Boccasini recovered it.

Owego turned the ball over on downs at the Windsor 19 on the next possession, then the Knights went on a 12-play drive which ended with an interception by Brace, giving the River Hawks the ball back at their own 32.

The ensuing possession saw Owego move the ball to the Windsor 9 before sputtering, setting up Brace’s game-winning field goal.

Once again, the River Hawks’ defense rose to the occasion when it needed to, holding Windsor to 43 second-half yards. The Knights finished the game with 178. Klumpp was their leading rusher with 29 yards on 11 carries and he went 4-for-7 for 72 yards through the air.

“In the third quarter they had that long drive that ended up stalling on our half there,” said Taylor. “Ddefense again, bend don't break. Last two weeks we faced some pretty tough, honestly, all season we faced some pretty tough offenses, but the last two weeks our defense has really been put in some tough spots. We kept our cool and we were able to get our offense back out on the field.”

Owego finished with 232 yards on 45 carries and was 0-for-2 passing. Brace picked up 92 yards on 25 rushes and Stefano Scherrer added 74 on five runs. Ferrel had six carries for 40 yards and Garrett Phelps tacked on 30 on seven rushes.

Owego (4-2) returns to Division III play next Saturday afternoon when they host unbeaten Waverly (6-0) for homecoming. The 4th-ranked Wolverines came from behind to defeat 12th-ranked Maine-Endwell, 28-20, on Friday.

NOTE: Owego’s pink jerseys were donated by the Community Shop and Casella Waste Systems.

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IN PHOTO 1: Nolan Card. IN TOP PHOTO: (Left to right) Dylan Davis, Dom Scherrer, Garrett Phelps, Dylan Brace. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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