NYSPHSAA FOOTBALL: TOP-RANKED MONROE STINGS OWEGO, 48-7, IN CLASS B SEMI (November 29, 2025)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
CICERO — The clock finally struck 12 on Owego’s Cinderella season as the 5th-ranked River Hawks fell to top-ranked and unbeaten James Monroe, 48-7, in the NYSPHSAA Class B West semifinal here at Cicero-North Syracuse High School Saturday.

The Red Jackets scored on the first play of three of their possessions and added a punt return for a touchdown as well. They scored their first touchdown in the first three minutes of action.

“They had some incredible speed out there,” coach Patton Taylor said. “Great athleticism. They have athletes all over the field obviously. Messiah Hampton, he's going to Oregon for a reason, but they have five or six guys that could really do damage.

“Even up to the very end, these boys played hard,” he added of the River Hawks. "They were physical.That's who they've been all year. With our schedule there wasn't ever an easy week. And the highs and the lows. This group of boys, they showed up every week just wanting to get better, not just become better football players, but better human beings.”

The initial TD came when 6-foot-4 wide receiver Brien Walker made a leaping grab of quarterback Pooty Cunningham’s 31-yard pass with 9:01 on the clock. The score came just two plays after Monroe found itself facing a 3rd-and-26 at the 44 due to a Lucas Boccasini sack for a 12-yard loss and a 5-yard delay of game penalty.

Owego would stop the PAT run, then proceeded to move the ball 62 yards to the Monroe 23 before turning the ball over on downs. The 13-play possession was highlighted by a 20-yard pass from Garrett Phelps to Nolan Card, back-to-back passes to John Farrell for 14 more and a Red Jackets personal foul when Phelps was driven hard to the ground following the whistle.

Monroe went to Messiah Hampton on a jet sweep and the University of Oregon commit darted down the right sideline for a 77-yard TD with 1:25 to go in the first quarter. The PAT attempt failed as the Red Jackets went ahead, 12-0.

An 11-yard punt on the second play of the second quarter gave Monroe the ball at the Owego 35. A 17-yard pass to Hampton and a 17-yard toss to Walker gave Monroe a first-and-goal at the seven. Cunningham scored on a keeper on the next play and Ray Garcia’s PAT run made it 20-0.

The River Hawks would respond with their only points of the game as they marched 67 yards in eight plays. Dylan Brace caught the defense sleeping with a 57-yard halfback option pass to a wide-open Card on 3rd-and 15. On 4th-and-10, Phelps hit Card at the one for a first down. Phelps bulled his way in on the next play and Brace converted the PAT kick to make it 20-7 with 3:46 remaining in the half.

Following an unsuccessful onside kick, Cunningham found Jermaine Montgomery with a short pass near the sideline on the first play of the Red Jackets’ next possession and he turned it into a 52-yard dash to the house. Christien Franklin’s PAT run made it 28-7 at halftime.

Owego was looking to cut into the lead on its next possession, but D’Markos Trammell spoiled that plan with an interception at the River Hawks’ 44.

The River Hawks’ defense tightened up to force Monroe to turn the ball over on downs at the Owego 21 and Phelps took a knee to end the half.

Owego would be forced to punt to open the second half and Cunningham would connect with Hampton for a 56-yard TD pass on the first play of the ensuing possession. Montgomery’s PAT run pushed the advantage to 36-7.

The River Hawks went backwards on their next possession and Garcia returned the punt 45 yards to paydirt. The PAT attempt failed, making it 42-7.

Owego turned the ball over on downs and Monroe would take advantage of a fake punt to score one more time. Hampton set up to punt, but threw a 45-yard pass to Gregory Grant at the 15. Three plays later, Cunningham and Montgomery hooked up on a 7-yard TD pass. The PAT attempt failed, leaving the Red Jackets sitting on a 48-7 cushion with 10:14 remaining.

The teams traded punts on the next two possessions and Owego moved the ball to Monroe 14 before time expired.

The Red Jackets rolled up 435 yards offense, 323 coming through the air, while holding Owego to 223.

Hampton had four receptions for 127 yards and a TD, and added three rushes for another 95 yards and a TD. Montgomery made three catches for 64 yards and two TDs, and Walker grabbed two balls for 47 yards and a TD. Cunningham went 14-for-18 through the air for 278 yards and five TDs.

Despite the Red Jackets’ numbers, Taylor felt his team did OK defensively against a high-powered aerial attack.

“Coming out of Section IV, everyone's predominantly run heavy, so past couple weeks, especially our secondary … predominantly they've been asked to be more run supporters than pass defenders, but with the speed that Monroe had, I thought they did a good job of flying around, picking up guys, communicating.”

Phelps completed 8 of his 13 pass attempts for 108 yards with one interception. Card had three catches for 91 yards, Farrell added two for 14 and Mason Schneider caught one pass for seven yards.

Lynkon Craft led the River Hawks on the ground with eight carries for 36 yards, Brace added 13 for 24, Stefano Scherrer had four for 21, Schneider ran twice for 14, Dom Scherrer had two for 10, and Jaxson Calice added one for four more.

Owego finishes the season with a 9-4 record, which is pretty impressive for a program many thought would be rebuilding after graduating 19 players.

“I couldn't be happier with the season that they've had,” Taylor said. “We were able to get over the hump and the foundation they've set for future seasons is incredible. The same way we built off last year's awesome season, future seasons, future teams are going to look to this year. This is a foundation that this group of boys have laid.”

Taylor said his returning players won’t take long to start preparing for the 2026 campaign.


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IN PHOTO 1: Owego's Garrett Phelps. ... PHOTO BY TIM BIRNEY.

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