SECTION IV FOOTBALL: NEWARK VALLEY CLINCHES DIVISION IN BLOWOUT FASHION (2019-10-12)
BY TIM TAYLORTioga County Sports ReportNEWARK VALLEY — Intensity filled the air when Newark Valley and Dryden stepped on the field for a Section IV Division III clash here Saturday. About 2 1/2 hours later, excitement took over as the Cardinals rolled to a 44-12 victory to clinch the division title.
"It's great, and to be able to do it on Senior Day too," NV head coach Ted Hardenstine said. "In Class C, we haven't had a home playoff game in the first round, so now to be able to clinch it one Senior day, to be able to play another home game is something that's pretty cool. In my time as a player and coach I haven't been in a situation like that.
"The kids really rallied around it and having been able to have a little bit of a cushion so all our seniors could get in and play was really exciting. I'm very happy for the kids. They're going to enjoy it now."
The 32-point romp didn't seem possible in the game's early stages as the Purple Lions' Braedon Libby scored on a 25-yard run less than two minutes after the start.
Hearts were already pumping rapidly in that short span of time as Brady Rose returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the NV 20. On the next play, Raidyn Ford intercepted Rose at the nine and returned the ball to the 15.
Newark Valley's offense failed to budge the ball and a shanked punt went just 10 yards, giving Dryden the pigskin at the NV 25. Libby broke three tackles on the next play, the PAT run failed, but the Lions had a 6-0 lead.
A 28-yard run by Caden Bennett set up quarterback Mike Wandell's 21-yard keeper and Andrew Obregon's PAT run gave NV an 8-6 edge with 7:46 left in the opening period. The Cardinals would never look back.
A three-and-out on Dryden's next possession gave NV the ball at its own 25 and Wandell would connect with Ford on a 52-yard touchdown pass in which Ford out-leapt a Dryden defender, then cut all the way across the field to follow Bennett and Jake Armstrong into the end zone. Dawson Moncalieri's PAT kick made it 15-6 with 3:43 left in the quarter.
The Lions' woes were just beginning. On the next series, the snap sailed over Rose's and he threw the ball away to avoid a sack in the end zone by Armstrong. The QB was flagged for intentional grounding, giving the Cardinals a safety and a 17-6 lead.
It took just three plays for Armstrong to put six points in the same end zone when he caught a 40-yard TD pass from Wandell with 9:33 on the second-quarter clock. The PAT kick pushed the NV lead to 24-6.
Two plays later, a Rose pass glanced off the helmet of NV's Cam Carrier and into Bennett's arms in Dryden territory. The Cardinal offense turned the ball over on downs, but Dryden would end up punting. Bennett';s 44-yard dash to paydirt and a failed PAT kick gave Newark Valley a 30-6 advantage with 2:32 left in the half.
Armstrong recovered the onside kick, but downfield holding penalties on consecutive runs cost Bennett 35- and 23-yard gains. Not long after, the Lions would recover a fumble for the only turnover in their favor.
Dryden moved the ball down to the NV 28 late in the half, but two penalties and a Carrier sack pushed the ball back to the 47 and Bennett picked off Rose on the final play of the half.
Newark Valley recovered the second half kickoff at the 50 and eight plays later, Ford scored from four yards out. Moncalieri's kick gave the Cardinals a 37-6 cushion at 8:51 of the quarter.
Brenton Rosenberg got in on the interception action with a pick in the end zone on the next series and took it out to the six. Following a penalty, Bennett bolted 96 yards for NV's final TD. Moncalieri's kick made it 44-7 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.
Dryden would put the rock in the end zone on its next possession on Mitch Shipman's 1-yard plunge.
The Lions recovered the onside kick, but turned the ball over on downs and NV took a knee to put the lock on the division title.
The Cardinals would roll up 521 yards offense, 429 on the ground, with Bennett accounting for 286 of it. Ford contributed 126 yards offense and Wandell threw for 92.
"Coach (Brian) Sherwood has done an awesome job with the offense this year and coach (Ed) Mertson on the offensive line. The kids have continued to get better. That was one of the biggest things. We graduated all those linemen last year, so there was a little bit of a learning curve for this group to come together and coach Mertson has done an outstanding job with them. I think the kids are starting to get their communication down, working with each other a lot better. I'm hoping that continues to improve and continues to be a strength for us as we move forward."
Dryden had 211 yards offense. Libbey rushed for 106 yards, but with the exception of three double-digit runs, was held in check. Rose completed four passes for 67 yards but was picked off four times.
Like the offense, Hardenstine was pleased with the defensive effort as well.
"We knew going into the game, No. 5, we were very impressed with on film, their quarterback. Not only is he a quarterback, he's a football player," he said. "We knew where he was on offense and on defense, and we knew at crunch time he was their go-to guy. Twenty-two (Libbey) is fast and he's a game-breaker type of guy, and he had that one where he broke some tackles on the second offensive play of the game. And then No. 1 (Ashton Hodgson) was capable. I thought our kids did an outstanding job in the secondary today, keeping No. 1 in check.
"Our defense, again it's kind of the same thing where they've been playing with each other now for a season where we've been able to stay healthy and get some continuity. Connor Spoonhower is a coach on the field for us. He runs the defense, I can't understate the importance of what he does for us as far as making sure guys get lined up in the right thing. He is absolutely outstanding, one of the best I've ever coached as far as that, so he's a big part of it and the guys rally around him an everyone right now is kind of Bill Belichick, 'do your job,' and hopefully we can have a great performance and I think they did today."
Newark Valley (3-3) visits Fulton (4-2) from Section III Friday night.
"We have two more games to prepare for, Fulton and Groton, for the regular season, and we'll look forward to the playoffs."
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IN PHOTO 1: NV's Raidyn Ford. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
