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FOLLOWING FOOTBALL: IT'S GETTING DOWN TO THE 'NITTY GRITTY' (2019-10-18)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA COUNTY — I was writing a portion of this column while covering the Section IV Class B Girls Tennis Championships in Apalachin earlier today and let me tell you — these girls were toughing it out in football-like weather. It was cold, it was breezy and the sun clearly had taken a holiday.

It will be even chillier this evening when four of the five Tioga County football teams hit the gridiron (Tioga plays Saturday), but the field of play should be heated up with big clashes on tap. The season is coming down to the "nitty-gritty" and for some teams things are looking up. For others, well, let's just say the light is not so bright.

Here's a look at the Tioga County group:

• Division II — Last week's loss to Chenango Valley and — more than likely — a setback against M-E tonight will leave Owego looking for the No. 4 seed in Class B. Given Section IV's tie-breaker system, I'm not convinced Waverly is out of the playoff hunt, But I don't have the points available to verify. However, it would take a miracle for the Wolverines to get in anyway.

• Division III — Newark Valley has locked up the top spot and will face the Division IV No. 2 in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Cardinals don't want to relax because everyone knows that defeating a Section III team is always a feather in the cap for us "southern folk." I'm pretty sure SVEC is in the same boat that Waverly is in.

• Division VI — Top-ranked Tioga is on the verge of another division title.

This week's NYSSWA rankings (Section IV teams):

• Class AA — Corning, Horseheads and Elmira are honorable mentions.

• Class A — None

• Class B — Chenango Forks (No. 2), M-E (No. 11). M-E climbs, Owego drops out.

• Class C — Susquehanna Valley (No. 1), Windsor (No. 13), Whitney Point (No. 18), Sidney (No. 20); Windsor Sidney fell, and Dryden dropped out. Whitney Point climbed out of the HM ranks.

• Class D — Tioga (No. 1), Walton (No. 6), Greene (No. 13), Delhi (No. 15). Walton climbs, Greene drops, and Delhi is back in.

• 8-man — Lansing (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 6), Newfield and Unadilla Valley are honorable mentions. ND drops.

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Here's what the coaches have to say, followed by my picks (Last week: 3-2; Overall: 21-6):

COACHS' COMMENTS

Steve Virkler — Owego
• Positive takeaways from Week 6
We played really solid defense in the first half and through the first half of the third quarter — limited them to 14 yards of total offense up to that point. I was also happy with execution on our first offensive drive. We played solid on all special teams as well with both our kicker, Nate Bennett, and punter, Ben Miller, performing very well.

• Areas which need improvement
Our breakdowns in the third quarter defensively really cost us. We gave up a long pass play which we haven't done all year and that gave them a sign of hope which they took advantage of — up to that point they had nothing to hang their hat on. We also missed a few key tackles that led to their scores. Our offense has to become more consistent — at times we struggle to stay on the field because we don't always take what the defense is giving us. At other times we just don't execute well enough to sustain drives — in our division that's not good enough. Our inconsistent play on offense has to get better to compete in Class B. 

• Players who stood out
We had a few guys who played really well this week. Our two outside linebackers, Wyatt Gunther and Cameron Doane, played great, helping limit what they could do. Our Defensive line in Sean Heffernan, Josh Terry and Gio Fabi did a nice job as well making it difficult for them to gain any yardage between the tackles.

• What to expect from next opponent
Having Maine-Endwell this week is kind of a better version of Chenango Valley. Many of the things they do schematically are the same except Maine-Endwell has been doing it longer and has had more success. We need to rise to the challenge or we could be on the outside looking in when playoffs start in two weeks. We still control our own destination and still have a chance to host a playoff game but at the very least we must win our last two divisional games to have that chance. M-E's athleticism will be seen all over the field in every aspect of the game. We will need to be disciplined on defense and consistently execute on offense in order to come out with a win. Our special teams must continue to play well and making a big play on one of those teams can only help us. 

Ted Hardenstine, Newark Valley
• Positive takeaways from Week 6

It was great to be able to win the division and to earn another home game. Our kids played well, and I think we improved.

• Areas which need improvement
We need to play mistake free football as we head toward playoff time. We still have some missed assignments and too many penalties.

• Players who stood out
Caden Bennett had three interceptions, and well over 200 yards rushing. Raidyn Ford, Andrew Obregon, Josh Post and Brenton Rosenberg had an excellent game in the secondary. Our offensive line and tight ends blocked well to rack up 370 yards rushing. Cam Carrier had a great game defensively, with four tackles for loss. Mike Wandell threw for two TDs and ran for one TD.

• What to expect from next opponent
Fulton runs the ball well, and has a nice option attack. We will need to play fundamentally sound football to stop their offensive attack. Defensively they run their 4-3 well, so we will need to execute up front to be successful.

Mike Chaffee — SVEC
• Positive takeaways from Week 6
Our kids continue to fight hard each and every week. They played right to the bitter end and never gave up on each other. 

• Areas which need improvement
We have to be able to score in the red zone. Two weeks in a row we’ve been in scoring situations multiple times and came out with no points. On defense we have to limit the big plays and get off of the field on third down. 

• Players who stood out
Nick Thomas had a great performance, pulling in six catches for 60 yards. Nash Whitmore stepped into a new role in the backfield to replace injured running back James Sutherlin. He tallied over 100 yards on the ground and through the air. Parker Sexton was our leader in tackles on the defensive side of the ball.

• What to expect from next opponent
Dryden is a hungry team that is fighting for a playoff birth.  It is also their homecoming so we can expect an intense atmosphere. They have a lot of good athletes on the field with big playmaking ability, especially dual threat QB Brady Rose.

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PREDICTIONS

• M-E (4-2, 4-1 Div. II) at Owego (4-2, 3-2 Div. II) 
The Indians' offense is sputtering and the Spartans won't allow them to get back on track during tonight's "pink out" game.
Prediction: M-E by 20.

• Newark Valley (3-3) at Fulton (4-2)
The Cardinals are flying high and will continue to roll, despite going up in class.
Prediction: Newark Valley by 10.

• SVEC (1-5, 0-2 Div. III) at Dryden (3-3, 0-1 Div. III) 
The Eagles aren't quitters, but they will miss the injured James Sutherlin.
Prediction: Dryden by 18.

• Norwich (2-4, 2-3 Div. II) at Waverly (3-3, 2-3 Div. II) 
Purple Tornado quarterback Griffin Miles will spoil the Wolverines' Homecoming with his fancy footwork.
Prediction: Norwich by 11.

• Tioga (6-0, 2-0 Div. VI) at Moravia (2-4, 1-0 Div. VI), Saturday
Ugly is the only way to describe the verdict on this one as the Tigers clinch their eighth division title in the past nine years.
Prediction: Tioga by 42.


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