SECTION IV FOOTBALL: NEWARK VALLEY DROPS OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER TO WINDSOR (24 PHOTOS) (2019-11-02)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
NEWARK VALLEY — At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Windsor's Ethan Reed is one of the biggest quarterbacks in Section. On Saturday, the junior used his size and speed to lead Windsor to a 28-26 come-from-behind overtime victory against Newark Valley in a Section IV Class C semifinal here.

"Just not quite good enough," NV head coach Ted Hardenstine said. "Windsor was able to be a little bit better than we were today. Congratulations to those guys. They earned the win and only one team could get a win today and they were able to do it."

Reed carried the ball on 15 of the Back Knights' 24 fourth-quarter plays and on all three plays in OT. He scored on a 13-yard run, then added the PAT pass just 74 seconds into the final period to close the gap to 20-14. He tied the game on a 1-yard plunge with 21.1 seconds left in regulation. Jack Beattie shanked the PAT kick, creating the OT.

It took Reed just three runs in the extra session to cover the 20 yards to the end zone. Instead of risking another missed kick, the Knights called Reed's number for the PAT attempt and he made it a 28-20 lead.

Key to Reed's success running the ball was the solid play of the Black Knights' offensive line, which was able to control the line of scrimmage the majority of the game..

"Their offensive line did a great job all day, getting a push and opening holes, and he's a big kid that's patient, so when the line gets a push he makes sure he follows forward behind that line," Hardenstine said. "All day, it was the frustrating part, because we knew going in that was their bread and butter, their best thing, and we had a hard time stopping him all day consistently."

When it was the Cardinals' turn, four different backs carried the pigskin and on 4th-and-two from the 12, QB Mike Wandell bulled up the middle for nine yards and a first down. On the next play, Caden Bennett took it in from the three. Needing a successful 2-point conversion to stay alive, NV tried to throw, but Wandell's throw to Raidyn Ford was knocked away.

NV got off to a better start this time than in its 44-29 loss to the Knights in the season opener.

Windsor would drive into the red zone on the game's opening possession, but Griffin Dillenbeck was stripped by Andrew Obregon and Josh Post hopped on the rock. The Cardinals would force a pair of incomplete passes to end Windsor's next possession then, Jake Armstrong nailed Reed with a strip sack on the Knights' third possession and Cam Carrier was there to pounce on the ball at the Windsor 34.

Up to that point, however, the Valley sputtered on offense, turning the ball over on downs at the Knights' 29 and 10, respectively. Following the second Windsor turnover, Bennett's 10-yard run down to the 11 was wiped out by an illegal shift penalty and NV was facing 1st-and-15 at the 26. Ford picked up five yards, Bennett bolted for 14 more to the seven, and Obregon took it in from there. Dawson Moncalieri's PAT kick gave NV a 7-0 lead at 4:01 of the first quarter.

Following a Windsor three-and-out, The Cardinals embarked on a 61-yard, 9-play drive which included a fake punt attempt for a first down. Wandell's 14-yard pass to a wide open Ford gave NV a 13-0 advantage and that would be the score at the half.

While Newark Valley didn't get beat by big plays like in the previous meeting, the Cardinal defense just couldn't shut Reed down, especially in the second half. He ran for 152 yards on 25 carries and scored all four Windsor TDs after intermission. He picked up 59 yards on 15 runs in the first half and added another 17 on a pass.

On its first possession of the second half, Windsor marched 64 yards in 12 plays with Reed scoring on a 3-yard run. Obregon would get a hand on enough of the ball to deflect the PAT attempt high and short and with 3:17 left in the period, NV was holding a 13-6 lead.

The Cardinals responded with a TD on their next possession. A Windsor player interfered with the onside kick before it traveled 10 yards and NV got the ball at the Knights' 41. Four plays later, Obregon broke free for a 15-yard TD run and the PAT kick made it 20-6 with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Windsor would counter with an 8-play, 59-yard scoring drive. After JJ Latimer ran three times for 21 yards, Reed took it the final 38 yards, scoring on a 13-yard run at 10:46 of the fourth quarter. Reed's PAT pass narrowed the lead to 20-14.

NV (5-4) rolled up 202 yards offense in the first half, but managed just 77 after intermission. Bennett had 87 yards on 18 totes, Ford rushed for 77 on 13 carries, and Obregon added 13 carries for 68 yards. Ford caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 16-yarder on a fake punt. 

The Black Knights (7-2) finished with 363 total yards with Reed carrying the ball 40 times for 228 yards.

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IN PHOTO 1: NV's Raidyn Ford. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.