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SECTION IV FOOTBALL: FUMBLES COSTLY IN NEWARK VALLEY LOSS TO B-G (19 PHOTOS) (2024-10-25)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
NEWARK VALLEY — Newark Valley was hoping to make it’s first-ever home night game a memorable one, but Bainbridge-Guilford had other ideas.

The Bobcats scored twice off NV fumbles en route to a 20-6 Section IV Football Conference Division VII victory here Friday night.

Parker Buttice returned one 50 yards for a touchdown and the other 28 to paydirt. The first came after B-G stripped the ball and Buttice snagged it out of mid-air and the latter bounced right into his hands.

There's still plays out there that left to be made, like every football game, but ultimately it was four fumbles,” said NV coach Ted Hardenstine of the setback that knocked the Cardinals out of playoff contention. “When you end four of your drives on fumbles, the percentage of winning that game is going to be small.”

Newark Valley also coughed up the pigskin at the B-G 9-yard line on the first possession of the second half, but got the ball back when Josh Benjamin intercepted Davy at the NV 27 seven plays later. Buttice scored his second TD on the next play.

The Cardinals fumbled at their own 34 on the ensuing possession, but Davy lost major yardage on a sack on the first play of the fourth quarter. Davy fell attempting to avoid some intense defensive pressure from NV, losing 24 yards. B-G turned the ball over on downs at the NV 25.

Nate Hinckley connected with Tim Wojtysiak on two key passes for 22 and 17 yards, and Wojtysiak also picked up 16 yards rushing on the 11-play, 75-yard drive. Zion King added a 10-yard run during the possession and Logan Rhodes capped things off with a 12-yard run with 4:29 on the fourth quarter clock. B-G jumped offside on the PAT, but NV was unable to punch the two-point in, leaving the Bobcats with a 14-6 lead.

B-G’s Isaiah Hampton grabbed the onside kick at the NV 49 and the Bobcats chewed about three minutes off the clock before Buttice scored his team’s only offensive points on a 3-yard run with 1:34 to go.

“Defense did great,” Hardenstine said. “They were able to force a couple turnovers and get some bend, not break and (make) stops.”

The Bobcats averaged less than 2.4 yards per carry on the ground and NV made seven tackles for losses or no gain.

Buttice’s first TD, which came with 2:09 remaining in the half, gave the visitors a 6-0 lead at intermission. The PST kick was blocked by Hinckley. The second Buttice TD occurred with 2:41 to go in the third period. Quarterback Connor Davy ran a keeper for the PAT and a 14-0 advantage.

Offensively, NV outgained B-G, 248-217. The Cardinals held a 209-64 advantage in rushing yardage, but Davy went 12-for-23 through the air for 123 yards while Hinckley completed a pair of passes for 39 yards for NV.

Declyn Marshfield caught four passes for 46 yards and Hampton grabbed four for 29 B-G. Kyle Patton snared two aerials for 53 yards and Anthony Pfaff had two for 25.

Wojtysiak caught both passes for 39 yards and added 16 yards on the ground. Hinckley had six carries for 65 yards, King added eight for 45, , Rhodes contributed 10 for 35, Josh Karp had three for 30 and Gabe Merrill had five for 18 more.

“We have had a hard time finishing drives the whole year, and that was the same thing today,” Hardenstine said. “We moved the ball, had a couple long fields to work with, and just couldn't finish enough drives and take care of the football.

“It's been the story the whole year. Certainly, I think everybody's frustrated with it. Got to find ways to be able to take care of the ball better is the bottom line.”

Newark Valley (0-2 division, 1-7 overall) will visit state-ranked Deposit/Hancock (1-1, 7-1) next Saturday. The Eagles (7-1) suffered their first setback to Tioga.

The Cardinals will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2012. A win by NV and a B-G (1-1, 6-2) loss to Tioga (2-0, 5-3) would force a three-way tie for second in Division VII, but NV would be eliminated by the section’s tie-breaker system.

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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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