SECTION IV FOOTBALL: OPPORTUNISTIC OWEGO ROLLS PAST NORWICH, 34-14, IN CLASS B SEMIS (24 PHOTOS) (2024-11-08)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — An opportunistic Owego football team advanced out of the Section IV Class B semifinals with a 34-14 victory over Norwich here Friday night.
A reverse direction punt return and a bad snap on a Norwich punt snap highlighted the win.
“Some things went our way in this game,” said Owego coach Patton Taylor. “It's nice when it works out that way. The ball bounces this way, it could be a good thing for them. We did a great job of capitalizing on their mistakes and just doing the things we had to do offensively to punch it in.”
Back-up tailback Dylan Brace stole some of the spotlight for the River Hawks as well while filling in for Joseph Palladino, who was injured against Maine-Endwell last week. Brace scored on a 6-yard run to cap the River Hawks’ opening drive, then added a 4-yard touchdown run on Owego’s first possession of the second half.
His effort allowed the River Hawks to rest their top back, who is also a starter at safety as well as the punter. Adam Arhbal stepped in at safety last week and third week, and this week he also handled the punting chores, averaging a respectable 36 yards per boot.
“We wanted to eliminate any unnecessary hits on Palladino, so we felt we were in a position where we had enough other weapons where we could let him rest up,” Taylor said.
The River Hawks wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard, going 56 yards in 76 seconds following the opening kickoff. A 42-yard Elijah Lewis-to-Caleb Cole pass set up the TD, giving Owego a first-and-goal at the Norwich 9. Brace scored two plays later. A missed extra point left the home team with a 6-0 lead.
Following a Purple Tornado three-and-out, the River Hawks would turn the ball over on downs at the visitors’ 44. Once again, Norwich would punt, then what appeared to be a 10- to 12-yard punt return turned into an 83-yard TD trip.
Jack Buchsbaum took the punt at his own 17 and headed toward the Owego sideline, then suddenly reversed direction at the 23, cut back across the field and raced past the Norwich bench on the way to the endzone. Arhbal’s PAT kick made it 13-0 at 4:12 of the first period.
“Bucsy's an impact player for us,” said Taylor. “He's got great field vision, hits holes quick. That's just him being an athlete. It’s what he does best.”
However, the River Hawks began to struggle after that and the Tornadoes would score on a 20-yard Steven Dowdall-to-Leland Montgomery pass over the middle on the second play of the second quarter. Zach Parker’s PAT kick closed the gap to 13-7.
The 8-play, 70-yard drive was highlighted by six Braden Hagenbuch runs for 39 yards and a 15-yard roughing the passer call on third-and-seven which kept the drive alive.
Meanwhile, the Owego offense managed to gain just 41 yards on its final three possessions of the half and committed four of its six penalties in the second quarter.
To the River Hawks’ benefit, a Norwich fumble recovered by Zach Bensley and a bad snap on a punt attempt helped Owego build a 21-7 advantage at intermission. However, four Q2 penalties were costly for the River Hawks, including one on the drive following the fumble and another that erased a Brace interception.
The bad snap came on the possession which included Brace’s negated pick set Owego up with the ball at the Norwich 25. Four plays later, Lewis threw a 15-yard TD pass to English, who picked up a defender at the eight and dragged him inside the five before diving forward to the TD. Lewis ran for the PAT with 34 seconds to go in the half.
The majority of the second half belonged to the River Hawks.
“Our O line did a good job of waking up,” Taylor said. “I think that's exactly what it was. They needed to wake up. They lost the battle last week. That's the first time it's really happened all year, so we were a little slow.”
The River Hawks forced the Tornadoes to turn the ball over on downs at their own 40 to start the third period. Brace then carried the rock four times, the last being a 4-yard TD run with 7:01 on the third quarter clock. Arhbal’s kick ricocheted off the left post, but Owego had a 27-7 advantage.
Arhbal then attempted a successful onside kick, which Antoni Talaric recovered at the Norwich 40. Lewis threw to Buchsbaum for a 25-yard gain and Brace toted the pigskin for an additional 18 yards to create a first-and-goal at the three. Brace went out with an injury (which did not appear to be serious), then Stefano Scherrer bulled his way in for a 3-yard score. Arhbal’s kick gave Owego a 34-7 cushion.
The Owego defense came through again on the next Norwich possession as its 52-yard drive stalled at the River Hawk 17.
Norwich would put together an eight-play, 76-yard scoring drive against the Owego reserves to close the gap to 34-14 with 3:07 remaining in the game. Hagenbuch, who carried the ball four times for 58 yards, scored on a 12-yard run.
Hagenbuch was the workhorse for the Tornadoes, who finished their season at 6-4. He carried the ball 24 times for 138 yards. Norwich finished with 120 yards on 32 rushes. Dowdall went 7-for-15 through the air for 105 yards.
Lewis was 7-for-10 for 107 yards with Cole grabbing one ball for 42 yards, English making four receptions for 37 and Buchsbaum catching two for 28.
The River Hawks picked up 119 yards on the ground on 33 carries. Brace ran 17 times for 79 yards and Billy Huddleston had two rushes for 23 more. Six other backs combined for 17 yards on 14 carries.
Owego (8-1) will face the winner of M-E (9-0) and Oneonta (4-5) next Saturday at Johnson City.
The River Hawks can’t allow the Spartans to control the line of scrimmage if they hope to knock of the state’s top-ranked team.
“Really up front last Friday, their D line, our O line. Simple as that,” Taylor said. “Going back through film, things were there. We just have to really out-physical them and execute.
“That was exactly the type of game we wanted it to be. We just couldn't get anything offensively. You know, that would be a point of emphasis heading into this next week of practice.”
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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