SECTION IV FOOTBALL: OWEGO LOOKS TO AVENGE LONE LOSS IN CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (2024-11-15)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
JOHNSON CITY — The Owego football team will have payback on its mind when it faces top-ranked Maine-Endwell in the Section IV Class B championship game here Saturday afternoon.
M-E (10-0) handed the River Hawks (8-1) their lone setback of the season, 21-7, in the final game of the regular season.
Coach Patton Taylor believes Owego has what it takes to win the rematch.
“We're very confident heading into this game,” he said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot offensively last time we played them. Got behind the sticks, didn't stay on schedule. It’s tough to beat a team like Maine-Endwell when you're doing that and having three, four penalties in one drive. They're just so disciplined, fundamentally sound, that it's nearly impossible to beat them when you're doing that to yourselves.
“Even with all that being said, we still had a chance to take that game, so we've been addressing some of the mistakes that we made during that game. It's been a great week of practice. right now, I'd say confidence is at a high.
“The key to beating these guys is you have to match their physicality up front for all four quarters,” Taylor said. “That's a very difficult thing to do. Their ball get-off is good, they're strong, they're quick, they're fast. I think that certainly knocked us on our heels initially. Again, we had our opportunities in the last game, we just weren't able to capitalize.
“In practice this week, getting good looks from scout, working ball get-off and just overall physicality and the will to compete have been points of emphasis.”
Seniors Evan English and Jonathan Gilliland are anxious to get another shot at the Spartans.
“A lot of the guys have been on this team for a numerous amount of years now,” said English. “We all know what the opportunity at stake is. We go in, we win our first ever sectional championship. It's a drive for all of us and we're really motivated this week.”
Gilliland has spent the majority of the season on the sideline due to an injury he suffered in a preseason scrimmage.
“I'm 100 percent now,” he said. “I'm so happy to be back on the field with my teammates and brothers.”
Gilliland is ready to go and believes the rest of the team is too.
“It's definitely do or die and you see that in a lot of the players. There's a fire in their eyes. They're eager, they're ready and they're ready to go. They have nothing to lose, really.”
Owego lost tailback Joseph Palladino to injury about 16 minutes into the M-E contest with the score tied, 7-7. The senior, who is also the starting safety and punter, has rushed for 855 yards on 97 carries and scored 14 touchdowns.
Palladino would most likely be a 1,000-yard rusher heading into this clash, but also missed the River Hawks’ playoff win over Norwich last week and didn’t get to play when Johnson City forfeited to Owego the week before the M-E game.
Taylor says Palladino and the River Hawks expect to be ready to go physically by Saturday afternoon.
“We should be heading into this thing near full strength or at full strength,” Taylor said. “We have a couple guys banged up right now from Norwich, because every time we play Norwich, you know it's going to be a physical, physical game. Nothing serious. Just kind of just taking some precautionary steps this week, making sure we're doing everything in our power to get everyone as close to or at full health for this game Saturday.”
He’s not the team’s only weapon as classmates Jack Buchsbaum, Evan English and Elijah Lewis, and a solid offensive line have helped spearhead an offense which has outscored opponents, 311-87, and has been held under 225 total yards just once.
Owego hasn’t had to rely on its passing game much, but the aerial attack has put up some respectable numbers.
Lewis has gone 30-for-53 through the air for 458 yards and four TDs. His main targets have been Evan English (13-229, 3 TDs) and Jack Buchsbaum (13-166, 1 TD).
Buchsbaum has proved to be a dangerous return man with two kickoff TDs and another on a punt return to his credit.
Defensively, the River Hawks have held all opponents except two (M-E and Westhill) to less than 225 yards. Those two foes are also the only teams to reach the end zone more than twice. Owego has three TDs via interception with Caleb Cole, Evan English and Carson Morris collecting pick sixes.
The River Hawks boast a strong defense with tackles Zack Bensley and Dylan Davis on the line, English and Conlan Taylor at outside linebacker, Bobby Struble at the inside backer spot, and a secondary that includes safeties Cole and Palladino, and defensive backs Buchsbaum and Evan Wasielewski.
Despite the veteran group of defenders, Owego still has to make the stops if it hopes to move on to state play.
“We have to keep mistakes to a minimum,” said Gilliland, who saw his team get flagged a season-high 10 times in the previous M-E game. “We’ve got to play 110 percent for four quarters. Can't let the foot off the gas pedal.”
Bensley and Davis anchor the O-line, which is expected to play a key role in the rematch.
“It comes down to line play,” said English, who also plays tight end. “It comes down to how well we block, our running backs, our linemen. Our game is usually won in the trenches.”
Meanwhile, M-E has dominated most of its opponents, outscoring them 436-134. A 42-41 overtime win against Waverly, a 21-14 victory against Chenango Forks and the triumph over Owego were the only games which were not blowouts. Forks and Owego were the only teams to hold the high-powered Spartan offense under 42 points.
The Spartans’ graduated 20 seniors from the 2023 team, including five all-state players, but have 20 more seniors this season. Three of them were all-state picks, including Vincent Mancini, a first-team pick as the all-purpose player. Jaden Branch was a second-team selection at linebacker and defensive back Tyler Mathews received an honorable mention.
Branch was the workhorse in the recent win over Owego, carrying the ball 22 times for 99 yards. Logan McGuire added 75 yards receiving while Mancini and Landon Rollo contributed a combined 69 yards offense.
M-E had eight plays go for double-digit gains to Owego’s three, but defensively both teams made several big plays. The Spartans registered 10 tackles for losses or no gain and Owego recorded eight.
Since M-E began a 62-game win streak in 2011, which ended in the state semifinals in 2015 and included four straight state titles, the Spartans have posted a 13-1 record against Owego. The River Hawks won the regular season meeting in 2019, 37-20, but lost two weeks later in the playoffs, 57-29.
Most coaches have found matching wits with Spartan mentor Matt Gallagher to be a challenge. He’s been with M-E football at some level for more than 20 years, 17 as the varsity head coach, and has a 162-25 record with three victories against Taylor (13-6), who took over at Owego last year.
Only Chenango Forks, Norwich and Union-Endicott have beaten the Spartans more than once during that span. Forks has won six meetings while U-E and Norwich have taken two apiece.
M-E is 7-1 in state championship games, losing 28-7 to Rye last season. Only Rochester Aquinas has won more titles (8) while Forks has also won seven, but is 7-6 in championship games.
Like the Spartans, the River Hawks’ 12th man is impressive.
“It means a lot,” Taylor said of the community support. “The turnout against M-E for the pink out game, that was incredible. The homecoming turnout was incredible. With our game against Norwich last week, it was terrible weather. It was cold, but there was still a good amount of people here. I think people are excited about what we're doing with this program and we're highly appreciative of their support.”
Kickoff is 3 p.m. Saturday at Johnson City.
Tickets may be purchased at
https://gofan.co/event/2237174?schoolId=NYSPHSAAIV and the game will be streamed live on the nfhsnetwork.com for a fee or at fan.hudl.com/.../20301/johnson-city-high-school.
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