OWEGO - The River Hawks came out firing on all cylinders Thursday evening, remaining unbeaten with a 46-12 victory over the visiting Waverly Wolverines.

OFA was aggressive on both sides of the ball in the first half. Olivia Dodge put the River Hawks on the board quick, scoring a touchdown less than five minutes into the game. Dodge then made an immediate impact on defense with an interception. 

Next, Kylie Grippen found Ashlyn Dalton over the middle on a well developed play for a second touchdown in as many possessions for Owego. 

Not to be outdone, the OFA defense came up with another interception on a Waverly drive. This time it was Lexi Herceg, who returned the pick for a touchdown. After a successful extra point conversion, Owego went up on Waverly, 20-0.

On Waverly's first play of the next drive, it was Dodge again with another interception, returning this one down to the goal line. Bella Silvestri would take care of the rest for Owego with her first of three total touchdowns on the night.

The momentum continued in OFA's favor, with Dodge earning her third interception of the game and returning this one for a touchdown. Waverly would then find the end zone for their only score of the contest, making things, 33-6 at the break.

In the second half, Silvestri was a force for the River Hawks, finding the end zone on two different occasions with a receiving and rushing touchdown. 

When asked what makes this offense so impressive, Silvestri had high praise for her teammates.

"Our blocking scheme is great. I couldn't do half the things I do without our blockers," said Silvestri. 

"Since we were in a similar position last year, we are used to being in this situation and we are going to keep our foot on the pedal. We're really excited to prove ourselves and show that we can compete at the state level," the senior added. 

Coach Rusty Virkler knows there is more work to be done and is looking forward to OFA's next game, a match-up with number one in the state, Pioneer.

"I know it sounds basic, but our goal is to continue to get better each week," said Virkler. 

"Pioneer is our next game and they are ranked number one in the state. So obviously a huge challenge there, and we are excited for it."

Offensively, Dalton pulled in six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Dodge had 60 total yards of offense to go with a touchdown as well. Bella Silvestri carried the ball six times for 40 yards and scored three times, two rushing and one receiving. Grippen threw for two touchdowns on 187 yards passing.

On the defensive side for Owego, Dodge was outstanding, notching three interceptions for 100 total return yards and a touchdown. Herceg had a pick-six, while Silvestri lead the team in tackles with eight. 

Lexi Cheeseman, Keira Henry and Elizabeth Reigle all had three flag pulls each in the game.