Tioga County Sports Report
ORANGEBURG - On Saturday afternoon, Owego flag football secured their spot in the NYSPHSAA Championships, winning in the Class C Regional Final, 40-14 over Hendrick Hudson out of Section I at Tappan Zee High School, thanks to a big day from Kylie Grippen and Olivia Dodge in the passing game.
Owego started off the game on offense, but went three and out on three straight incompletions. The Sailors returned the OFA punt to the 18-yard line, but were forced off the field on a turnover on downs after trying to go deep on multiple pass attempts.
On the ensuing drive, Owego's Bella Silvestri rattled off a big run to mid-field, before Ashlyn Dalton and Jaelynne Lovell caught a pair of passes to push the ball deep into the red zone. Quarterback, Kylie Grippen then hit Dalton on a touchdown pass at the pylon. Olivia Dodge scored the extra point conversion to put Owego in front, 7-0.
The Sailors tried to mix things up with the pass and run game on their next possession, but OFA held firm to force a punt.
The River Hawks took over at the Hendrick Hudson 30-yard line, and scored on the first play of the drive with a Grippen completion to Dodge, who took it the distance, while making several defenders miss in the process. A failed extra point conversion made things, 13-0 OFA.
Dodge then made an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball with an interception after jumping a pass route with 13:55 remaining in the first half.
Owego ran a reverse play, then Lexi Herceg caught a pass down at the three-yard line, before Grippen connected with Dodge once again for the third score of the game. The extra point attempt was no-good and the River Hawks remained in the driver's seat, 19-0.
Solid coverage in the secondary, combined with Silvestri and Kylie Craven making a pair of key flag pulls, forced the Sailors off the field again on the next possession, giving OFA the ball back with 6:41 left in the half.
After a few Silvestri rushes, Grippen hit Dalton on a crossing route to move the ball down field. The junior quarterback followed up by going back to Dodge on a swing pass for their third scoring connection of the game, padding the River Hawks lead to 25-0.
OFA would get the ball back one more time in the first half and made the most of it, with Grippen hitting Dodge on a laser to the end zone, sending the River Hawks into the break, up 31-0.
OFA's defense went right back to work to start the second half, as Herceg picked off a pass on the sideline. The River Hawks' offense couldn't get anything going however, and was forced to punt, with Dodge pinning the Sailors deep at their own one-yard line. On the next play, Owego notched a safety with pursuit from multiple defenders, including Dodge, Silvestri, Craven, and Herceg.
Hendrick Hudson put their first points on the board with a punt return after the next Owego drive stalled. A converted extra point brought the score to 33-7 with just over 17 minutes left.
After another stalled OFA drive, the Sailors attacked through the air, marching down the field to score again with multiple big yardage plays. The converted extra point closed the gap to 33-14 with under seven minutes left.
The Owego offense got back in business on their next possession though with an Ashlyn Dalton touchdown to close out the game and ultimately punch the River Hawks' ticket to the State Semifinals.
Olivia Dodge caught eight balls for 81 yards and totaled four touchdowns, while Ashlyn Dalton hauled in seven catches for 102 yards and two scores. Kylie Grippen threw for five touchdown passes on 250 yards passing.
Defensively, Bella Silvestri led the way with six tackles, while Kylie Craven tallied four flag pulls and Dodge grabbed a pick to go with three tackles.
"Hendrick Hudson is a very athletic team with a ton of speed. We started slow, but settled in and had a great first half both on offense and defense," said coach Rusty Virkler.
"We struggled a bit in the second half, but to win regionals is a huge accomplishment and we are really excited to get back to where we were last year."
Owego flag football now advances to the Class C Semifinals of the NYSPHSAA Championships next Saturday, June 7th at Homer High School, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. The River Hawks will play Beekmantown out of Section VII.
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PHOTO: TCSR STOCK...OLIVIA DODGE
