Tioga County Sports ReportTIOGA COUNTY — Coming back from a major knee injury that caused him to miss most of the 2024 season, Tioga senior Logan Bellis excelled on both sides of the ball, leading the Tigers to another state title. He is the 2025 TCSR "Football Player of the Year."
SVEC’s Logan Aman He possessed incredible speed and agility out of the backfield, and is the "Offensive Player of the Year," while Owego senior Dylan Brace and Waverly junior Ben Shaw were terrors on the defensive side of the ball and share "Defensive Player of the Year" honors, and Tioga junior Jackson Bombard made an immediate impact for the state champion Tigers and is the "Newcomer of the Year."
Waverly senior Hogan Shaw is the "Special Teams Player of the Year," while Owego senior Lucas Boccasini is the "Breakout Player of the Year," and longtime Tioga coach Nick Aiello and third-year Owego coach Patton Taylor share the "Coach of the Year" honor.
Bellis, despite weighing in at 130ish pounds, was a workhorse back for the Tigers. On the season, he rushed for 2,272 yards and 31 TDs (9.16 yards per carry), and 19 two-point conversion runs. He also had five catches for 64 yards, and one TD.
In five postseason games, Bellis rushed for 1,090 yards and 16 TDs on 124 carries. He also had 11 2-point conversions, and rushed for a state championship game record five TDs.
One of the fastest running backs in Section IV, Aman accounted for 1,843 yards total offense in nine games. He rushed for 1,684 yards on 139 carries and scored 26 TDs. He also caught three passes for 119 yards and two TDs, and attempted two passes, completing both, for an additional 40 yards.
Ben Shaw registered 165 tackles in 11 games, including 75 solo stops. He also had four tackles-for-loss and four QB sacks, as well as one interception, one pass break-up, and one fumble recovery.
Brace made 118 tackles at inside linebacker, including 44 solo stops. Both were team highs. He also had 12 tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions.
After taking a year off, Bombard returned to the gridiron this year and led the Tigers to a state title.
Bombard completed 57.4 percent (35 of 61) of his passes for 470 yard and six TDs, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 130 yards and two TDs, as well as four two-point conversions.
However, Bombard's biggest impact on the team was his leadership and his execution in Tioga's misdirection offense.
Hogan Shaw converted 35 of 38 extra-point attempts, and booted one field goal on the season. He also had 15 touchbacks on kickoffs, and averaged 35.8 yards per punt on 14 punts.
Boccasini was one of a handful of River Hawks who had breakout seasons. As an offensive tackle he was key to Owego’s run-oriented offense. At defensive tackle, he recorded 74 tackles, 27 of which were solo. He led the team in tackles for losses (18), sacks (11), QB pressures (15), fumble recoveries (3) and forced fumbles (3).
Aiello directed Tioga to its 12th Section IV title since his tenure began in 2010. The Tigers won their fifth state title in Aiello's reign and their fourth in five years.
Aiello has a career record of 156-28 (.848 winning percentage), including a 33-3 record in the Section IV playoffs, and a 22-7 mark in the New York State playoffs, including a 12-0 mark in the state quarterfinals.
Despite graduating 19 players, Taylor guided the River Hawks to their first-ever Section IV championship, avenging losses to Maine-Endwell and Waverly along the way. The win over M-E ended a six-year, 11-game losing streak against the Spartans. Owego also upset New Hartford in the Central Region championship game and finished the season with a 9-4 record and a No. 7 state ranking.
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Logan Bellis, Tioga
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Logan Aman, SVEC
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dylan Brace, Owego and Ben Shaw, Waverly
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Jackson Bombard, Tioga
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hogan Shaw, Waverly
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lucas Boccasini, Owego
COACH OF THE YEAR: Nick Aiello, Tioga and Patton Taylor, Owego
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2025 All-Tioga County Football Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Ben Shaw, junior Waverly: He completed 91 of his 146 pass attempts for 1,334 yards, nine TDs and seven interceptions. Shaw also rushed for 261 yards and 10 TDs on 80 carries.
Running Back
Logan Bellis, senior, Tioga: See above.
Logan Aman, senior, SVEC: See above.
Dylan Brace, junior, Owego: The heart of the River Hawks’ ground game, he carried the ball 218 times 1,229 yards and 11 TDs, caught 10 passes for 67 yards and completed one of two pass attempts for another 57 yards.
Cooper Robinson, senior, Waverly: Robinson rushed for 1,032 yards and nine TDs on 175 carries. He also caught six passes for 135 yards and two TDs.
Logan Aman, senior, SVEC: See above.
Max Stauder, junior, Tioga: A devastating lead blocker at fullback, Stauder also rushed for 563 yards and 12 TDs on 102 carries. He caught 3 passes for 28 yards.
Wide Receiver
Daltton Davis, senior, Waverly: Davis was a deep-ball threat with his speed, but also had no fear catching the ball across the middle. He had 32 grabs for 602 yards and three TDs.
John Farrell, junior, Owego: He caught 14 passes for 204 yards in an offense that only threw for 680 yards. He was also on the receiving end of the team’s only two passing TDs.
Tight End
Matthias Welles, junior, Waverly: A punishing lead blocker at H-back, Welles had six catches for 129 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for three TDs.
Atlas Boland, senior, Owego He caught 16 passes for 192 yards and was a key blocker in the River Hawks’ run-oriented offense.
Utility Player
Dominic Palmer, senior, Tioga: Possessing good size and good hands, Palmer was dangerous in the Tigers' ground game and limited aerial attack. He rushed for 182 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, and caught nine passes for 188 yards and three TDs.
Sam Sherwood, senior, Owego: He was a defensive
standout, snagging a team-leading four interceptions, including one for a
TD. Sherwood was dangerous on kickoffs, returning several of 25 yards
or more with one going for a TD in the Section IV playoffs. He also
attempted one pass.
Offensive Line
Troy Beeman, senior, Waverly
Derek Johnson, senior, Waverly
James Howey, junior, Tioga
Austin Mumbulo, senior, Tioga
Carson Rockwell, junior, Waverly
Dylan Davis, senior, Owego
Ryan Huizinga, senior, SVEC
Jack Blomberg, junior, Newark Valley
Place Kicker
Hogan Shaw, senior, Waverly: See above.
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Dominic Palmer, senior, Tioga: Palmer recorded 86 tackles, including 22 solo stops. He had seven QB sacks, four tackles-for-loss, and one fumble recovery.
Troy Beeman, senior, Waverly: Beeman had 58 tackles, including 25 solo stops, despite being double-teamed much of the season.
Matthias Welles, junior, Waverly: Wells had 59 tackles, including 26 solos. He had two QB sacks and two tackles-for-loss, as well as one interception and three forced fumbles.
James Howey, junior, Tioga: Howey had 86 tackles, including 24 solo stops. He had two QB sacks and one fumble recovery.
Dom Scherrer, senior, Owego: A force to be reckoned with at the nose guard position, he registered 69 tackles, including 23 solo, and had 12 tackles for losses, two sacks, eight QB pressures and two fumble recoveries.
Lucas Boccasini, senior, Owego: See above.
Titus Callahan, senior, Newark Valley: The very vocal leader in the cardinals’ lineup, he had 40 tackles, including 10 solo and four for losses.
Rylan Cruz, senior, SVEC: He recorded 23 tackles and two sacks.
Linebackers
Ben Shaw, junior Waverly: See above.
Dylan Brace, junior, Owego: See above.
Justin Koenig, junior, Waverly: Koenig had 75 tackles, including 29 solo stops. He also had three interceptions.
Kadin Cole, senior, Tioga: Cole had 125 tackles, including 47 solo stops, one QB sack, and one tackle-for-loss. He also had four interceptions.
Atlas Boland, senior, Owego: He made 85 tackles, 39 of the solo variety. He also had 17 tackles for losses, one sack, seven QB pressures, seven pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Jakobe Foster, senior, SVEC: He led the Eagles in tackles with 46 and interceptions with three, returning one for a TD.
Defensive Backs
Jayden Duncanson, senior, Tioga: Duncanson recorded 128 tackles, including 42 solo stops. He also had one interception and one forced fumble.
Logan Bellis, senior, Tioga: Bellis had 66 tackles, including 29 solo stops and one tackle-for-loss. He also had two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Drayton DeKay, sophomore, Waverly: DeKay registered 39 tackles, including 27 solo stops, despite missing the last two games due to injury. He also had one interception, one pass break-up, and one fumble recovery.
Punter
Hogan Shaw, senior, Waverly: See above.
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2025 All-Valley Super 7 Newcomers:
Jackson Bombard, junior, Tioga: See above.
Ely Newman, senior, Waverly: Newman registered 62 tackles, including 23 solo stops and three tackles-for-loss and three QB sacks.
Nolan Card, sophomore, Owego: He played a key role at outside linebacker as the River Hawks won their first-ever Section IV championship and advanced to the state semifinals. Card made 58 tackles, including 22 solo stops, 11 for losses and two sacks. He also had three QB pressures, four pass breakups, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and two TDs off turnovers. He also played a big role in the team’s run-oriented offense.
Max Stauder, junior, Tioga: Stauder was a major component in Tioga's state title run. A devastating lead blocker at fullback, Stauder also rushed for 563 yards and 12 TDs on 102 carries. He caught 3 passes for 28 yards. Defensively, he had 90 tackles, including 31 solo stops. He also had two interceptions, including a pick-6.
Chase Wheeler, junior, Waverly: Wheeler finished the season with seven receptions for 113 yards. Defensively, he had 29 tackles, including 17 solo stops. He also had one interception and three pass break-ups.
Caden Bradley, junior, Tioga: One of the top tacklers for the Tigers, Bradley recorded 104 tackles, including 36 solo stops, including one QB sack.
Markel Watkins, junior, Tioga: Watkins was a key cog on the offensive line, which paved the way for 300.1 yards per game on the ground this season.
