SECTION IV FOOTBALL: DEFENSE POWERS WAVERLY IN 41-6 ROUT OF JOHNSON CITY (24 PHOTOS) (2019-09-13)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportWAVERLY "” Waverly scored two defensive touchdowns, and forced four turnovers in a 41-6 rout of Johnson City here Friday night in Section IV, Division II football action at Memorial Stadium.
"I thought defensively we played very well," said longtime Waverly coach Jason Miller. "We made some big plays that definitely gave us some momentum.
"Without looking at film, I know there's a lot wrong, but I'm real happy," he noted. "It's nice to win a divisional game, and it's nice to win your first home game.
"A lot of people didn't think we'd be 2-0 at this point," added Miller. "We're off to a good start. We'll enjoy this one, and get back to work. We're in a good position after two weeks, but we have a long way to go."
The Waverly defense forced Johnson City to punt on its first possession, and took over at its 29-yard line.
After being victimized by a drop on his first pass of the game, Waverly's 8th-grade quarterback Joey Tomasso hooked up with senior Jalen McCarty on a quick slant for a 19-yard gain (on third-and-8) to midfield.
After a 10-yard run by Caden Wheeler, Tomasso completed a 6-yard pass to McCarty, and a 12-yard pass to Ethan Stotler to move the ball to the JC 16. Two plays later, David Hallett sliced through the middle of the Wildcat defense for a 10-yard TD run to cap a nine-play, 71-yard drive, and give the Wolverines a 6-0 lead with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter.
After an exchange of possessions, Stotler pinned JC at its 9-yard line with a 36-yard punt.
Following a three-yard loss, and an illegal procedure call, JC faced a second-and-16 at its own 3. Sophomore QB Corey Casterline's pass and Waverly defensive back Caden Wheeler arrived at the intended receiver at the same time, causing the ball to carom high into the air. Stotler snatched it out of the air and scampered 10 yards for a score.
"Caden Wheeler made a perfect play on the receiver, and Ethan Stotler finished it off; that was a big play," said Miller.
Tomasso then hooked up with Stotler on a conversion pass to give Waverly a 14-0 lead with 10:50 remaining in the first half.
Johnson City's next possession ended with an interception by junior Alex Gadow near midfield, but the Wolverines ended up punting, and Stotler's punt spun dead at the Wildcat 4.
Miller pointed to Stotler's two punts that were downed inside the 10 as "momentum-changers."
"They were huge punts in terms of field position," he said. "We were struggling offensively until that field-position switch, where we pinned them near their end zone."
The rest of the half was spent in Johnson City's end of the field, and after an exchange of punts, Casterline fumbled a snap at the Wildcat 24 with 52 seconds remaining, and sophomore linebacker Caden Turcsik pounced on it.
Three plays later, aided by a roughing-the-passer call against JC, Tomasso hooked up with McCarty on a 12-yard TD pass. Gadow's PAT kick made it 21-0 with 33 seconds left in the first half.
"We struggled offensively a little bit in the first half. (JC) has some really athletic players and we had a hard time sustaining our blocks," said Miller. "I think in the second half, we started to wear them down a little bit.
"Thomas Price and Austin Kimble gave us a great spark carrying the ball (in the second half) - gave us a burst of speed and energy," noted Miller. "We probably need to inter-change them more in the tailback and H-back positions ... David (Hallett) is playing all the time and could benefit from snaps off.
"We're not exceptionally deep at many positions, but we have three quality guys at tailback, and Gaven Anthony can fit in a lot of places," added Miller. "Over the course of the coming weeks, I think you'll see more of (Anthony) - he's dynamic and shifty, and doesn't get hit."
The Wolverines took the second-half kick-off, and drove 63 yards on 13 plays, before a Wildcat defensive stand resulted in a turnover on downs inside the 1.
Waverly forced a JC punt, but mishandled it at midfield and Wildcats re-gained possession.
On the next play, McCarty put the final nail in the Wildcat coffin with a leaping interception and scintillating 64-yard return for a score.
"Jalen (McCarty) had an exceptional game," said Miller. "He's becoming one hell of a football player."
Gadow's PAT kick made it 28-0 with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter.
The Wildcats finally found paydirt with a 10-play drive that covered 58 yards and bridged the third and fourth quarters. The drive culminated with an 11-yard TD pass from Casterline to Jessup Bentley on fourth-and-goal with 10:29 remaining in the contest.
After Waverly recovered the ensuing onside kick at the JC 42, senior Thomas Price ripped off a 29-yard run, then scored three plays later on a 3-yard run to make it 34-6 with 8:46 eft in the game.
After forcing another JC punt, Waverly marched 67 yards on 13 plays for the final score of the game. Gaven Anthony gained 34 yards on four carries in the drive, and Austin Kimble covered the final 12 yards, including an 8-yard TD run with 1:42 left in the game.
Waverly rushed for 182 yards on 32 carries in the win, led by Hallett, who rushed for 71 yards and one TD on 20 carries. Price added 40 yards and one TD on seven carries, while Anthony had 34 yards on four carries, and Kimble chipped in with 19 yards and one TD on four carries.
Tomasso completed 9 of 18 passes for 105 yards and one TD, with McCarty leading the receiving corps with four catches for 59 yards and one TD. Junior Aidan Westbrook had two receptions for 35 yards, and Stotler had one catch for 12 yards.
"I thought Joey threw the ball pretty good," said Miler. "He managed the game very well."
JC's Casterline completed 17 of 30 pass attempts for 144 yards, but was intercepted three times.
The Wildcat rushing game was limited to 63 yards on 25 carries, with 55 yards coming on three carries in the second half.
Waverly, now 2-0, returns to action Friday at Maine-Endwell.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly senior Jalen McCarty. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY. -- (PHOTOS 16B, 21 and 22 COURTESY OF SHANNON McCARTY.)
