SECTION IV FOOTBALL: TIOGA RIDES EARLY 'PICK SIXES' TO 43-0 SHELLACKING OF B-G (24 PHOTOS) (2019-09-20)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportBAINBRIDGE - Tioga ran two offensive plays for a total of 14 yards in the first quarter and still led 21-0 here Friday night on its way to a 43-0 shellacking of Bainbridge-Guilford in Section IV, Division VI football action.
The Tigers returned interceptions for scores on each of B-G's first two possessions, both of which reached Tioga territory, then blocked a punt to set up their third score.
"I think we were a little flat-footed getting off the bus," said Tioga coach Nick Aiello.
"The pick sixes were big, they woke us up," said Aiello. "It's nice that they turned into "˜pick sixes,' and they were long returns, too, which means guys were turned around and blocking - doing things we work on in practice.
"It always nice to turn turnovers into points, and get the early lead.
"We talked about it this week, and we'll talk about it a lot more," added Aiello. "Every away game we have is more than an hour drive, so we have to be able to get off the bus, and start fast."
B-G took the opening kickoff and marched from its 24 to Tioga's 29 - strictly on the ground. Facing 2nd-and-11, the Bobcats went to the air, and sophomore Emmett Woods stepped in front of a Haiden Burns pass and raced 74 yards, breaking a tackle at the B-G 30, for the score.
Senior Brady Worthing's PAT kick gave Tioga a 7-0 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter.
Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Burns scampered 76 yards around left end for an apparent score, but a holding call nullified the play.
Undeterred, B-G, mixing in one completion with nine run plays, moved the ball from its 19 to the Tioga 49. On 4th-and-6, the Bobcats went to the air again, and this time Worthing came up with the interception. He then weaved his way through the B-G ranks and raced 72 yards for a TD.
Worthing added the PAT to make it 14-0 with 2:01 remaining in the first quarter.
After Tioga's defense forced a three-and-out, senior Dom Wood broke through the B-G line and blocked the punt, which he also recovered at the Bobcat 14.
"Dom (Wood) does a nice job of getting off the ball," said Aiello. "He never takes a play off - ever, so I'm sure that's why he was able to get in there and make that special teams play for us."
Worthing then completed a 6-yard pass to senior Thomas Cook, and an 8-yard TD pass to senior Mason Booser on the final play of the first quarter. Worthing's PAT kick made it 21-0.
Following another three-and-out, Tioga took over at its own 32.
On first down, B-G was flagged for roughing-the-quarterback, then Worthing took off on an option keeper for 24 yards to the Bobcat 29.
On the next play, Worthing hit Booser with a pass on the home sidelines. He broke a pair of tackles and scampered into the end zone to complete a 29-yard TD connection. Worthing's PAT made it 28-0 with 9:04 remaining in the first half.
Nolan Hawkins returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to midfield, and the Bobcats marched to the Tioga 15 before turning the ball over on downs.
Tioga coughed up the ball on the next play, but the Tigers defense again stopped B-G on downs, this time at their 7.
In its hurry-up offense, Tioga quickly moved the ball into B-G territory on runs of 15 and 21 yards by Worthing, and an 8-yard pass to Cook. Wood then ripped off a 22-yard run, but coughed up the ball at the B-G 27 with just 26.3 seconds remaining in the first half.
B-G ran 39 offensive plays and gained 131 yards in total offense in the first half, while Tioga ran just 11 plays from scrimmage and gained 116 yards.
In the second half, B-G ran just 17 plays for 21 yards of offense. The Bobcats did not earn a first down in their first four possessions of the second half, and had just one first down after the halftime intermission.
Tioga, meanwhile, ran 32 offensive plays in the second half, and gained 176 yards of total offense.
The Tigers recovered an onside kick to start the half, and promptly drove 51 yard on eight plays to up the lead to 35-0. The final two plays were a 13-yard pass from Worthing to Booser, and an 18-yard TD pass from Worthing to junior Sloan Manuel with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Worthing, who completed just two passes in the first two games, completed 6 of 13 pass attempts for 82 yards and three TDs.
Aiello said his intent entering Friday's contest was to "mix it up" offensively.
"Our offense is still developing.
"We wanted to come out and open up the playbook," said Aiello. "Because of the defenses we were facing the last two weeks, we had to take what they were giving us ... those were more of a play-calling game.
"Tonight, we came in with the idea of opening up the offense, knowing we could hunker down with a few of our plays if we needed to," he added.
The rest of the game belonged to Tioga's second units, and they acquitted themselves quite well.
After forcing a three-and-out, Tioga took over at its 29, and drove to the B-G 20 before turning the ball over on downs. Sophomore Isaac Peterson did the majority of damage with seven carries for 34 yards, while sophomore Gavin Godfrey added a 10-yard carry, and Justin Hopkins chipped in with a 7-yard run.
After an exchange of possessions, Peterson ran the ball three times for 31 yards, including a 5-yard TD run with 5:42 left in the contest. Mason Welch tacked on the conversion run to make it 43-0.
The Tigers nearly scored again on its next possession, thanks to runs of 16 and 21 yards by 8th-grader Ethan Perry, and a 14-yard run by Welch, but a fumble stopped the drive at the B-G 5.
"We had to fold our JV team this year, which is really too bad. I think tonight showed we have a lot of good talent down low," said Aiello.
"It's really too bad we didn't have enough freshmen out to carry a JV team because a lot of the kids that played in the fourth quarter tonight would have gotten nine JV games this year.
"They showed they could play," he added.
Peterson led Tioga's ground game, which accounted for 237 yards, with 71 yards and one TD on 11 carries, while Wood had 60 yards on five carries, Worthing added 42 yards on three carries, and Perry, who had a dazzling 12-yard TD run nullified, chipped in with 36 yards on two carries.
Booser led Tioga's receivers with three catches for 48 yards and two TD, and Cook added two grabs for 16 yards.
Tioga, now 3-0, returns to action Friday at Unatego.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Sloan Manuel. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
