VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S TOMASSO LEADS 'SUPER 7' AS BOYS TOP 'NEWCOMER OF FALL' (2019-11-30)

Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY "” Waverly's Joey Tomasso exceeded what you might expect from any first-year quarterback, much less those of an 8th-grader, and is the 2019 Valley Sports Report Boys "Newcomer of the Fall."

Poised beyond his years, with a quick release and an accurate arm, Tomasso led the Wolverines to a 4-5 record against rugged competition in Section IV, Class B.

Tomasso threw for 1,307 yards and 10 TDs, with eight interceptions. He completed 49.5 percent (110 of 222) of his throws.

He was the VSR Football "Newcomer of the Year."

The "Super 7" Boys Newcomers of the Fall are:
Joey Tomasso, 8th-grader, Waverly: See above.

Sloan Manuel, junior, Tioga: After stepping away from the gridiron for two 1 1/2 seasons, Manuel returned for his junior season and made an immediate impact for the Tigers.

A hard-hitting linebacker, Manuel was second on the Tioga team with 7.4 tackles per game, including 2.1 solo stops per game, six tackles-for-losses on the season. He also had one QB sack. Offensively, Manuel proved to be an effective lead-blocker, while running for 145 yards and one TD on just 32 carries. He also had three catches for 58 yards and one TD.

Manuel was the VSR Football "Defensive Newcomer of the Year."

Brayden Post, freshman, Sayre: Quick, with a good grasp of the game, and great vision of the field, Post set the table for his teammates, and helped the Redskins to triple their win total from last year.

Post scored five goals and dished out a Valley-best 23 assists, and was the VSR Boys Soccer "Newcomer of the Year."

Aidan Westbrook, junior, Waverly: A two-way starter, Westbrook was probably the most pleasant surprise for the Wolverines in 2019.

At wide receiver, he hauled in 26 catches for 408 yards and one TD. In the secondary, he had two interceptions, and averaged 4.2 tackles per game.

Lucas Horton, freshman, Sayre: Horton impacted the Redskins in all three phases of the game.

Offensively, he hauled in 11 receptions for 248 yards (team-high 22.5 yards per catch) and three TDs. As back-up QB, he was 3-for-6 for 36 yards and one TD, and ran for 76 yards and one TD on 12 carries. Defensively, he averaged 1.6 tackles per game.

VSR's first-team All-Valley punter, Horton averaged 33.5 yards per punt on 29 attempts, with five punts being downed inside the 20.

Mason Lister, freshman, Athens: A strong-armed freshman, Lister improved as the season went on. He threw for 1,273 yards and 11 TDs, with nine interceptions. He also ran for five TDs.

Thomas Hurd, freshman, Tioga: Hurd improved by leaps-and-bounds as the season progressed. He finished 26th at Matzke Invite (M-E), 34th at Whitney Point Invitational, 97th at the Bob Greene Invite, 115th at the Owego Invite.

He was 24th at the IAC Divisional meet, 29th at the IAC Championships, and finished 12th in the Class D meet at Section IV State Qualifier, and was the VSR Boys Cross Country "Newcomer of the Year."