FROM THE PRESS BOX: WHAT DOES CRYSTAL BALL HAVE TO SAY ABOUT TIOGA, WAVERLY FOOTBALL IN 2022? (2022-09-02)

The New York State football season opens this weekend for teams that have Week Zero games, and fortunately for Valley fans, both Tioga and Waverly are on the schedule.

What’s more, the two Section IV powers will host Section IX counterparts in a football doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Waverly’s Memorial Stadium. Tioga takes on Marlboro at 3 p.m., and Waverly squares off with Chester at 6 p.m.

The question for Valley football fans is: What can we expect from Tioga and Waverly in 2022?

Let’s take a look into the crystal ball and see, but the short answer is: Lots of wins.

Tioga Tigers: The Tigers are coming off an unbeaten 12-0 Class D state title run — the first unbeaten season and second state title for longtime coach Nick Aiello.

Tioga lost Emmett Wood, who tallied 7,367 yards and 99 rushing TDs in his career, as well as valuable two-way starters in Gavin Godfrey, Matt Watson, and Cobe Whitmore, and standout linebacker Isaac Peterson.

However, the Tigers bring back a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball, led by junior QB Caden Bellis, and juniors Ousmane Duncanson, Evan Sickler, Valentino Rossi, Karson Sindoni, and Drew Macumber, sophomore Tate Macauley, and junior kicker / punter Gavin Fisher.

Bellis is likely to run for and throw for more than 1,000 yards this season, with big targets Sickler and Rossi on the outside, and Sindoni at tight end. I expect Macumber to pick up the tough yardage between the tackles, and Duncanson to do a lot of damage on big plays out of the backfield, and in the passing game.

Tioga should be improved in the trenches as evidenced by the ability to move Sindoni from the interior to tight end, which will make replacing Wood and Godfrey a little easier.

Defensively, the Tigers should be just as fast as they were last year, but the loss of Wood and Peterson at linebacker, and Godfrey in the secondary could be felt early in the season.

Prediction: If the Tigers can get past Class B Marlboro in Week Zero, I don’t see much competition for them in Section IV. Tioga outscored its opponents by an average of 49-9 before the state playoffs in 2021, and I don’t think it will be much different in 2022. Once the state playoffs roll around, Tioga could run into an old nemesis in Randolph in the state semifinals. … 2022 record: 11-1 — season ends in state semifinals.

Waverly Wolverines: The Wolverines set the tone for 2021 with a 31-7 season-opening win over Class A East Syracuse-Minoa, and have the opportunity to do the same thing Saturday against Chester.

They also took on all comers, beating non-league foes Geneva (46-6) and Livonia (27-8) in consecutive weeks, and also beat teams they’ve struggled with in the past in Chenango Valley and Susquehanna Valley en route to a 10-0 record heading into the Section IV, Class C title game against eventual state champ Chenango Forks.

The Wolverines lost a pair of key linemen / linebackers in D.J. Shaw and Cayden Turcsik, but return five linemen who saw plenty of action, including starting both postseason games.

While Waverly should be formidable in the trenches, the strength of the team lies with junior QB Joey Tomasso and a strong group of receivers, led by junior Jay Pipher.

The offense should give opposing defense fits, using multiple sets and personnel groupings, and the the senior trio of running backs in Gage Tedesco, Kayleb Bechy, and Braeden Hills should add good balance to the offense.

Prediction: The Wolverines with a tough game against Section IX’s Chester, which will feature a power running game and the same style of defense Chenango Forks employs. Later in the season, they play a three-game stretch against Susquehanna Valley, Chenango Forks, and Chenango Valley, with the first two of those three at home. … Duplicating last year’s 10-0 start will be a tough task, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. This could be Waverly’s year to get past Forks, but until someone beats them … 2022 record: 8-2 — season ends in Section IV, Class C title game.