NEW YORK STATE FOOTBALL: ANOTHER STATE POWER IN PATH OF TIOGA'S STATE TITLE REPEAT (2022-12-02)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Tioga coach Nick Aiello has turned his program into a state power over the past decade. Saturday, the Tigers will face a Cambridge-Salem program, under the tutelage of coach Doug Luke, that’s been a state power for more than two decades.


The Tigers have won 10 of the last 11 Section IV titles, and won state titles in 2015 and 2021, while the C-S has won 14 Section II titles under Luke since 1999, as well as three state titles (1999, 2016, and ’17).

“We know we’re going against a strong program that has a tradition of winning,” said Aiello. “They’ve won championships before, they won back-to-back in 2016 and ’17.

“We know their staff is going to have their kids ready for this type of game, and that’s how we’re approaching it,” he added.

The Tigers are looking to become the first Section IV, Class D team to repeat as champions. Aiello believes his team’s familiarity with the venue formerly known as The Carrier Dome will be beneficial.

“It’s makes it a little more comfortable when the kids, and not just the coaching staff, understand and know what to expect.

“We talk about how big the Dome is, and the noise that’s in there. It’s just a different atmosphere to play in,” said Aiello.

“Our kids were there last year … they definitely bring that experience to the table, and I think that will help us in terms of getting ready for the game,” he added.

Aiello has been impressed by what he’s seen of Cambridge-Salem on film.

“My first thoughts are they play with a lot of emotion,” he said. “And, they put their players in the right places to be successful, that’s why they’re 13-0.

“They also bring a little more to the table in terms of preparation because they go no-huddle on offense, and they run a defense that is different than what we’re use to seeing.

“My initial thought was we’re going to need a great week of preparations to be fully-prepared for these guys if we want to be successful,” added Aiello.

WHEN CAMBRIDGE-SALEM HAS THE FOOTBALL
Cambridge-Salem advanced to the Class D title game with an impressive 47-22 win over last year’s state runner-up Moriah.

C-S enters the game averaging 39.1 points, and 347.9 yards in total offense per game, while Tioga allows 12.7 points, and has forced 26 turnovers.

C-S runs the ball for an average of 286.7 yards per game, behind a pair of 1,000-yard running backs.

Six-foot, 2-inch 245-pound fullback Evan Day leads C-S with 1,281 yards and 25 TDs on 170 carries (7.5 yards per carry), while junior tailback Brice Burr has 1,027 yards and 18 TDs on 149 carries (6.9 yards per carry).

Junior Brayton Cary has 668 yards and eight TDs on 80 carries (8.4 yards per carry), and senior wideout Alex Luke has 284 yards and three TDs on 36 carries (7.9 yards per carry).

Eighth-grade QB Stephen Yakubec has completed 44.2 percent (38 of 86) of his passes for 706 yards, seven TDs, and seven interceptions this season. Luke has been his top target with 20 receptions for 465 yards, and six TDs.

“Their offense is very similar to what we’ve seen throughout the year,” said Aiello. “Their big running back (Evan Day) — the 285-pound wrestler who made it to States last year — is their big fullback, and their other back (Brice Burr) use to be a quarterback, so he’s a good athlete.

“They feed those guys the ball in a lot of power-type runs,” noted Aiello. “They also like to get to the outside quick with some really well-designed counters that you have to account for.

“They’re similar to a lot of teams we’ve played in that they’re looking to grind out first downs, and go on drives. They’re not always necessarily hitting the big play, but they keep the chains moving.

“On top of that, it’s no-huddle. They get in formations quick, they snap the ball quick, they get plays in quick, and that’s just different,” added Aiello. “You have to mentally prepare and physically prepare your guys for that kind of offense.”

Tioga faced a power running game against Randolph last week in the semifinals, and Aiello said that game will be beneficial.

“I think playing Randolph (and Xavier Hind) last week will help because it’s been the same message this week,” said Aiello. “This is a power-run team … we have to have a good week of tackling, we have to be flying to the football, and we have to win at yards-after-contact.

“It’s been a lot of the same messaging this week,” added Aiello. “After watching film, the kids understand what they’re going to need to do.”

WHEN TIOGA HAS THE BALL
Tioga advanced to the Class D championship game with a 41-34 win over second-ranked Randolph.

The Tigers enter the contest averaging 45.5 points, and 379 yards in total offense per game, while C-S has allowed 7.3 points per game, and has forced 29 turnovers.

Tioga runs the ball for 272.5 yards per game, with junior tailback Drew Macumber’s 1,183 yards and 23 TDs on 137 carries (8.6 yards per carry) leading the way. Junior fullback Ousmane Duncanson has 801 yards and 14 TDs on 67 carries (12 yards per carry), and junior QB Caden Bellis, who ran for 200 yards and two TDs last week, has 756 yards and 10 TDs on 91 carries (8.3 yards per carry).

Bellis has also completed 64 percent of his passes (73 of 114) for 1,348 yards and 23 TDs, with just three interceptions.

Junior Valentino Rossi is Tioga’s leading receiver with 23 grabs for 587 yards and nine TDs, while junior Evan Sickler has 20 catches for 306 yards, and five TDs, and junior tight end Karson Sindoni has 15 receptions for 229 yards, and five TDs.

“(C-S) runs an odd-front defense with three really big horses right in the middle, their big running back being one of them, and they have five good linebackers that fly around,” said Aiello.

“They tend to be three-deep in the secondary, but they’ll move their safety around.

“They look really comfortable in their defense. They seem to read their keys really well, they pass drop well, and they fly downhill on the run well,” he noted. “They seem athletic, they’re good tacklers, and they all seem to know their roles, and they play good team defense.

“There’s a reason they’re 13-0 and haven’t given up a whole lot of points this season.

“It goes back to the week of preparation to make sure we’re ready for the defense we’re going to see,” added Aiello.

KEYS TO THE GAME
“It’s really a year-long process in terms of the little things because in big games, little things can matter,” said Aiello.

“If you look at last week and Ousmane (Duncanson) chasing the kid down and stripping him from behind, that’s something we talk about throughout the year — never giving up on a play.

“You try to prepare the kids the best you can. You can’t do it in a week, it’s a year-long process.

“The keys remain the same,” noted Aiello. “You have to stress blocking and tackling all week long. You have to stress taking care of the football, and situational-type plays — offensively and defensively.

“And, you have to take care of the kicking game,” he continued. “In big games, when you’ve been in enough of them, you understand how important field position is. You understand how important momentum can be.

“To me, especially in a state championship game, it’s about having that short memory, forgetting about the previous play, whether it’s good or bad, and moving on to the next play. This team, has been very good at that.

“There are other factors, too — playing in the Dome, handling the crowd noise, and handling the big stage. Our kids, not just in football, understand what it takes to play at a championship level,” added Aiello. “Going into this game, I feel like we have to trust that our kids are going to get the job done … we need to play our style of football, and that’s going to give us our best chance of winning.”

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IN PHOTO: Tioga coach Nick Aiello and QB Caden Bellis.