FROM THE PRESS BOX: A CRYSTAL BALL LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2023 FOOTBALL SEASON (2022-12-05)

The 2022 football season was one fans in the Valley will remember for a long time.

Athens won its first postseason game since 2015, Waverly won its first Section IV title since 2015, and Tioga won its second state title in a row, and third since 2015. (Whoa, 2015 was quite a season, too.)

Sayre did not field a team for the first time in more than a century, but did put a JV team on the field, and it went unbeaten.

The amount of talent in the Valley’s three small schools is impressive.

All three programs were led by quarterbacks — Athens senior Mason Lister, Waverly junior Joey Tomasso, and Tioga junior Caden Bellis — who are now their school’s all-time leaders in passing yardage, and passing TDs. (And, two of them are back in 2023.)

Of course, every standout QB inevitably has at least one standout receiver, and that was true here in the Valley with Waverly junior Jay Pipher, Athens senior Lucas Horton, and Tioga junior Valentino Rossi all putting up big numbers this season.

There were defensive standouts as well — Waverly seniors Ty Beeman and Connor Stotler, Athens junior Josh Martin and senior Brandon Jennings, and Tioga junior Ousmane Duncanson and Bellis, who all had well in excess of 100 tackles on the season.

The Valley even had two all-state kickers back this season — Waverly senior Ryan Clark and Tioga junior Gavin Fisher, and they both continued to impress.

What does 2023 have in store for Valley football fans? I’ve dusted off the crystal ball once again, so let’s take a look.

Athens Wildcats: Coming off a 7-5 season, Athens will have to replace seven starters on both sides of the ball, including Lister, Horton, and Caleb Nichols.

The Wildcats will return a pair of talented wide receivers in Xavier Watson and Martin, as well as Kolsen Keathley, who will likely be a workhorse running back for coach Jack Young over the next two seasons.

Athens also brings back three starting linemen, and a couple more who saw a great deal of playing time.

Defensively, Athens will have a solid core of returners, led by Martin.

The biggest question facing the Wildcats in 2023 is who will replace Lister, a four-year starter, at QB?

Prediction: At this point, it’s hard to know who Athens will schedule in its non-league games. I expect the Wildcats to be at least 4-2, possibly 5-1 in the NTL … 2023 record: 7-4, District 4, Class AAA semifinals.

Sayre Redskins: There are a lot of questions surrounding the Sayre football program, most notably will they have a varsity team in 2023? Or, will they co-op with Athens?

Another question: Who will be the next coach?

I’m not going to venture a guess on the Redskins in 2023, but I will say they probably would have won two or three games in the Small School Division this season.

Tioga Tigers: The Tigers are coming off a 14-0 season (quite possibly the first team to ever win 14 games in a season in New York State) to run their win streak to 27 games, and their second straight Class D state title.

The fact Tioga has just three seniors, including just one starter, on its roster, should send a chill down the spine of Class D coaches around the Empire State.

Think about it, the Tigers return 10 starters from an offense that averaged 46.7 points, and 380.5 yards in total offense per game. And, all 11 starters from a defense that allowed 13.2 points per game — and a good share of those points came late in games against back-ups.

It will depend how many teams are in Class D next season, but don’t be a bit surprised if Section IV throws Waverly and / or Chenango Forks on Tioga’s schedule in 2023. If Waverly is not on the schedule when it comes out in January or February, I’ll be very surprised if the Tigers and Wolverines don’t square off in Week Zero.

Prediction: The Tigers will be the overwhelming favorites to win their 11th Section IV title in the last 12 postseasons, as well as their third straight state title. I picked them to win a state title in 2021, and foolishly doubted them this year. … 2023 record: 14-0 — State Champs.

Waverly Wolverines: The Wolverines posted a 10-2 record, and won their fourth Section IV title in the Jason Miller era, vanquishing longtime nemesis Chenango Forks in the Class C title game. It was Forks’ first loss in a time game after 18 straight wins in years they reached the finals.

Waverly loses seven starters on offense, and six on defense, so there is work to be done, but a lot those positions will be filled by younger players who saw a lot of action this season.

The Wolverines lose their entire linebacking corps — Ty Beeman, Connor Stotler, Braeden Hills, Isaiah Bretz, and Gage Tedesco, who missed the second half of the season with a knee injury, but bring back a strong group on the defensive line, and in the secondary.

Offensively, Waverly also graduates its top four running backs, but Tomasso and three of his top targets in Pipher, Jake VanHouten, and Carter George return. And, the offensive line will be anchored by returners Kam Hills, Jake Benjamin, and Troy Beeman.

As I said above, I fully expect Tioga and Waverly to play, whether it’s in Week Zero, or (hopefully) later in the season.

Prediction: I don’t know if Waverly will be better next season than they were this season, but I don’t expect much of a drop off if they’re not. Chenango Forks also suffered some key graduation losses, but they have a knack for coming up with new players who make an impact. Class C will come down to those two teams again in 2023. … 2023 record: 10-3, Section IV champs — state semifinals.