SECTION IV FOOTBALL: WITH BIGGER NUMBERS THAN USUAL, TIOGA'S AIELLO SAYS TIGERS HIT DAY 1 'READY TO GO' (15 PHOTOS) (2023-08-21)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER
- Tioga football coach Nick Aiello is healthy and ready to go as his
team opens preparation for the 2023 season, seeking its third straight New
York State Class D championship.
"It feels good to back on the field, especially this year.
"Last
year, I was in a golf cart. This year, I’m on both feet, and running
around, so it feels pretty good," said Aiello, who was convalescing from
an Achilles surgery last fall.
The Tigers, who have open the season riding a 27-game win streak, have even bigger numbers than usual this season.
"We’re
very pleased with the numbers," said Aiello. "We’re at 46, which is
great for us. The last couple yeast’s been a struggle to get to 40.
"It’s about a 50-50 split between varsity and JV, and we’re very, very happy about that," he added.
Aiello said his roster is about what he expected.
"No new faces really," he said. "Everyone here is someone we expected to show up, and they all did, which is great."
Aiello said the Tigers had a productive summer.
"The summer was really good, I would call it a quality summer.
"The
one thing that really sticks out is the amount of time these guys spent
in the weight room," he said.. "After I looked at the attendance sheets
for the weight room over the last seven weeks, it’s pretty obvious what
goals they have in mind because they really put the time in.
"I’m very proud of them for that and really appreciate the time and effort they put in" noted Aiello.
"We
did some good things this summer. We went to the Cortland camp for
three days, we did three 7-v-7, and we did some mini-camps here.
"I think the guys are hitting Day 1 ready to go," added Aiello.
The Tigers are also gearing up for the opening of the new turf playing surface at Haggerty Field.
"The guys are excited.
"We
have a game in less than two weeks," said Aiello. "We have a big game
(Waverly) in less than three weeks, and after that, we get to play our
first home game on our new field.
"There’s a lot of excitement
brewing in this preseason," added Aiello. "These kids know we have to
put the work in, and know we’re as prepared as possible."
Tioga opens the 2023 season Saturday, Sept. 1 against Section IX’s Burke Catholic at Waverly’s Memorial Stadium.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga coach Nick Aiello. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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