SECTION IV FOOTBALL: MACUMBER POWERS TIOGA IN 56-28 SHOOTOUT WIN OVER DELHI (24 PHOTOS) (2023-09-23)
Valley Sports ReportDELHI - Senior Drew Macumber rushed for four TDs, and Tioga pounded out 352 yards on the ground in a 56-28 win over Delhi in a battle of state-ranked Class D football teams here Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the state, scored on eight of their nine possessions in the game, and amassed 413 yards in total offense.
"We were able to move the ball, and put points on the board every time we had it," said Tioga coach Nick Aiello. "I was really pleased to see that.
"We’ve been drilling, and working on getting off the ball better, and that showed up today," he added.
Delhi’s Charlie Haight threw for 266 yards, and the Bulldogs, ranked 9th in the state, added 119 rushing yards in the loss.
"Delhi has some good playmakers, and they were able to hit some big passes on us, which we were afraid of going in," said Aiello. "Those big plays set up a couple of their scores.
"At the end of the day, though, for a long trip on a Saturday, I thought we played well, and we got a big divisional win," added Aiello.
Macumber rushed for 164 yards on 16 carries, while senior QB Caden Bellis added 132 yards and two TDs on just four carries, and senior Gianni Silvestri chipped in with 31 yards and one TD on three carries. Tioga, which had 30 carries, averaged 11.7 yards per carry in the win.
Bellis completed 5 of his 9 pass attempts for 61 yards and one interception. Senior Karson Sindoni had two grabs for 33 yards, and senior Evan Sickler had two receptions for 18 yards.
After a defensive stop on Delhi’s first possession of the game, Tioga put together a scoring drive on its initial possession, capped by Silvestri’s 5-yard TD run. Senior Gavin Fisher added the PAT kick to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
After another defensive stop, Bellis ripped off a 54-yard TD run to make it 14-0.
The Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard on their next possession with Charlie Haight’s 9-yard TD pass to Tanner Bracchy, closing the gap to 14-6 early in the second quarter.
Less than two minutes later, Macumber scored his first TD on a 1-yard run with 8:14 remaining in the half to make it 21-6.
Macumber added a 4-yard TD run with 4 minutes remaining to extend the lead to 28-6, which is where it stood at the half.
Tioga opened the second half with a quick scoring drive, capped by a Macumber 43-yard TD run. FIsher’s PAT kick made it 35-6 with 9:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Delhi responded with a scoring drive of its own, with Noah Dungan’s 2-yard TD run capping the drive. Delhi’s 6-6 tight end Angelo Krsyston hauled in a pass from Haight for a two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 35-14.
The Tigers answered, with Bellis ripping off a 46-yard TD run to finish off a quick scoring drive to make it 42-14 late in the third quarter.
Haight and Bracchy hooked up on a 75-yard TD pass with 10:42 remaining in the game, and Dorain Brisbane added the conversion run to cut the deficit to 42-22.
Tioga chewed up some clock on its next possession, with Macumber capping the drive with a 5-yard TD run to make it 49-22.
Delhi answered with a drive that Brisbane capped with a 4-yard TD to cut the Tioga lead to 49-28.
Moments later, Tioga was in the end zone again on a 78-yard kick return by Sickler. Fisher, who was 8-for-8 on extra points, provided the final margin.
Haight completed 13 of 21 passes, including two TDs, with Bracchy hauling in six receptions for 180 yards, and two TDs.
Tioga improves to 4-0 on the season, while Delhi falls to 3-1.
Tioga, Walton, and SVEC are 2-0 in divisional play, while Delhi is 2-1, and Newark Valley is 1-1.
"The next couple weeks are going to show a lot about our division," said Aiello.
Delhi, Walton, SVEC, and (Tioga) all play each other, and Newark Valley in the background, too," added Aiello. "The playoff picture is going to become a lot clearer."
Tioga returns to action next Saturday at Walton.
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IN PHOTO: Tioga’s Drew Macumber. … PHOTOS COURTESY OF CRISTINA ROSSI.
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