SECTION IV FOOTBALL: QUICK-STRIKE OFFENSE, STIFLING DEFENSE PROPELS TIOGA IN 56-0 ROUT OF B-G (24 PHOTOS) (2023-10-19)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER - Tioga used a familiar formula — quick-strike offense, and stifling defense — in a 56-0 rout of Bainbridge-Guilford here Thursday night in Section IV, Division V football action at Haggerty Field.
The Tigers ran just 10 offensive plays in the first half, but piled up 324 yards in total offense, and six TDs to take a 42-0 lead into the halftime locker room.
Tioga coach Nick Aiello believe his team is just starting to find its groove.
"These guys are three-year players," said Aiello. "You get to the end of the season, and you want to be sharpening up. Even with the experience we bring back, it takes a while to sharpen up, but it seems like we’re doing just that.
"From here on out, our motto is ‘get better every day,’ and right now we’re on to our next opponent." noted Aiello.
While Tioga’s defense dominated, B-G was able to move the ball much more effectively than they have in past years, which drew Aiello’s attention.
"(B-G) is a much-improved team," he said.
"Actually, I’ve seen that all around our division," noted Aiello. "Most of our division is pretty young, we’re the senior-laden team. It seems like every team in our division has stepped it up a notch from last year, which is good to see.
"It looks like all the other teams in our division are putting in the work, and they’re all young," added Aiello. "Looking ahead to next year, I think it’s going to be really, really competitive in our division."
In all, Tioga amassed 471 yards in total offense — 232 on the ground, and 239 through the air, while holding B-G to 163 yards, including just 75 yards in the first half.
Playing with his JV team on the field for nearly the entire second half, Tioga maintained the shutout, and scored a pair of TDs.
"We’ve gotten some good production out of our juniors on varsity, but we have some kids on the JV squad that have done some great things," said Aiello. "I was very, very impressed with some of the freshmen going out there tonight and how they played the game at the varsity level, and the speed they played at.
"I’ve been on our varsity guys to play at that speed," added Aiello. "It was really good to see out of our JV guys to go out there and execute like they did."
After forcing B-G into a three-and-out to open the game, Tioga needed just two plays to find the end zone.
After a 12-yard run by senior tailback Drew Macumber moved the ball to the B-G 44, senior QB Caden Bellis found senior Valentino Rossi open in the flats. He picked up a block from senior Evan Sickler, and raced down the home sidelines for the score. Senior Gavin Fisher tacked on the PAT kick to make it 7-0 with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter.
The Bobcats picked up a pair of first downs on its next possession, but a botched hand-off on third-and-3 forced B-G to punt from the Tioga 35. QB Connor Davy’s pooch punt rolled dead, pinning the Tigers at their own 1.
After an illegal procedure call moved the ball back about a foot, Bellis dropped back into the end zone, and fired the ball down field, where a leaping Rossi came down with it at the Tioga 40. He was pushed by a defender as he came down with the ball, but he was able to keep his balance, and out race the defense for a school-record 99-yard TD reception. Fisher’s PAT kick made it 14-0 with 2:44 left in the first quarter.
"It was just a situational decision," said Aiello. "We took a shot on first down, and we were able to hit it.
"There was good pass protection, and it was a pretty good pass-and-catch," added Aiello. "It was good."
B-G’s ensuing possession ended in disaster when Rossi blind-sided Davy as he dropped back to throw, forcing a fumble which junior Tate Macauley pounced on at the Bobcat 11.
Two plays later, Bellis sprinted 9 yards up the middle after pulling the ball out of Macumber’s stomach on an option play to make it 20-0 on the final play of the first quarter. Fisher added the PAT kick to make it 21-0.
B-G picked up one first down on its ensuing possession, but Macumber and Rossi combined on a QB sack to force fourth-and-long, and another Bobcat punt.
The Tigers took over at its own 48 after a short punt, and Sickler promptly broke loose down the visitor’s sideline on a jet sweep for an apparent 52-yard TD run, but a holding call down field brought the ball back to the Bobcat 44.
On the next play, senior Gianni Silvestri broke free on a counter play back to the right side, and ripped off a 44-yard TD run with 7:09 remaining in the first half.
After a quick first down on a 12-yard run by Davy on B-G’s next possession, a holding call put the Bobcats behind the chains, and they punted four plays later.
Sickler returned the punt 40 yards to the B-G 17, and two plays later made a leaping grab in the end zone for a 17-yard TD. Fisher’s kick made it 35-0 with 3:54 left in the half.
B-G picked up a first down on a 15-yard run by Kevin Lang on the ensuing possession, but an incomplete pass on third down stropped the clock.
After the punt, Tioga took over at its 21 with 18.1 seconds remaining in the half. Turns out it was more than enough time for the Tigers.
On the first play, Bellis lobbed a throw over the incoming B-G pass rush, Macumber hauled down the middle screen, weaved his way into the next level, and raced 79 yards for the TD with two ticks remaining on the clock. Fisher’s boot on the extra point made it 42-0 at the half.
Tioga came out of the intermission, and marched 71 yards on five plays, aided by a 15-yard horse-collar penalty against B-G, to add to its lead.
Macumber started off the drive with a 16-yard run, then freshman Shane Platukis ripped off runs of 9 and 8 yards to move the ball to the B-G 23. After junior Brennan Sindoni picked up 15 yards, Platukis finished off the drive with an 8-yard TD run with 8:51 remaining in the third quarter. Fisher made it 49-0 with his seventh extra point of the game.
B-G moved the ball to the Tigoa 35 on its next possession, but junior Garrett Godfrey pounced on a fumble at the Tiger 36 to end the threat.
Tioga, again exclusively on the ground, drove 64 yards on 11 plays for its final score of the game.
Platukis carried the ball five times for 34 yards, including a 4-yard TD run to cap off the drive with 7:59 left in the contest, and sophomore Connor Streeter added three carries for 21 yards, including a 14-yard run. Fisher, who was 8-for-8 on extra points, made it 56-0.
The Bobcats drove to the Tioga 13 on its final possession, but a block-in-the-back call put B-G behind the chains, and four consecutive incompletions ended its chances of avoiding the shutout.
Tioga took over and picked up a pair of first downs — on a 19-yard run by Streeter, and an 11-yard run by sophomore Kaydin Cole — to run out the clock.
Bellis completed 4 of 5 passes for 239 yards, and four TDs in the win, with Rossi hauling in a pair of TD passes for 143 yards to lead the receivers.
Platukis led the ground game with 59 yards and two TDs on eight carries, while Silvestri had 46 yards and one TD on two carries, Streeter had 46 yards on five carries, and Macumber added 28 yards and one TD on two carries.
Davy completed 7 of 18 passes for 88 yards for B-G, with sophomore Parker Buttice leading the receivers with three receptions for 44 yards.
B-G, which had 75 rushing yards on 26 carries, was led on the ground by junior Anthony Pfaff, who had 21 yards on five carries, and junior Kaiden Seymour added 20 yards on five carries.
Tioga, now 8-0 and winners of 35 straight games, closes out the regular season Oct. 26 when it hosts arch-rival Newark Valley.
——————
IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Valentino Rossi forces a fumble with a blind-side QB sack of B-G’s Connor Davy. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
Print Friendly Version
