SECTION IV FOOTBALL: TIOGA'S AIELLO BELIEVES EXPERIENCED LINE, TEAM CHEMISTRY WILL BE KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2024 (2024-09-05)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Longtime Tioga football coach Nick Aiello believes team chemistry, and experience in the trenches will be the keys to success for the Tigers in 2024.

“We know our line is experienced, and is definitely a strength,” said Aiello. “It’s really helpful because it helps us install plays a little quicker because the line knows what it’s doing.

“Early on, especially with the big games we have coming out of the gate, we’re going to have to lean pretty heavily on our line until the skill guys gain that experience.

“As we work our way into the meat of our schedule, it’s going to be the line that leads the way for us,” Aiello added.

As for team chemistry?

“The biggest strength of this team that I’ve seen so far is that they’re all good kids,” said Aiello. “They’re coachable, they want to learn, and they’re eager to play.

“We haven’t played a game yet, but I think this is a group of gamers, who have the ability to turn it on.

“I think there’s some great chemistry right now,” added Aiello. “As long as we keep that going, and keep the attitude and enthusiasm high, I think that chemistry will really show through by the time we get to mid-season.”

Sophomore Derek Mills will anchor the offensive line at center, with senior Tate MaCauley at right guard, and a mix of sophomore James Howey and senior Austin Babcock at left guard. Seniors Jackson Clark and Garrett Godfrey will man the tackle spots.

Junior Nate Hulbert will back up at tackle, and junior Austin Mumbulo will do the same at guard.

Junior Dominic Palmer and sophomore Gavin Kithcart will split time at tight end.

Junior Jayden Duncanson will replace two-time New York State Class D “Player of the Year” Caden Bellis at quarterback, with senior Shea Bailey serving as back-up.

Bellis graduated with a 40-0 record and three state titles in his three years as a starter.

“This isn’t the first time in my career we’ve had to replace a three-year starter; it’s actually the fourth time,” said Aiello.

“You get comfortable with someone running the offense, and whenever you have to put a new guy in you have to see what his skill-set is, how he commands the huddle, how he picks up the offense, how he handles the ball, and how comfortable he is going through progressions on certain pass plays,” noted Aiello. “As a coach you’re just trying to piece it together based on the new guy’s skill-set.

“Jayden brings a lot of athleticism to the position. He’s very quick, he makes quick decisions, and it’s very natural to him.

“He wants it, and he’s been a leader for us so far,” continued Aiello. “I think as he gets more games under his belt, we’ll see what he’s good at, and how that compliments our offense.

“I hope his confidence just grows because he’s going to be a special player,” he added.

At fullback, the Tigers will feature a mix of seniors Brennan Sindoni and Jake Brown, with junior Gage Hopkins seeing some time.

Junior Logan Bellis and sophomore Shane Platukis will see the majority of carries at tailback, with junior Connor Streeter also seeing reps.

Bailey and junior Kadin Cole will see time at slot receiver, with a mix of senior Trystan Barto, and juniors Lukas Nichols, Gavin Albrecht and James Miller at the x-receiver.

Along with Caden Bellis, the Tigers graduated running backs Ousmane Duncanson and Drew Macumber, wide receivers Evan Sickler and Valentino Rossi, and tight end Karson Sindoni — all three-year starters, but Aiello says the cupboard is not bare.

“We are not lacking for skill players, it’s just a lack of experience at the varsity level.

“In terms of competitors, some of our guys have wrestled in the state finals, so I’m not concerned with their ability to compete, and get game-ready to play at the varsity level, but it is a different animal,” said Aiello.

“You have to get use to the game speed, the intensity, the hitting and physicality; and that takes a little bit of time,” he added.

Defensively, Aiello said MaCauley, Godfrey, Mills, Clark, Howey, Mumbulo, and Hulbert will see the majority of time on the line, with Kithcart and Babcock will also seeing reps there.

“It will be a mix from game to game as to who’s playing defensive tackle and on the end,” said Aiello.

At strong side linebacker, Browne and Palmer will both see time, with Miller working in as well.

In the middle linebacker spots, Sindoni, Platukis, and Browne will all see time, with Hopkins working in.

The free safety will see a mix of Duncanson and Barto, while Cole and Bailey will split time at strong safety.

Bellis, Bailey, Nichols, Streeter, and Albrecht will all see time at cornerback.

“Again, it starts up front for us,” said Aiello. “If the guys up front are doing their thing, that’s what allows our linebackers to remain free to run around and make tackles.

“What we’re missing is experience, and we’re already seeing that,” he noted. “At the varsity level, it takes time to understand game plans … and when you tweak game plans, or where you’re lining up you have to understand that.

“With this year’s team, it’s just going to take some time, but I think they’ll get it. They’re football smart, and they tackle well.

“I think we’ll be just fine on the defensive side of the ball,” added Aiello. “It might just take a couple games to get comfortable with the game plans from week to week.”

Aiello said special teams is “a work in progress.”

Nichols will be handling the punting duties.

“(Lukas) has a great leg, and gets rid of the ball quick. We’ll be fine at punter,” said Aiello.

Godfrey and Bellis will handle the long-snapping duties.

Miller, a two-year starter on the soccer team, joined the football program and will handle the kicking chores.

“We’ve been working with James (Miller),” said Aiello. “It will take him a while to get comfortable. He’s looked very good in practice, but it’s one thing to kick in practice, and it’s a whole different animal to do it in a game.

“It just a matter of getting some games under his belt.

“He has a strong leg, but he’s still learning,” added Aiello. “It’s a little different kicking a football than a soccer ball.”

Returning kicks and punts will be a mix of Bailey and Bellis, as well as Cole, Duncanson, Barto, and Nichols.

The Tigers open the 2024 season Saturday at Waverly against Maryvale, then face Windsor and Chenango Forks.

“My biggest concern is getting through our first three games healthy, and not looking ahead,” said Aiello.

“We’re only carrying 23, but we’re comfortable putting all 23 of them on the field. These guys have been working hard, and they’re good football players,” noted Aiello.

“It’s all about improvement. As long as the kids keep a good attitude, we’ll be fine.

“We can’t jump ahead to the end of the season. We need to follow the process, and stick to the process from week to week, that’s important,” noted Aiello.

“You have to put the time in to watch the film, learn the game plan, and do the conditioning. It can be a grind, and there’s a tendency to get bored with it, but they have to understand how important it is to continue to improve from week to week, so you can put yourself in a great position at the end of the season.

“If the kids get bored with the process, or get complacent, that’s a concern, especially if you haven’t through it before,” Aiello added.

Aiello believes this year’s schedule will be a benefit to his relatively inexperienced team.

“I think we’ll have a real good idea of what kind of team we have after our third game,” he said. “We start out with three really tough opponents.

“We look at those three teams, and all three of them have a good chance to win Section titles in their respective classes,” noted Aiello. “I don’t think those three teams will have many losses at the end of the season.

“Three are tough games out of the gate, but I love our schedule — it sets up nice for us,” he continued. “Having those three games out of the gate, then we get to compare ourselves to other D schools by playing SVEC and Delhi, and then we have Newark Valley in our first divisional game.

“I think our schedule sets us up well to get ready for our divisional games, and that’s what matters the most for playoffs,” said Aiello. “Three of our last four games are divisional games, and we have to win those if we want to get to the playoffs.

“I think we’ll be battle-tested and ready by then, and that’s all you can hope for — to win those divisional games and make the playoffs,” he added.

AROUND DIVISION VII and CLASS D: Tioga will be joined in Division VII by Newark Valley, Bainbridge-Guilford, and Deposit-Hancock, with Delhi, Harpursville-Afton, Oxford, SVEC, and Walton comprising Division VI.

“Class D is wide-open,” said Aiello. “I’m not really sure who the four playoff teams will be.

“With the two divisions, all the D schools look to have some really tough non-league games, playing some C opponents,” he noted. “I think by midseason, it will start to unfold, and we’ll have a good idea of who’s in the driver’s seat to make those four playoff spots.

“We have our eyes on everybody, and we always have our eyes on the other end of the Section,” continued Aiello. “We know Walton returns a lot, and Delhi is always tough because of the way they’re coached, and the schemes they come up with.

“Deposit-Hancock and Bainbridge-Guilford are young teams that return quite a bit. It will be interesting to see how they develop.

“Newark Valley didn’t have a JV team last year, so they pulled up a lot of young kids, and they’re all back,” added Aiello.

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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga senior Shea Bailey. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga junior Logan Bellis. … VSR STOCK PHOTOS.

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