SECTION IV FOOTBALL: TIOGA CLINCHES SEVENTH STRAIGHT DIVISION TITLE WITH 35-28 WIN OVER B-G (20 PHOTOS) (2024-11-01)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportBAINBRIDGE — Senior Jake Browne did the majority of the damage for Tioga, but junior Dominic Palmer, and senior Lukas Nichols added big plays to help Tigers clinch the Section IV, Division VII title with a hard-fought, 35-28, win over Bainbridge-Guilford here Friday night.
The Tigers, still playing without four starters, improved to 6-3, and clinched their seventh consecutive division title.
"I'm real proud of our guys," said Tioga coach Nick Aiello. "Like I said last week, we had a brutal schedule. When you look back at it now, our non-league schedule was against five playoff teams, and all five ended up with pretty good records.
"Working through the schedule, and working through the injuries we've had, the kids started to show up and work hard," noted Aiello. "You have to be proud of them for that.
"We came away with a division title, but that's all behind us now," added Aiello. "It's a brand-new season. Every week is a new season now."
A week after rushing for 421 yards and eight TDs, Browne toted the pigskin for 292 yards, and three TDs on 40 carries.
"There's no question he's a hell of a running back," said Aiello. "We probably shouldn't have beaten him up that much. We're going to have to rest him, so we can have him fresh rolling into the playoffs ... it's a good thing we play next Saturday.
"Hopefully, next week we're going to be as healthy as we're going to get, so we can get back to a better mix, and we won't have to rely on him so much," added Aiello.
The Tigers, ranked 8th in the state, ran for 432 yards on 58 carries, including a 57-yard TD run by Palmer, and 44 yards on six carries by Connor Streeter. Aiello tipped his cap to the offensive line.
'Our line did a good job, and (B-G) was bringing it quite a bit," said Aiello. "Most of the night, we were facing a nine-man front.
"They're starting to peak as well," added Aiello. "They've played well all season long, but they're starting to play better, and that's nice to see."
Nichols, who was the third-string QB three weeks ago, completed 3 of 7 passes for 61 yards and one TD, and also ran the ball three times for 10 yards, with two carries for first downs.
"I'm really proud of that kid," said Aiello.
"It's odd, early on in the season, I just said 'hey Lukas start taking some reps at quarterback because you never know,' then Jayden (Duncanson) and Shea (Bailey) go down in the same game.
"He got some reps in the Waverly game, then in the last two games he stepped in, has been a great senior leader for us, and has led us to two victories," added Aiello. "He's done a great job."
The Bobcats, ranked 15th in the state, had 318 yards in total offense, with junior QB Connor Davy accounting for the large majority of it. He rushed for 124 yards and three TDs on seven carries, and completed 11 of 24 pass attempts for 155 yards one TD, and one interception.
"B-G made us work for it. We kind of expected a game like this," said Aiello. "We figured they were going to lay it all on the line.
"We knew (Connor Davy) is an athlete," noted Aiello. "Aside from our miscues, we played decent pass defense ... we knew him running around could be an issue, especially when they spread you out like that, and it was."
B-G opened the game with an onside-kick attempt, but Nichols smoothly fielded the kick at the Tioga 43.
Browne ripped off a 26-yard run on Tioga's first play from scrimmage, and gained 12 more yards on the next play.
Four plays later, Browne, who had 57 yards on five carries on the drive, capped the drive with a 2-yard TD run with 10:19 remaining in the first quarter. Junior James Miller tacked on the PAT kick to make it 7-0.
On B-G's ensuing possession, Davy's first two passes were incomplete, but the third was a 61-yard TD to Declyn Marshfield with 9:53 left in the first quarter to close the gap to 7-6.
The Tigers quickly moved the ball to the B-G 21 on its next possession, and Nichols dropped a 21-yard TD pass over double-coverage to junior Gavin Albrecht in the back of the end zone. Miller's PAT kick made it 14-6 with 4:21 left in the opening stanza.
Marshfield returned the ensuing kickoff to the Tioga 41, but the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs at the 39 four plays later.
The Tigers needed just two plays to find paydirt again. After a 4-yard run by Gage Hopkins, Palmer ended up with the ball on a "scissors" counter, and dashed 57 yards for a score. Miller's PAT made it 21-6 with 2:12 left in the first quarter.
After a three-and-out, Tioga quickly moved the ball from its 24 to the B-G 11, with a 34-yard pass from Nichols to Albrecht, and a 23-yard run by Connor Streeter the big plays, but turned the ball over on downs at the Bobcat 11.
B-G put together a 10-play drive, including four completions by Davy, and a 35-yard scramble by Davy, who capped the 4 1/2-minute drive with a 5-yard TD run to close the gap to 21-12 with 4:33 remaining int he half.
Tioga moved the ball into B-G, but a 15-yard chop block penalty stalled the drive, and the half expired with the Tigers at the B-G 38.
B-G opened the second half with the ball, but its first possession ended when Streeter came up with an interception of a deflected pass at the Tioga 39.
Back-to-back 11-yard runs by Browne, and a 7-yard run by sophomore Max Stauder quickly moved the ball to the B-G 32. Seven plays later, including a holding penalty against the Tigers, Browne scored on a 10-yard run with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter to extend the lead to 27-12.
The Bobcats answered with a 9-play drive that featured two penalties against both teams once the ball was inside the Tioga 20. Davy, who had a 37-yard scramble on the possession, scored on a 6-yard run with 3:00 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Davy's pass to Parker Buttice for conversion trimmed the deficit to 27-20.
On Tioga's next possession, Browne ripped off 36 yards on four carries, sandwiched around a 5-yard run by Stauder, to move the ball to B-G 12.
The Tigers avoided disaster on the next play when Palmer alertly pounced on a loose ball at the Bobcat 10.
After a 1-yard run by Browne made it first-and-goal, he scored on a 9-yard TD run with 10:51 left in the contest. Nichols scrambled in around the right end on the conversion to make it 35-20.
B-G answered quickly again, with Davy capping a five-play drive with a 31-yard TD run with 7:55 remaining in the contest. Davy added the conversion to close the gap to 35-28.
Tioga chewed up the final 7:46 of the game clock after the ensuing kickoff with 12 consecutive run plays. The Tigers picked up four first downs, including a fourth-and-1 at the B-G 33, and final horn sounded with them at the Bobcat 4-yard line.
Tioga will square off with SVEC next Saturday at Susquehanna Valley High School in the Section IV, Class D semifinals.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Jake Browne. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga's Kadin Cole (15) makes a tackle. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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