SECTION IV FOOTBALL: MILLER LIKES DEMANDING SCHEDULE AS WAVERLY BUMPS UP TO CLASS B IN 2025 (2025-08-29)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Waverly was denied its third consecutive Section IV, Class C title in a heart-breaking loss to Chenango Forks in the finals last year. The Wolverines bring back a lot of talent in 2025, but have bumped up to Class B.

Waverly will open the season against defending PIAA Class AA Troy, and will play defending Section IV, Class B champ and divisional foe Maine-Endwell, and Class C champ Chenango Forks during the season.

"I like our schedule a lot," said longtime Waverly coach Jason Miller.

"I think starting off with Troy is a tremendous opportunity to learn about ourselves, learn what these kids can do in big-time atmosphere game against a similar offense that Maine-Endwell and Chenango Forks run in a game that is only for pride and means nothing in terms of our ultimate goals.

"I think U-E is going to surprise some people, and Norwich has a a promising young and ambitious group," noted Miller.

"This schedule is certainly more challenging than the latter portion of our schedule last year, but you can't get better playing against teams that aren't good," added Miller. "I think this team is going to improve immensely throughout the season based on the competition we're playing and what we learn from playing them."

Two years ago, Waverly graduated several four-year varsity players, and a five-year talent in Joey Tomasso. Last year, the Wolverines graduated a pair of dynamic playmakers in Xavier Watson, who is playing at Division I UConn, and Kolsen Keathley, who is at Division III powerhouse Ithaca, and a few other starters.

"It is different. There are a lot of fresh faces, a lot of guys I haven't played before," said Miller.

"I have some JV kids, strictly JV kids, that I really like. Some are 10th-graders, and a couple juniors that haven't every played football, but at some point in the next couple years they're going to help us," he noted. "They're going to continue to develop."

Miller began his career at Waverly in 1999 as a co-head coach with Larry Hanafin. Both left the program after the 2000 season, but only Miller returned. That is until this season.

"Larry (Hanafin) is working with our JV line," said Miller. "Usually those kids do a lot of watching, but Larry has taken them and is working with them. What he's doing with them is going to pay huge dividends."

Senior Derek Johnson will start at center, with senior Troy Beeman at left guard, and junior Carson Rockwell is at left tackle. Senior Kayne McCutcheon will get the nod at right guard, and seniors Tim George and Ely Newman are the top candidates for right tackle.

Sophomore Liam Arnold will see action at guard, while senior Tristan Campbell and Jaxon Porter will see time at tackle.

Junior Matthias Welles will start at H-Back, and junior Justin Koenig will start at tight end, while seniors Daltton Davis, Ronin Ault, and Hogan Shaw, junior Chase Wheeler, sophomore Sammy Cheresnowsky and senior Porter Daddona are all vying for time at the wide receiver positions.

Seniors Cooper Robinson and Brance VanDyke, and juniors Bryce LaForest and Rylan Larson are competing for time at running back.

Junior Ben Shaw will start at quarterback, with freshman Axel Murray serving as back-up.

Ben Shaw completed 71 percent of his pass last season for 1,783 yards and 24 TDs, with just one interception in 144 pass attempts. However, 6-5 Watson and Keathley combined for 69 receptions, 1,287 yards and 18 TDs.

"You don't replace guys like Xavier Watson and Kolsen Keathley, you just don't," said Miller.

"We have guys who are working hard, but they're not the same players, so you're certainly not going to ask them to do the same thing those guys did.

"You don't replace them, you just try a way to be efficient, and throw it when you can," added Miller. "Hopefully, you don't get yourself in a spot where you have to throw.

"We're going to do what we always do, and that's take what the defense gives us," noted Miller. "If there's an opportunity, I'll take some shots, but really we want to control the ball.

"It really depends on the match-ups and the alignment," added Miller. "We don't ever go into a season saying we're going to throw X number of times, it really depends on the situation."

Miller sees his line, especially the left side, as a strength for the Wolverines.

"The left-side of our line (Beeman and Rockwell) is our strength, they are pretty physical, with a lot of experience," said Miller.

"Derek Johnson doesn't have a lot of experience at center, but he's good. 

"I've been impressed with Kayne McCutcheon at right guard. He's got good weight on him, he moves well for a bigger kid, and he seems to be learning the playbook," noted Miller.

"We're still trying to find an answer at right tackle," he added. "Tim George has done a good job, and Ely Newman, who has never played before, has done a really nice job and I expect him to be a solid player by mid-season."

Miller doesn't expect to see his team make a lot of big plays this season.

"We don't really have that big-play capabilities," he said. "We just don't have that kind of team speed.

"We don't have a guy who is just going to tear by someone," noted Miller. "I don't see a lot of big plays. That doesn't mean we're not going to make plays, it just means we're not going to score in one play a lot.

"You could make the assumption we will run the ball more this year, but I don't know if it plays out that way," added Miller. "Like I said, it comes down to what the defense is giving us, I just don't see us chucking it downfield a lot this season."

Defensively, Beeman and Welles will anchor the defense at defensive end.

"Those two book ends will at least solidify the C gap," Miller said.

"And, we'll have many guys rotating inside at tackles," he added.

Rockwell, George, Johnson, Jaxon Porter, and some younger guys who "are coming along" in Brandon Bennett, Newman, and McCutcheon will all see time at defensive tackle.

"Not many of those guys have experience, so we're young and inexperienced inside," said Miller.

Ben Shaw and Koenig will start at inside linebacker, with junior Parker Larson and sophomore Connor Bentley vying for action there as well.

Junior Austin Burns is a player to watch at inside linebacker, says Miller.

"Austin (Burns) has had a good camp," said Miller. "He doesn't have a lot of experience, but he's becoming a better football player. I think in the next year, he's going to become a good football player."

Robinson will play one of the outside linebacker spots, with LaForest, VanDyke, Rylan Larson, and sophomore Jase Fravel all vying for time at the other outside spot.

"Cooper Robinson solidified the one outside backer spot, but we're trying to find that second one," said Miller.

Davis will start at corner back, while Wheeler will start at free safety or corner, with Drayton DeKay and Rhylee Stotler also vying for time in the secondary.

"We have some good experience on defense," said Miller. "Troy (Beeman) and Matthias (Welles) are going to match up with anyone, and Ben (Shaw) is a good leader on defense.

"I think we'll have the ability, especially early in the season, to rotate a lot of guys in at defensive tackle," noted Miller. "That's a strength, not necessarily a strength by position, but the multitude of guys who could possibly play there, including Carson Rockwell, who has never played defense. We will be able to keep guys fresh.

"I don't know how good they're going to be early in the year, but they're going to get good experience, and when we need them to be good, they will help us," he added.

Miller does have some concerns on defense.

"Tackling is always an issue, no matter who you play, because you just don't do a lot of tackling anymore," said Miller. "We practice it every day, but it's not live in an effort to keep everyone healthy.

"Tackling is always a concern in game 1 because you don't do it until the first game.

"Our secondary doesn't have a great amount of height, and that could be an issue down the road," noted Miller. "And, they're not big kids, so I wonder about their ability to come up and tackle out of the secondary.

"I think that's critically important because many of the teams we play against that are option teams, toss teams, outside run teams that tend to get the ball out in space, and that's where you have to have help from the secondary to stop that," he added.

On special teams, all-state kicker Hogan Shaw will handle the kicking and punting duties. Robinson will be the long-snapper.

Davis and DeKay will handle punt and kick returns.

"Both are sure-handed and are fast guys," said Miller.

SECTION IV, CLASS B
"I have a lot of respect for every team in our division," said Miller.

"Owego lost a lot, but Patton (Taylor)is doing a good job of getting them to a good standard, and I think they're going to compete again. Owego is always tough.

"Johnson City has a new coaching staff," noted Miller. "The head coach is an M-E guy, so I would think he'll incorporate some of the things they do.

"We haven't played them in a few years, but Norwich has a very young, and very talented group," he said. "I don't think they lost a game through modified, and they're going straight from modified to varsity.

"And, M-E graduated a lot, but they are always the measuring stick in Class B.

"You can't overlook anyone in the division," added Miller. "Our goal is always to have a home playoff game, so those division games are all important."

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IN PHOTO: Waverly coach Jason Miller. ... VSR STOCK PHOTO.

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