VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: TIOGA'S BELLIS NAMED ALL-VALLEY 'FOOTBALL OF THE YEAR;' ATHENS' DAVIDSON, COMSTOCK, MARMOR, WAVERLY'S SHAWS, TIOGA'S BOMBARD, AIELLO ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (December 25, 2025)

Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Coming back from a major knee injury that caused him to miss most of the 2024 season, Tioga senior Logan Bellis excelled on both sides of the ball, leading the Tigers to another state title. He is the 2025 VSR "Football Player of the Year."

Athens junior Connor Davidson was unstoppable at times in 2025 and is the "Offensive Player of the Year," while Athens senior Brenden Comstock and Waverly junior Ben Shaw were terrors on the defensive side of the ball and share "Defensive Player of the Year" honors, and Tioga junior Jackson Bombard made an immediate impact for the state champion Tigers and is the "Newcomer of the Year."

Waverly senior Hogan Shaw is the "Special Teams Player of the Year," while Athens junior Gage Marmor is the "Breakout Player of the Year," and longtime Tioga coach Nick Aiello is the obvious choice for "Coach of the Year."

Bellis, despite weighing in at 130ish pounds, was a workhorse back for the Tigers. On the season, he rushed for 2,272 yards and 31 TDs (9.16 yards per carry), and 19 two-point conversion runs. He also had five catches for 64 yards, and one TD.

In five postseason games, Bellis rushed for 1,090 yards and 16 TDs on 124 carries. He also 11 2-point conversions, and rushed for a state championship game record five TDs.

Davidson completed 57.5 percent (96 of 167) for 1,706 yards and 22 TDs, including a school-record six TDs in a game. He was intercepted five times.

Davidson also ran for 850 yards and 11 TDs on 111 carries in nine games.

Comstock was a force on the defensive line for the Wildcats. He had 89 tackles, including 44 solo stops, 14 tackles-for-loss, and four QB sacks. He also forced three fumbles and broke up three passes.

Ben Shaw registered 165 tackles in 11 games, including 75 solo stops. He also had four tackles-for-loss and four QB sacks, as well as one interception, one pass break-up, and one fumble recovery.

After taking a year off, Bombard returned to the gridiron this year and led the Tigers to a state title.

Bombard completed 57.4 percent (35 of 61) of his passes for 470 yard and six TDs, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 130 yards and two TDs, as well as four TDs.

However, Bombard's biggest impact on the team was his leadership and his execution in Tioga's misdirection offense.

Hogan Shaw converted 35 of 38 extra-point attempts, and booted one field goal on the season. He also had 15 touchbacks on kickoffs, and averaged 35.8 yards per punt on 14 punts.

Marmor, who had 13 catches as a sophomore, broke out with 42 catches for 794 yards, and seven TDs as a junior.

Aiello directed Tioga to its 12th Section IV title since his tenure began in 2010. The Tigers won their fifth state title in Aiello's reign and their fourth in five years.

Aiello has a career record of 156-28 (.848 winning percentage), including a 33-3 record in the Section IV playoffs, and a 22-7 mark in the New York State playoffs, including a 12-0 mark in the state quarterfinals. 

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Logan Bellis, Tioga
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Connor Davidson, Athens
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brendan Comstock, Athens and Ben Shaw, Waverly
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Jackson Bombard, Tioga
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hogan Shaw, Waverly
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gage Marmor, Athenes
COACH OF THE YEAR: Nick Aiello, Tioga

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2025 All-Valley Football Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Connor Davidson, junior, Athens: See above.

Running Back
Logan Bellis, senior, Tioga: See above.

Cooper Robinson, senior, Waverly: Robinson rushed for 1,032 yards and nine TDs on 175 carries. He also caught six passes for 135 yards and two TDs.

Karson Sipley, senior, Athens: Sipley rushed for 555 yards and 14 TDs on 83 carries. He also had 11 receptions for 83 yards and two TDs.

Max Stauder, junior, Tioga: A devastating lead blocker at fullback, Stauder also rushed for 563 yards and 12 TDs on 102 carries. He caught 3 passes for 28 yards.

Wide Receiver
James Friend, senior, Athens: Friend was a threat to turn a simple slant pass into six points. He ended the season with 35 catches for 669 yards and 11 TDs.

Daltton Davis, senior, Waverly: Davis was a deep-ball threat with his speed, but also had no fear catching the ball across the middle. He had 32 grabs for 602 yards and three TDs.

Gage Marmor, junior, Athens: See above.

Tight End
Matthias Welles, junior, Waverly: A punishing lead blocker at H-back, Welles had six catches for 129 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for three TDs.

Utility Players
Dominic Palmer, senior, Tioga: Possessing good size and good hands, Palmer was dangerous in the Tioga's ground game and limited aerial attack. He rushed for 182 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, and caught nine passes for 188 yards and three TDs.

Hudson Malanoski, sophomore, Sayre: Malanoski was forced to play several different positions this season, including tailback and quarterback, due to injuries and produced no matter where he played. (No stats provided.)

Offensive Line
Troy Beeman, senior, Waverly.
Brendan Comstock, senior, Athens
Derek Johnson, senior, Waverly
James Howey, junior, Tioga
Austin Mumbulo, senior, Tioga
Carson Rockwell, junior, Waverly

Place Kicker
Hogan Shaw, senior, Waverly: See above.

DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Brenden Comstock, senior, Athens: See above.

Dominic Palmer, senior, Tioga: Palmer recorded 86 tackles, including 22 solo stops. He had seven QB sacks, four tackles-for-loss, and one fumble recovery.

Troy Beeman, senior, Waverly: Beeman had 58 tackles, including 25 solo stops, despite being double-teamed much of the season. 

Matthias Welles, junior, Waverly:  Wells had 59 tackles, including 26 solos. He had two QB sacks and two tackles-for-loss, as well as one interception and three forced fumbles.

James Howey, junior, Tioga: Howey had 86 tackles, including 24 solo stops. He had two QB sacks and one fumble recovery.

Karson Sipley, senior, Athens: Sipley had 59 tackles, including 10 solo stops, one QB sack, and two tackles-for-loss. He also had three fumbles recoveries, and two pass break-ups.

Linebackers
Ben Shaw, junior Waverly: See above.

Brendan Cooke, junior, Athens: Cooke had 59 tackles, including 11 solo stops, one QB sack and seven tackles-for-loss. He also caused three fumbles.

Justin Koenig, junior, Waverly: Koenig had 75 tackles, including 29 solo stops. He also had three interceptions.

Brady Flynn, junior, Athens: Flynn had 79 tackles, including 22 solo stops and 10 tackles-for-loss. He also had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass break-up.

Kadin Cole, senior, Tioga: Cole had 125 tackles, including 47 solo stops, one QB sack, and one tackle-for-loss. He also had four interceptions.

Defensive Backs
Jayden Duncanson, senior, Tioga: Duncanson recorded 128 tackles, including 42 solo stops. He also had one interception and one forced fumble.

Connor Garrison, senior, Athens: Garrison had 49 tackles, including 19 solo stops. He had six interceptions, four pass break-ups, and one fumble recovery. 

Logan Bellis, senior, Tioga: Bellis had 66 tackles, including 29 solo stops and one tackle-for-loss. He also had two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Drayton DeKay, sophomore, Waverly: DeKay registered 39 tackles, including 27 solo stops, despite missing the last two games due to injury. He also had one interception, one pass break-up, and one fumble recovery.

Punter
Hogan Shaw, senior, Waverly: See above.

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2024 All-Valley Super 7 Newcomers:
Jackson Bombard, junior, Tioga: See above.

Shea Davidson, freshman, Athens: The younger Davidson started three games this season, including the District 4 playoff game. He completed 57.3 percent of his passes (63 of 110) for 818 yards and six TDs, while being picked off seven times.

Ely Newman, senior, Waverly: Newman registered 62 tackles, including 23 solo stops and three tackles-for-loss and three QB sacks.

Max Stauder, junior, Tioga: Stauder was a major component in Tioga's state title run (see offense above). Defensively, he had 90 tackles, including 31 solo stops. He also had two interceptions, including a pick-6.

Chase Wheeler, junior, Waverly: Wheeler finished the season with seven receptions for 113 yards. Defensively, he had 29 tackles, including 17 solo stops. He also had one interception and three pass break-ups.

Caden Bradley, junior, Tioga: One of the top tacklers for the Tigers, Bradley recorded 104 tackles, including 36 solo stops, including one QB sack.

Markel Watkins, junior, Tioga: Watkins was a key cog on the offensive line, which paved the way for 300.1 yards per game on the ground this season.

Kade Rowe, sophomore, Athens: Rowe finished the season strong teamed with sophomore QB Shea Davidson. He had 14 catches for 249 yards and two TDs.

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FOOTBALL "PLAYERS OF THE YEAR"
2025 — Logan Bellis, Tioga
2024 — Xavier Watson, Waverly
2023 — Caden Bellis, Tioga / Joey Tomasso, Waverly
2022 — Caden Bellis, Tioga
2021 — Emmett Wood, Tioga
2020 — Emmett Wood, Tioga
2019 — Emmet Wood, Tioga
2018 — John Worthing, Tioga
2017 — Zach Jayne, Athens
2016 — Tylor Belles, Sayre
2015 — Jesse Manuel, Tioga
2014 — Jesse Manuel, Tioga
2013 — Jesse Manuel, Tioga
2012 — Tyler Spires, Tioga
2011 — Cody Bennett, Tioga
2010 — Kodi Floyd, Tioga
2009 — Kevin Gorman, Waverly

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