SECTION IV FLAG FOOTBALL: WAVERLY FALLS TO SUS. VALLEY, 13-7 (22 PHOTOS) (May 2, 2026)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Susquehanna Valley scored on the final play of the first half to break scoreless tie on its way to a 13-7 win over Waverly here Saturday in Section IV flag football action.
The loss is the first this season against a Section IV team. The Wolverines are 8-2 on the season.
"It's a tough loss to a very good, and very well-coached team," said Waverly coach David Shaw. "They made a few more plays than we did today.
"I thought our girls played hard right to the end and certainly had our chances," he noted.
"I feel bad for the girls as I did not do the best job of preparing them for today," added Shaw. "The great part about playing good teams like Sus. Valley is you find out what inefficiencies you have."
The first half was a defensive battle, with Waverly stopping Susquehanna Valley's first three possession on downs, while the Sabers stopped the Wolverines on all four of its possession.
Waverly's final possession of the first half ended with an interception on a tipped ball at the Saber 6.
Susquehanna Valley put together a 74-yard scoring drive in a little less than 5 minutes, capped by a 2-yard TD pass as the halftime horn sound. A successful pass conversion made it 7-0 at the half.
The Sabers stretched their lead to 13-0 with a 27-yard TD pass in the opening 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Senior Brilynn Belles put the Wolverines on the board on a 2-yard TD run with 6:48 remaining in the contest. Belles conversion pass to junior Makenzie Olmsted closed the gap to 13-7.
Belles completed 18 of 27 passes for 127 yards, and one TD, but was intercepted three times.
Olmsted led Waverly with seven receptions for 50 yards, while
sophomore Maci Wheeler had six grabs for 34 yards, senior Lizzie Robinson had two catches for 23 yards, sophomore Elli Cole added two grabs for 19 yards, and senior Mira Kittle chipped in with one catch for one yard.
Olmsted led Waverly's ground game with 50 yards on nine carries, and Belles added 12 yards and one TD on four carries.
Kittle led Waverly with nine flag pulls, while 8th-grader Meeya Wheeler and senior Claire Clonch had eight flag pulls apiece, Belles had five pulls and one pass break-up. Olmsted had five pulls, and Welles had three pulls, including one tackle-for-loss.
Waverly wraps up regular-season play Friday at Owego Free Academy. Game time is 6:45 p.m.
We will get back to work Monday and work on our mistakes," said Shaw. "We need to have a great week of practice. We have a huge week ahead of us, playing Owego at Owego Friday night."
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly QB Brilynn Belles. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's defense. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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