FROM THE PRESS BOX: VALLEY SPORTS REPORT CELEBRATES 17TH ANNIVERSARY (August 10, 2026)

Monday marked 17 years since Valley Sports Report launched and it's been one hell of a ride.

While the site turns 17, I turned 60 in January, and that has a lot of people asking "when are you going to hang up the press pass and retire."

The first time someone asked me, I had a quick response.

"Why on Earth would I retire? I cover high school sports for a living. I see some of the best student-athletes in action in New York State and Pennsylvania on a regular basis, and when it's time for state competition, I see some of the best in the United States."

It sounds a bit like hyperbole on its face, but think about it, since the start of the 2009 school year, I've covered five Tioga football state title teams, and one from Waverly.

Tioga's Jesse Manual, who led the Tigers to its first state title in 2015, is still number-2 in N.Y. State history with 8.603 yards and third with 125 touchdowns, while Emmett Wood, who missed half of a season due to the truncated Covid spring season of 2020, is fifth all-time with 7,173 yards and seventh with 106 TDs. I covered the entirety of their tremendous careers.

Waverly's Joey Tomasso ranks third all-time in the state with 9,178 career passing yards, 103 career passing TDs, and 43 TDs in a season. He is sixth with 3,160 passing yards in a single season. If not for Covid, Tomasso would have likely eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards.

Tomasso also re-wrote the Waverly basketball record books, and I was there for all five years of his varsity football and basketball careers, and six years of his varsity baseball career.

I've covered Athens state champions David White and Gavin Bradley, as well as the best high school wrestler I've ever had the privilege of covering in Brian Courtney, who won two state titles, beating three defending state champions on his way to one of them. The Wildcats have also had a number of state medalists in that span.

I've also seen Tioga win eight team titles at the state wrestling championships, as well as three straight State Duals titles. Individually, Ousmane Duncanson won three straight state titles, current Tiger Declan McKee has won two in a row, and Derek Hayman and Gianni Silvestri also won two apiece, while Caden Bellis, John Worthing and Brady Worthing won one each.

Valley Sports Report has also witnessed the re-birth of Waverly wrestling, which culminated with a team title in 2025 and a second-place finish in 2026, and individual state titles won Ryan Wolcott, A.J. Burkhart and Troy Beeman.

I've also covered the birth and rapid growth of girls wrestling, with Athens leading the way in the Valley, and Tioga and Waverly featuring individual standouts.

Athens has a District 4 title to its credit and Hanna Rathbun and Leah Nason became the first Wildcats to earn PIAA medals in 2026.

Tioga junior Amelia Toomey won a N.Y. state championship in 2026, wrestling from the eighth seed to earn the title. Her teammate, sophomore Kyah Nelson, finished second in her weight class.

Waverly's Mackenzie LaForest won a state title and was a runner-up the following year, but that was prior to the sport being recognized by New York State as an official sport.

Tioga's Emily Sindoni, the pioneer for girls wrestling in our area, wrestled regularly against the boys, and won unofficial state championships.

While we're on the subject of new sports, New York State made flag football an official sport, and in three years coach Dave Shaw, who has been an integral component in the boys' football success, has molded three winning seasons, culminating in the program's first trip to a Section IV title game in 2026.

Addison Westbrook and Brilynn Belles have notched their names into the history books as the first all-state performers in school history.

We also witnessed the near demise of the Sayre sports programs, and while most are still struggling to find success, the volleyball program rose from the ashes last fall, snapping a 58-match losing streak early in the season, and then winning the program's first-ever District 4 title and state playoff match.

Athens volleyball also won its first District 4 title in 20 years last fall.

In our first 17 years, Valley Sports Report and its readers saw Waverly win its first-ever Section IV volleyball title, and Tioga win seven Section IV title under legendary coach Des Ford, and reach the state final four three times.

On the baseball diamonds, I've had the joy of covering four District 4 titles for Sayre, and one for Waverly, as well as three Section IV titles for Tioga, and Waverly's first two ever.

On the softball diamonds, we witnessed Waverly and Athens winning their first respective Section IV / District 4 titles, and current Athens coach Brian Wendell coached both of those teams.

There is so much I could talk about when it comes to track & field: multiple pole vault state title at Waverly and Tioga, state gold for the Waverly boys 4-by-1 relay team, a year after it claimed silver, and Ralph Johnson winning a state silver in the 100.

However, all conversation on track & field since 2009 has to start with Breana Gambrell, who won four PIAA long jump titles, and two triple jump titles, as well as three silvers in the 100-meter dash, and one in the 400-meter relay.

She also won 15 District 4 medals — 14 gold, and one silver.

I should also note that her brother Jarred Gambrell won some state gold as well, and was the first triple-jumper in the state of Pennsylvania to ever surpass 50 feet.

There is so much more to talk about, like the District 4 titles for the Athens boys and girls soccer teams, Waverly's first-ever girls soccer Sectional title, and the incredible careers of Chloe Tracy and Taylor Skerpon at Sayre.

I could talk some incredible performances in the pool by the Waverly boys, led by their gold-medal performance at States in the 200-yard freestyle, and I could talk about Mira Kittle and her 10 state medals.

In recent years, the Athens swim programs have become elite in District 4, winning District titles and sending a host of swimmers to States, led by multiple state place-winner Brayden Pettitt.

I could talk about Waverly dominance on the bowling lanes over the years, levy the likes of the Joseph and Beard brothers, or Athens' dominance on the golf links, with multiple NTL titles a District 4, Class AAA title and multiple state qualifiers.

Speaking of golf, the Tomasso and Picco girls led Waverly to prominence in the state, with Gabby Picco accomplishing one of the greatest feats ever, regardless of sport, two holes-in-one in the same round.

I know I've only scratched the surface and failed to mention a lot of noteworthy accomplishments, like the string of Division I cross country runners the Valley has produced, three Valley baseball players playing at Division I St. Bonaventure at the same time, a number of wrestlers at Division I programs, and much, much more.

Maybe on the 25th or 50th birthday of Valley Sports Report, I'll have touched on everything.

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We've come to the time in the annual post where I thank everyone who has helped or is currently helping to make Valley Sports Report a success.

First of all, I need to thank my lovely and brilliant wife, Nikki, for allowing me to put in the hours I do to make this site what it's become. Without her patience and understanding, I'd either by unemployed or divorced — possibly both.

Nikki is intelligent, quick-witted, and beautiful. She is a great mother, a great teacher, a great wife, and, more importantly, a great person.

She gets annoyed that I keep repeating this each year, but Nikki is not only my muse, my harshest critic, and biggest fan, but she is my sounding board, my voice of reason, and the smartest person I know. She challenged me day-in and day-out to be a better person, and for that I am truly grateful.

I also need to thank my parent — Liz and the late Jim Birney — for helping me get this endeavor off the ground.

My father passed away eight years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't think about him and the life lessons I learned through his actions, while my mother's zest for life at 90 years of age continues to be a source of inspiration.

And then there are the kids. Andrew and his wife Jessica, whose daughter Natalie celebrates her 10th birthday this week, son Nathan will be 8 in December, and son Nolan will turn 5 in November. ... Alex and his wife Rebecca ... Emily, a graphic design specialist at Rainbow Lettering in Elmira ... James, a Spanish teacher at Tioga ... Cassie, who begins her teaching career in the Elmira School District this fall, and Patrick, who will earn his MBA at St. Bonaventure before he turns 22. They are the reason I do what I do, and they all have great things ahead of them.

I can't forget the newest addition to the Birney clan, Emily's little one — Winona Rea, who will be 2 in September, and is the apple of her grandfather's eye.

One person I've failed to mention in the past, but was such a big part of making me who I am was my college advisor and mentor Neal Bandlow.

I won't get into too much detail, but he took a country bumpkin who loved sports, and helped mold me into someone who is fairly decent at putting a few sentences together.

I haven't seen Neal in several years, but think of him often, and whenever I do, it always brings a smile to my face. Thank you Neal.

The fact we could turn Valley Sports Report into five sites (now four, with the closing of Tioga County Sports Report) in The Sports Reports' family is still something I struggle to get my mind around. It also shows high school sports is also the king in the Twin Tiers.

Of course, the success of the other sites can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of Brian Fees (Southern Tier Sports Report), Chris Manning (Northern Tier Sports Report), and Lance Larcom (Northern Tier West Sports Report).

All three are highly-skilled as writers and photographers, and each bring something different to the table that makes their respective site successful.

Tim Taylor retired from full-time work, but still pitches in whenever he is needed. He's been a good friend, and a trusted soldier of sorts.

I also have several photographers whose abilities to capture the moment are vital to our success. I cannot thank Matt Patton, Cristina Rossi, Miranda Szymanski, and Amanda Bailey enough for their efforts. Without them, we wouldn't have nearly as many photos as we do.

As I said, high school sports is the king around here. Everyone loves a winner, and I’ve been blessed to cover highly successful teams and individuals. The number of Division I athletes the four "little Valley schools" have produced in recent years is truly mind-boggling.

All this has made my job quite a bit easier, and resulted in rabid fan bases in the four Valley school districts, which has led to consistent, and constantly-expanding viewership numbers for the site.

So to the student-athletes, the coaches, the athletic directors, and readers I’d like to say "thank you."

I’ve also been blessed with a tremendously loyal advertising base. Even during the Covid shutdown, VSR lost just one advertiser.

I’d like to thank the Valley Bowling Center and John H. Murray & Sons — both with us since Day 1, as well as longtime supporters Williams Auto Group, Dandy Mini Marts, First Citizens Community Bank, Gannon Associates, Sutryk & Sons, Croft Lumber, Austin Excavation, Guthrie Community Credit Union, The Club at Shepard Hills, and Visions Federal Credit Union.

In the first few years, we've added loyal supporters like Owen Insurance Agency, Coaches Pizza, Waverly Wine & Liquor, Kinsley Chiropractic, CVS, Leprino Food, and Camco Manufacturing.

In the last several years, we've added Guthrie Sports Medicine, Allstate (Aaron Lounsbury), Hal Fish Heating and Air Conditioning, Sam's Bar & Grill, 2 Rivers Insurance, At Your Door Dog Grooming, Naglee Moving & Storage, Simmons-Rockwell, Arnot Health, Shores Sisters, Bodine Motors, I-R FCU, LaneEdge (Jim Lister, vehicle broker), Taunya Knolles Rosenbloom Law & Real Estate, Bishop Brothers Construction, and Curren Motorsports.

Bottom line is, without the support of our local businesses there would be no Valley Sports Report or any of its sister sites.

One thing I can't stress enough is the importance of doing business locally. We are very fortunate to have the options we have in the Valley, and spending your money in the Valley is the best way to ensure we maintain our quality of life.

For me, this site is mainly about the student-athletes and the fans, the majority of whom view the site multiple times per day, so I offer another huge "thank you" to both.

Every time a school year ends and I look back at the storylines from the previous 9 1/2 months, I think "there's no way next year can match that." Yet, the following year usually matches or tops the previous in terms of team or individual accomplishments.

The 18th year of high school sports coverage for VSR begins Monday, and I’m looking forward to another historic year, wondering how it will top 2025-26.

One final thought: I am constantly amazed by the support this site continues to receive. I look forward to the future, and I hope to see a lot of familiar faces on the sidelines, and in the stands this fall, winter, and spring.

Thank you, one and all.

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