SECTION IV FOOTBALL: WAVERLY RIDES STRONG START TO 38-16 WIN OVER ITHACA (24 PHOTOS) (October 17, 2026)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Longtime Waverly coach Jason Miller said his team executed well early on in jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead on its way to a 38-16 Homecoming win over Ithaca here Friday night in Section IV non-divisional football action.
The Wolverines turned the ball over on its first play from scrimmage, then scored on its next five possessions of the first half.
"We had good execution early," said Miller. "I thought it was a pretty solid effort early on.
"Being able to distribute the ball and make the defense defend the entire field is what we try to do, and I thought early in the game we did a pretty good job of that.
"I thought the defense played good," noted Miller. "(Ithaca) has some weapons and some speed, and I thought we did a pretty good job on them."
The Wolverines took the opening kickoff, and on its first play fumbled the ball away after a short completion on a play thought was clearly an incomplete pass.
Ithaca picked up one first down on the ensuing possession, but a holding call forced a first-and-20, and the Bear Cubs turned the ball over on downs at the Waverly 33 four plays later.
The Wolverines only needed five plays — all on the ground — to cover the 67 yards and take the early lead.
Senior Bryce LaForest ripped off runs of 7 and 27 yards to move the ball to the Ithaca 33, then senior Rhylee Stotler reeled off runs of 16 and 13 yards to set up LaForest's 4-yard TD run with 6:04 remaining in the first quarter.
Junior Jesse Lantz first of five first-half extra points made it 7-0.
After forcing an Ithaca punt on a three-and-out, the Wolverines took over at its 14.
Sophomore QB Cooper Chrystie ripped off runs of 24 and 14 yards, and senior Rylen Larson added a 15-yard scamper to move the ball deep into Ithaca territory.
Three plays later, Stotler scored on an 18-yard run with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter. Lantz's PAT kick made it 14-0.
Waverly's ground game accounted for 237 yards in the first half alone.
"There was nothing they did that we hadn't prepared for," said Miller. "Their ends came up field, and I thought we did a good job kicking them out.
"We spread the ball around pretty well, and that matters because you can't focus on just one person," noted Miller. "And Cooper (Chrystie) is so dangerous ... if things break down, he can make things happen.
"I thought all three backs did a nice job. Bryce (LaForest) picked up right where he left off last week against Johnson City, Rhylee (Stotler) just keeps getting better and better, and is earning more reps, and Rylen Larson is battling a little bit of an injury," added Miller.
On Ithaca's first play of the ensuing possession, senior Austin Burns stepped in front of a quick out at the Bear Cub 33 for his first of two interceptions in the game.
Four plays later, on fourth and 10, Cooper Chrystie connected with senior Chase Wheeler for a 17-yard gain to the Ithaca 16.
Four plays after that, Laforest scored on a 1-yard TD run with 10 seconds remaining in the opening stanza to make it 21-0.
Waverly's defense forced another Ithaca three-and-out and the Wolverines took over at the 50 following a punt.
After a 33-yard pass from Cooper Chrystie to Wheeler moved the ball into the red zone, the same duo hooked up on a 16-yard TD two plays later to extend the lead to 28-0 with 8:02 remaining in the half.
Ithaca moved the ball into the Waverly red zone on its next possession, but senior Ben Shaw stopped the drive with an interception at the Bear Cub 5, and a return to the 11.
Scrambles of 27 and 25 yards by Cooper Chrystie quickly moved the ball into Ithaca territory, and a simple pass to Carter Chrystie in the flats turned into a 31-yard TD pass on the ninth play of the possession.
Lantz's fifth PAT of the half made it 35-0 with 1:20 left in the half.
On the third play of Ithaca's next possession, Burns came up with his second interception of the game at the Waverly 46.
A pass interference call against Ithaca, a 5-yard run by sophomore Gabe Hendershot, and a 20-yard completion from freshman Brody Lambert to Hendershot quickly moved the ball to the Ithaca 7.
After an offsides call against Ithaca moved the ball to the 3, a pair of completions ended the first half.
Miller said Waverly's three interceptions were a big key.
"We didn't give up big plays, and obviously the three picks — those are game-changers," he said.
"I thought we did a good job of getting underneath in coverage in our zones. Those guys are getting to where they are suppose to be and then tracking the ball.
"Ben (Shaw) is still battling an injury, and Austin Burns was a replacement for another injury," added Miller. "He's gaining a lot of confidence every week. It's good to see him make plays."
Ithaca started the second half with the ball, but turned it over on downs at its 37 just four plays after the intermission.
Sophomore Avery Bowman had runs of 25 and 3 yards, sandwiched around a 7-yard run by sophomore Axel Murray to move the ball to the Ithaca 3, but the drive fizzled and the Wolverines settled for a 22-yard field goal by Lantz to extend the lead to 38-0 with 6:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Ithaca scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to cap a 10-play drive, and avoid the shutout.
The Bear Cubs scored again midway through the fourth quarter, and added their second two-point conversion of the game to provide the final margin.
Cooper Chrystie completed 8 of 10 passes for 105 yards and two TDs, and also ran for 99 yards on six carries.
WHeeler led Waverly with three receptions for 66 yards and one TD, and Carter Chystie had three catches for 25 yards and one TD.
Stotler added 62 rushing yards and one TD on six carries for the Wolverines, and LaForest had 56 yards and two TDs on nine carries.
Waverly, now 5-2, returns to action Friday when it hosts Chenango Valley.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Cooper Chrystie. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Carter Chrystie. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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