SECTION IV FOOTBALL: TIOGA ROLLS OVER T-BURG, 44-14, IN CLASS D QUARTERFINALS (24 PHOTOS) (October 30, 2026)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER — In the first meeting of the season, Tioga trailed 21-3 late in the second quarter, but rallied for a 34-21 win over Trumansburg and has been a different team ever since. On Friday, the Tigers cruised to a 44-14 win over the Blue Raiders in the quarterfinals of the Section IV, Class D playoffs here at Haggerty Field.
First-year Tioga coach Jake Howland said the first Trumansburg game was a learning experience for his team and his coaching staff alike.
"It's something the coaches have actually talked about behind closed doors," he said. "We learned a lot from that game as coaches and the players learned a lot, too.
"As coaches, we learned to never take anything for granted," noted Howland. "We were preparing based on the films we had from this year, and throughout the entire week, we kind of wondered if they were going to come out in their defense from last year.
"We thought about practicing against it a little bit, but we didn't. Then they came out and played that defense ... we learned our lesson.
"From the players perspective, I think that was the night they learned this is a four-quarter game," said Howland. "It was a great example of just really beating the other team and making them quit, understanding that a football game is truly four quarters.
"You could see it, they were getting up slower, they were becoming discouraged," added Howland. "We kind of took the wind out of their sails, and all of that stuff adds up in a big game."
Tioga senior QB Jackson Hubbard said the Tigers have been working even harder since the first Trumansburg game.
"I think it's just on our work ethic," he said. "We've worked our tails off since week four, since we played them last, and I just think we've improved a ton, and I think that showed tonight."
Trumansburg opened the game Friday with the ball and drove 50 yards on 11 plays, chewing 7 1/2 minutes off the game clock before turning the ball over on downs at its 30.
Two plays later, senior Caden Bradley raced untouched around right end on a 66-yard TD run to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead with 4:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Trumansburg's ensuing possession was a three-and-out, with senior Gavin Kithcart's QB sack putting the Blue Raiders in a fourth-and-20 hole at its 25. The snap was low and the T-Burg punter's knee was down when he fielded it, giving Tioga the ball at the Blue Raider 15.
Two plays later, Bradley swept around right end for a 15-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter. Bombard connected with freshman Carson LaBour on the conversion to make it 14-0 with 11:54 remaining in the first half.
After another T-Burg three-and-out, Tioga needed just three plays to increase its lead.
Senior Max Stauder ripped off runs of 42 and 15 yards, and senior Shane Platukis capped the 71-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard TD run with 8:54 left in the half. Bombard's pass to sophomore Josh Rought for conversion made it 22-0.
Kithcart's ensuing pooch kick over the Trumansburg front line, took a high bounce and junior Brendan Clark fielded it to give the Tigers the ball at the Blue Raiders' 30.
Bombard had runs of 10 and 9 yards, and a 10-yard pass to Kithcart to move the ball to the T-Burg 2, and Platukis finished off the six-play scoring drive with a 2-yard TD run with 5:47 remaining to make it 28-0, a lead the Tigers carried into the halftime locker room.
Howland said his team got off the fast start it was looking for.
"Our theme of this week was 'set the tone,' and they definitely set the tone in the beginning of this game," he said. "It was polar opposite of how the regular-season matchup went, where they set the tone on us, and we kind of had our backs against the wall.
"These guys have been through a couple of gut checks, and they understand 'bend, but don't break," he noted. "If the going gets tough, stay calm, cool, collected, and then kind of trust the process, trust the coaches, and trust what we're telling them, and they're awesome at that.
"I'm super-proud of them and how coachable they are throughout the week at practice and how driven they are to just get a victory on game day," added Howland.
Trumansburg recovered an onside kick to start the second half, then drove 45 yards to get on the board, closing the gap to 28-6 with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter.
Tioga faced a third-and-15 at its own 28 early in its ensuing possession, but Clark made a leaping reception for 19 yards to keep the drive going. Three plays later, Rought made a diving catch for a 28-yard gain to the TBurg 11.
Four plays after that, Bombard scored on a 1-yard TD run to cap a 12-play, 79-yard drive that chewed nearly 7 1/2 minutes off the game clock. Bombard's toss to Clark for the conversion made it 36-6 with 58 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Raiders turned the ball over on downs at the Tioga 43 on its next possession, and the Tigers followed with a five-play drive to add their final tally of the night.
Stauder busted off a 26-yard run, and Clark added a 19-yard scamper to set up Stauder's 9-yard TD run with 7:45 left in the contest.
Trumansburg answered with a 12-play drive, scoring with 25 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
Tioga amassed 303 yards in total offense to Trumansburg's 191 in the win.
"Our physicality tonight definitely went up a notch," said Bombard. "It all started up front ... every game starts up front with our boys.
"They're excellent up front and we just dogged (Trumansburg) for all four quarters," he noted.
"A ton of respect to (Trumansburg), they played a four-quarter game ... it was just great execution by us," added Bombard.
Stauder led Tioga's ground gain, which accumulated 267 yards on 24 carries, with 118 yards and one TD on 10 carries, while Bradley had 92 yards and two TDs on five carries, Bombard had 24 yards and on TD on four carries, Clark had 19 yards on one carry, and Platukis added 14 yards and two TDs on four carries.
Bombard completed 4 of 5 passes for 36 yards in the win, with Clark hauling in two receptions for 23 yards, and Kithcart adding two grabs for 13 yards.
Bombard was one of the last players to leave the turf following his last game on Haggerty Field.
"This means a lot," said Bombard. "This senior group, being the freshman coming up for the three-peat teams and watching all that, and to finally be able to do it on our own now ... it's bittersweet, and it's awesome to have this win.
"We're pretty emotional about it now, our last game here and all ... we're just glad we got to leave a good mark and were able to put our stamp on Haggerty Field for our last game," added Bombard.
"The last game here is a big deal," said Howland. "All of us coaches have been there, too, and that was part of the pre-game speech ... just enjoy every minute of it.
"It goes fast," noted Howland. "One minute you're a freshman, just kind of hanging out and watching the varsity guys go to work, and then all of a sudden you're a senior, and it's your last ball game on Haggerty Field.
"I just hope they had a lot of fun because it was a lot of fun watching them perform like that," he added. "I told them to leave their mark, and they certainly did. This is an amazing group of seniors."
Tioga will square off with Schuyler next Saturday at 3 p.m. at Union-Endicott in the Class D semifinals.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga senior Caden Bradley. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga junior Brendan Clark makes a leaping catch for a first down. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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