FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 9 PICKS — TWO VALLEY TEAMS VIE FOR DIVISION TITLES (2019-10-18)

THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON FOOTBALL WEEKEND ... AND SOME SOCCER (2019-10-15)
Tioga and Sayre picked up big wins Friday to put them on the doorstep of a division title, while Waverly kept its slim playoff hopes alive, and Athens nearly completed a monumental comeback.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 8 PICKS — TIOGA, SAYRE PLAY KEY DIVISIONAL ROAD GAMES — ATHENS LONE HOME GAME (2019-10-11)
It’s Week 8 of the high school football season, and we’re getting down to the nitty gritty in terms of division titles and playoff seeds.

Tioga and Sayre play key divisional road games tonight. Tioga has a chance to virtually lock up the Section IV, Division VI title, while a Sayre win will set up a monster game at Muncy in Week 9. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: TOUGH WEEKEND FOR THREE OF FOUR VALLEY TEAMS ... AND MORE (2019-10-08)
It was a rough weekend on the gridiron for three-quarters of the Valley teams.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 7 PICKS — INTERESTING MATCH-UPS ON DOCKET (2019-10-04)
Week 7 of the high school football season brings us three games with postseason implications, two home games, and one game with a pair of longtime league rivals playing for pride. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND, TRIO OF YOUNG QUARTERBACKS (2019-10-01)
It was an interesting weekend of football for the Valley teams with Sayre and Tioga registering big wins, Waverly faltering in the second half again, and Athens getting steamrolled in Wellsboro.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 6 PICKS — ALL FOUR VALLEY TEAMS ON THE ROAD (2019-09-27)
Week 6 of the high school football season features four road games for the Valley teams, with Waverly, Athens and Sayre facing divisional opponents.

All four pickers were 4-0 last week, and Team VSR was able to trim two points off its deficit, but Team Evil still leads by 22 points. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: THE ODDEST QUARTER EVER? — THOUGHTS ON FOOTBALL WEEKEND ... AND MORE (2019-09-24)
I’ve seen some odd quarters of football, but the first quarter of Tioga’s game at B-G Friday night may have been the strangest I’ve seen in my 30 years on the sidelines. ...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 5 PICKS — JUST ONE HOME GAME FOR VALLEY TEAMS (2019-09-20)
Week 5 of the high school football season features three road games, and two divisional match-ups.

Athens hosts unbeaten divisional power Canton, while Waverly travels to divisional rival Maine-Endwell. Meanwhile, Sayre travels to Wyalusing, and Tioga has the lengthiest road trip of the night to Bainbridge-Guilford. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: WHAT GOOD IS A SCHEDULE IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW IT? ... AND MUCH MORE (2019-09-18)
If a game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., then it should start at 6 p.m. A late start can be inconvenient, but an early start just shouldn't happen.
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THE FINAL WORD: ANOTHER 'GAME OF THE YEAR' CANDIDATE ... AND MUCH, MUCH MORE (2019-09-16)
We are two weeks into the New York high school football season, and Tioga has two “Game of the Year” candidates under their belt.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 4 PICKS — THREE MORE HOME GAMES IN VALLEY (2019-09-13)
Week 4 of the high school football season is a football fan’s delight here in the Valley with home games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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THE FINAL WORD: WEEK 4 PICKS, PART I — THOUGHTS ON THE WEEK'S ACTION (2019-09-12)
It’s hard to believe, but Week 4 of the Pa. football season kicks off tonight in a rare Thursday night game at Athens.
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THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND ... VOLLEYBALL AND SOCCER (2019-09-09)
The first weekend of the high school football in New York state produced a pair of “Game of the Year” candidates as Waverly and Tioga both rallied, then held on for wins.
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FROM THE PRES BOX: THE CRYSTAL BALL, PART II — WEEK 3 PICKS (2019-09-06)
The high school football season South of the Border kicks off tonight, with Tioga seeking its eighth Section IV title in nine years, and Waverly moving up to the rugged Class B wars.

The crystal ball has come into focus, so let’s take a look at what may lie in story for the Tigers and Wolverines in 2019: ...more

THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON TUESDAY ACTION (2019-09-04)
Tuesday was the first full day of action this fall, and it was a pretty good day for Valley teams, with five of the seven girls soccer and volleyball teams earning wins. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES ... MUCH MORE (2019-09-03)
This is my 31st year of covering high school sports in the area, and I’ve seen a few comebacks, but I’ve never seen anything quite like Sayre’s come-from-behind win over Towanda Friday night on the gridiron. ...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: WEEK 2 PICKS (2019-08-29)
Week 2 of the football season is upon us, and once again we have just two games on the docket, with gridiron action North of the Border still a week away.
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THE FINAL WORD: THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST WEEKEND OF FOOTBALL (2019-08-25)
Thanks to the PIAA season starting two weeks before New York State’s, and a shortage of officials in the NTL chapter, I was able to watch both the Athens and Sayre football teams this weekend.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX: THE CRYSTAL BALL, WEEK 1 PICKS (2019-08-23)
It’s hard to believe, but the Pa. portion of the 2019 high school football season kicks off tonight.

I pulled the crystal ball out of storage, dusted it off, and it quickly came into focus. Today, I’ll take a look at what it shows for Athens and Sayre. ...more