Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Powerhouse Chenango Forks scored on the first possession of the second half to take control en route to a 27-7 win over a pesky Waverly squad here Friday night in Section IV, Division II football action at Memorial Stadium.
The Blue Devils, ranked second in New York State in Class B, churned out 421 rushing yards on 64 carries, led by 6-3, 255-pound fullback Lucas Scott, who ran for 249 yards and three TDs on 34 carries.
“They are a very big, physical football team,” said Waverly coach Jason Miller. “With that said, our kids played really hard, and were pretty disciplined. I thought we played a really good defensive football game, it’s just really difficult to stop what they do.
“They have a huge physical advantage over us. Their line is much bigger than ours, and their backs are bigger than ours,” added Miller. “Despite that, I thought we did a pretty good job.”
Dubbs Haqq gave Forks the early lead with an 11-yard TD run with 5:03 remaining in the first quarter. Ryan Joseph’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
Scott scored on a 9-yard TD run with 7:56 left in the first half to give the Blue Devils a 13-0 lead.
The Wolverines answered on their next possession with a 50-yard TD pass from 8th-grade QB Joey Tomasso to senior Ethan Stotler. Junior Alex Gadow’s PAT kick trimmed the deficit to 13-7 with 4:11 remaining in the first half.
“We had a really well-executed dig route for a touchdown that we kind of worked on all week,” said Miller. “We thought it was a weakness, so it’s really good to see the kids execute something we worked on all week.”
Late in the first half, the Wolverine defense came up with a stop in the red zone to keep the deficit at 13-7.
“I thought we played really well in the first half,” said Miller. “It was kind of a bend-don’t-break half. I think (Lucas Scott) ran the ball 27 times for 147 yards in the first half,
“We struggled on offense, but were able to make one big play … one big throw, a catch-and-run, and it put us back in the game,” noted Miller. “Then we had the big stop before half.
“We had all the momentum going in, but (Chenango Forks) came out scored on their first possession of the second half,” added Miller.
Scott added a TD run of 7 yards in the third quarter, and scored on a 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Tomasso completed 9 of 22 passes for 97 yards and one TD. Stotler had two catches for 50 yards and one TD, while junior Aiden Westbrook had three receptions for 19 yards, and senior Jalen McCarty added three grabs for 16 yards.
Waverly ran the ball just 16 times for 37 yards, led by junior Austin Kimble, who had 28 yards on three carries.
“This game helps us,” said Miller. “It gives us some confidence that we can play with teams in the top level of the state, and be competitive.
“We lost by three touchdowns, but at the same time it was a pretty good football game,” he added.
Waverly, now 3-5, will square off against Athens next Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Joey Tomasso (11) and David Hallett (25). … PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHANNON McCARTY.
