By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
OWEGO — Owego, a dominant team in Section IV flag football the past few years, has had Waverly’s number since the Wolverines started their program in 2024.
That ended here Friday night as Waverly rode an impressive offensive burst in the second quarter to a 31-14 victory over the River Hawks.
“We haven't beaten Owego or Sus Valley in any one of the three years and Sus Valley got us last week,” coach Dave Shaw said. “The girls, I thought we had a really good week of practice, and I just am really happy for the girls. They work hard, they show up every day and do what we ask them to do, and it's just nice to see them get the results.”
“It's so tough,” Shaw said. “They're so good. The culture that's created over there, they just believe they're always in the game.
“Owego, for the last couple years, everybody's talked about Griffin and Dalton and how great they are, but they are really good on defense,” he added. “They're sound, they're square, they're good flag pullers, and I thought we executed really well against a very good defense.”
Trailing, 7-6, Waverly grabbed the lead for good when Brilynn Belles found Maci Wheeler open for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 6:34 remaining in the first half. The PAT pass to Gianna Rylott was successful,giving the visitors a 13-7 advantage.
It would be the first of three Wolverine TDs in the period.
Following an Owego punt, which Mackenzie Olmstead returned 12 yards to midfield, Belles connected with Mira Kittle twice, for 11 and 15 yards down to the 14. Kittle ran it in for a TD on the next play. The River Hawks’ Ashlyn Dalton picked off the PAT pass, making the score 19-7 with 1:53 on the clock.
Grippen hit Evelyn Howe twice for 26 yards. Following a pair of incomplete passes, Elli Cole intercepted Grippen in the final minute of the half, then Belles and Maci Wheeler hooked up for another TD, this one from 14 yards away with 30 seconds on the clock. The PAT failed, leaving Waverly with what appeared to be a safe 25-14 lead.
Owego wasn’t done, however, and went 66 yards in three plays. Grippen had completions to Ava McKeon, Jaelynne Lovell and Howe with the 28-yard throw going to Howe good for a TD at the buzzer. Gripped then flipped the ball to Dalton for the PAT, narrowing the gap to 25-14 at intermission.
With a veteran quarterback like Kylie Grippen, and a versatile player like Ashlyn Dalton, who can play almost any position, stopping the River Hawks’ offense is no easy task, but Waverly came ready for the River Hawks’ duo.
“It's hard. You, you try to pressure her and you just can't play man on them because Dalton's a tough cover,” Shaw said. “They’ve got the big girl, number 17 (Evelyn Howe) there, and we didn't really have anybody to cover, so we kind of tried to bend, but don't break, and other than that play right before halftime, I thought we did a really good job of, of executing our game plan.”
The River Hawks took possession to start the second half and moved the pigskin 47 yards to the Waverly 19 before a 6-yard sack by Meeya Wheeler sandwiched between a pair of incomplete passes thwarted the drive. Grippen accounted for 43 yards through the air with five passes to Howe, Lovell and Dalton.
Meeya Wheeler, who was frequently double-teamed by Owego, kept Grippen scrambling in the backfield for much of the evening.
A holding penalty against the Wolverines and a resurgent Owego defense forced them to punt on their next possession and the River Hawks took possession at their own 24 late in the quarter.
Owego would move the rock 50 yards in nine plays before sputtering at the Waverly 6. Grippen accounted for 52 yards on 6-for-8 passing while Meeya Wheeler stopped the lone rushing attempt for a 2-yard loss.
“That was really big,” Shaw said. “We try to talk about that. We talk about they're not in until they're in, and fight for every inch, and it's nice when they believe it and do it.”
The Wolverines would work the ball 82 yards in seven plays, shaking off a 10-yard penalty in the process. Belles completed a pair of passes for 47 yards, Olmsted added a pair of 16-yard runs and Belles also tacked on a trio of runs, the last being a 1-yard keeper to ice the victory.
“She's come a long way in two years,” said Shaw. “We made some mistakes last Saturday, but she had a great week of practice and I just thought she was a very good leader. I thought she was composed. She threw some really good balls, and at key moments,and I thought we executed really well on offense.”
Belles had a strong supporting cast complimenting her. She had five different receivers make catches and a trio of backs, including herself, handling the running chores.
“Exceptional, exceptional players,” Shaw said. “We have a lot of options on offense, and I thought Peyton (offensive coordinator Miller), as usual, did a really good job of spreading the ball around and making them defend the whole field.”
The River Hawks wouldn’t give up as Grippen hit Ava McKeon twice for 27 yards and Dalton once for another 14. Grippen and Dalton also connected on a 24-yard pass down to the one, but the play was nullified by a flag for an illegal block.
Waverly racked up 325 yards of offense with Belles completing 13 of 19 pass attempts for 200 yards. She also ran for 27 yards on eight carries.
Kittle had sx rushes for 54 yards and four receptions for 41 more while Olmsted contributed four runs for 44 yards and two catches for another 33. Maci Wheeler grabbed three aerials for 57 yards, Elizabeth Robinson had two receptions for 44 yards and Lauryn Welles added two catches for 25 yards.
Welles paced the defense with eight flag pulls and Claire Clonch added seven. Kittle had four pulls, including a sack, and Meeya Wheeler had three sacks. Belles and Cole had three and two pulls, respectively, and Olmsted added a pass deflection.
Owego had 310 yards passing as Grippen went 25-for-42 through the air.
Howe was her top receiver with eight receptions for 103 yards. Dalton snagged six passes for 83 yards and McKeon grabbed five more for 79 yards. Lovell had five catches for 43 yards and Emmy Cole had one for two yards.
Unfortunately for the River Hawks their ground game was held in check, losing 22 yards on six carries.
Waverly will now await the outcome of the sectional seeding meeting, which will be held on Tuesday.
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IN PHOTO 1: Mackenzie Olmsted. IN TOP PHOTO: Claire Clonch (L) & Lauryn Welles. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
