By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Tioga’s Reagen Foley will be following in the family footsteps after signing her National Letter of Intent to attend Tompkins Cortland Community College during a group signing ceremony held here Tuesday.
Her older sisters, Abby and Gabby, played soccer, basketball and softball at TC3. Reagen Foley plans to compete in soccer and softball.
That family connection is a big reason she is heading to Dryden in a few months.
“I chose TC3 because, firstly, my sisters went there, and when I went and toured, it was such a nice college and the (softball) coach was absolutely accepting of me,” she said. “And when I played soccer, their soccer coach also came up to me and saw how athletic I was for soccer, so she also asked me as well.
A fierce competitor for the Tigers, her skill set in soccer has been as a defender, but she feels she can contribute anywhere on the pitch.
“For their athletic programs, for soccer, I can absolutely offer defense if needed,” she said. “I can play anywhere also, so I'm utility. For softball, the same thing, utility anywhere.”
“I had Reagen for soccer, although she is going for soccer and softball,” said coach Emily Potter. “I have had the pleasure to work with Reagen and coach Reagen for the past four years. She's a very hard worker on and off the field. She's always willing to give her all and puts forth her utmost effort at all times. Her strength, willingness, and determination to be successful is key for herself and her teammates. Reagen showed up every day ready to work, support, be positive, and respect herself, teammates, and her coaches.
“Every attribute Reagen shows and holds shows me that she will not only continue to represent Tioga with respect, strength, and dignity, but she will carry forth all she's done and learned and only continue to rise as she will now be representing Tompkins Cortland Community College. I wish you the very best of luck, and I'm very proud of you.”
Athletic director Jim Wood praised all eight of the athletes who signed.
“It's a culmination of their hard work and their dedication, and the culmination of their high school careers,” he said. “It's also the beginning of another phase in their life, which is something that's going to be more meaningful than Tioga, and I don't say that lightly. Those of you that are up here today, congratulations. All that hard work, the extra hours you put in, the time that mom and dad have taken to travel to get you to where you need to be and get you to this point, it's all been worth it.”
“It is not by coincidence that you hear about leadership, extra effort, all the different dedications across time from all of these up here,” said principal Jim Howey. “It is a statistical fact that only seven percent of high school athletes go on to play in college.” Almost double that number, 13 percent of the Tioga Central Class of 2026, have chosen to compete at the collegiate level.
Howey went on to ask those in attendance to applaud the athletes and for the athletes to return the applause to their parents and other supporters for their contributions. He also reminded the athletes they can always count on the people back home for support.
“When it gets tough, don't be afraid to reach home and say, ‘Hey, I need a little bit of loving.’ But stay where you're at. It's going to get tough. Just like it was tough here, you just don't remember those times. Okay? The final thing I want to tell you here is you're excellent.
“You've already excelled. The roof is yours to decide on. I wish you all the best. You're always welcome to come home, and you better stay where you're at and succeed because that's what we expect of you.”
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
