By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — Tioga rallied from a 15-0 deficit to defeat Trumansburg, 34-21, in the Section IV Division VII football opener for both teams here Friday night.
Taking advantage of a couple of turnovers and some key plays through the air the Tigers were able to rebound from a shaky start.
“We were dragging our feet in the beginning of the game,” said Tioga coach Jake Howland. “Not to make any excuses, but that long wait for senior night, which was an incredible show, but the composure from the guys is what really impressed me.
“Going in at halftime down a score, the heads were cool down there. There wasn't any bickering, fighting, arguing, yelling. It was just all ears. All ears and eyes were on us coaches, and they were listening to any sort of adjustments we needed to make. It wasn't a whole lot, but what we did, they clearly listened to, and they came out ready to go in the second half.”
The comeback was sparked by a Cam Ross interception at the Tioga 28-yard line, which he returned to his own 38.
“It's just proof that no matter what side of the ball you're on, you can be a force if you do your job, and having something like that happen is a huge momentum swing,” Howalnd said. “This was a game of momentum. They came fired up and they were ready for us, that's for sure. They had an awesome game plan, credit to their team and coaches.
“Noses to the grindstone from our guys, and especially up front with the O-line going against a deep front that we weren't really ready for throughout the week, adjusting their calls and their blocking scheme and just trusting the coaches and what we told them at halftime and on the sideline watching replay. Credit to the guys for really just being very coachable.”
Tioga started what would be a 62-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard penalty, but quarterback Jack Bombard connected with running back Brendan Clark on a 30-yard pass in which Clark out-jumped double coverage to make the catch.
A 10-yard pass to wide receiver Josh Rought and a 10-yard run by Bombard set up RB Caden Bradley’s 11-yard touchdown run behind guard Gavin Kithcart. The PAT run failed, but the Tigers were on the board with 43 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Raiders responded with Chris Clarke-Cabezos’ 52-yard halfback option TD pass to Keanu Blomquist with 31.9 seconds on the clock. Blomquist was wide open at the 31. Tioga blocked the PAT kick.
Down, 21-6, the Tigers would strike one more time before the half with an efficient two-minute offensive effort.
Carson Labour returned the kickoff 20 yards to the 35 and Jonah Palmer snagged a 20-yard pass over the middle to the T-burg 45. On fourth-and-10 from the 45, Labour got behind a defender and made a leaping catch at the T-burg 6, and took it in for a TD at the buzzer. Bradley’s PAT run closed the gap to 21-14.
“That's why you practice it, we do anyway,” said Howland. “We practice those situations in practice so it's not foreign to us when it's game time. That felt exactly like how we practice it during the week, and again, credit to the guys for executing. I can't do it for them. I can only tell them what to do and they went out there and did it so I'm proud of them.”
The Raiders attempted an onside kick to open the second half, but Kithcart swallowed up the pigskin at midfield.
Bombard’s 15-yard throw to Palmer and 11-yard toss to Labour set up a double-handoff — Bombard-to-Bradley-to-Max Stauder — for a 22-yard TD run at 8:42 of the third quarter and Bombard split the uprights with the PAT kick to tie the score at 21.
Tioga’s next two TDs came courtesy of short fields.
On the first score, a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff and a bad snap on a pitch put T-burg in a third-and-21 from its own 11. The Tigers would get the ball at their own 49 following the punt.
Bombard would connect with Labour for a 32-yard gain to the Raiders’ 19 and two plays later, he would hit Clark for an 18-yard TD. Bombard’s kick made it 28-21 with 3:58 on the clock.
The teams would trade punts as the game headed into the final stanza.
Tioga would start another possession at midfield.Bombard would run for 14 yards and two plays later, James Howey would open a hole for Bradley to run 16 yards to the Raiders’ 17. On the next play, Bombard scampered into the end zone with a QB keeper. His PAT kick would get blocked, but the Tigers had extended their lead to 34-21 with 7:25 to go.
Clarke-Cabezos bolted for 28 yards to the Tioga 37 on his first carry of the next T-burg possession, but he coughed up the ball and Stauder pounced on the rock.
Tioga moved the ball to the T-burg 34, but a penalty moved the ball back to the 49 and Bombard took a knee twice to end the game.
At the onset of the game, T-burg looked primed to avenge last year’s Class D championship game loss, scoring on its opening drive.
Blomquist returned the kickoff 57 yards to the Tioga 28 and Clarke-Cabezos scored on a 2-yard run eight plays later, then added the PAT run to make it 8-0.
After forcing a Tigers three-and-out, the Raiders drove 81 yards in 16 plays on their next drive with QB Wesley Millspaugh throwing a 6-yard TD to Clarke-Cabezos. The PAT kick gave T-burg a 15-0 advantage — and there was still 6:23 on the first-quarter clock.
Tioga outgained T-burg, 324-166, the defense holding the Raiders’ offense to 16 yards in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, the Tigers went through the air for 192 yards while rushing for 132. It’s not often that you see Tioga gain more yards through the air than on the ground, but it worked out in the end.
“You never know what to expect coming in,” Howland said. “You know, everybody seems to circle Tioga on the calendar and they have something geared up and something different for us every week, no matter who we play. That wasn't necessarily the game plan to come out and air it out, but if that's what they were giving to us, then so be it.
“Credit to our quarterback, Jack Bombard, for throwing great balls and our skill guys for going up and high-pointing everything,” he added. “They were really impressive today and when our quarterback saw green grass, he got me the five yards I needed every play, and I couldn't be happier for him. It was a great game all around for everybody.”
Bombard went 9-for-13 with Labour grabbing three passes for 88 yards and Palmer catching three for 46 more. Rought added two receptions for 28 yards and Clark tacked on one for 30. Labour was pleased with his contributions to the victory.
“It really feels amazing,” he said. “We’ve got Jack Bombard giving me beautiful opportunities to catch the ball, slinging the rock, putting it right where only I can catch it, and it feels amazing.
“It really does feel amazing to be with this team and do what we can do like a big old family.”
Bombard picked up 58 yards on nine carries, Stauder rushed for 47 on a dozen runs and Bradley added 25 yards on eight rushes.
Millspaugh and Clarke-Cabezos combined to complete 7-of-11 passes for 109 yards, and Clarke-Cabezos finished with 57 yards rushing on 17 carries and four catches for 22 yards. Blomquist added two receptions for 72 yards.
Tioga will visit Newark Valley next Friday.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Jackson Bombard. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga's Brendan Clark. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
