By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports Report
JOHNSON CITY — A pair of big plays set the tone early, and a key adjustment late in the first half set the stage for Waverly's, 33-22, win over previously-unbeaten Johnson City here Friday night in non-divisional Section IV football action.
"Anytime you beat a team that's gone five games and still has a perfect record, it's a big win," said Waverly coach Jason Miller. "More importantly for us, it's just continued momentum.
"Horseheads, which was ranked in the state in Class A, and now Johnson City, which is ranked high in class B," he noted. "We've been able to knock off two undefeated state-ranked teams in classes above us in the last three weeks.
"That's positive," added Miller. "We are moving in a positive direction."
The Wolverines took a quick 14-0 lead with sophomore Cooper Chrystie racing untouched on a 65-yard TD run on the first play of the game, then hitting his twin brother Carter for a 72-yard TD pass on Waverly's third possession of the game.
"They were things that we thought that we were going to be able to do," said Waverly coach Jason Miller. "We just really executed well on, especially the first counter-Q.
"We haven't run that a lot this year," he noted. "And then they adjusted pretty quickly, getting the linebacker back inside and waiting for that.
"And the long pass, that's one thing we thought would work because Fenesse (Morales) was up in the box," added Miller. "We thought we'd be able to hit a vert on that, but then they quickly attached (Morales) to Carter throughout the rest of the game."
Waverly's defense kept Johnson City's offense at bay, until the Wildcats took advantage of good field position after a 19-yard Wolverine punt midway through the second quarter and scored on a two-play, 41-drive.
Johnson City had 13 rushing yards on its first 13 carries, but Kalil Robinson dashed 20 yards on the first play of the scoring drive, then busted loose on a 21-yard TD scamper with 6:17 remaining in the first half to close the gap to 14-7.
Waverly answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive, capped by senior Bryce LaForest's 2-yard TD run with 1:18 remaining in the half. The drive was aided by two 15-yard penalties on JC.
LaForest, who had 110 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, had 25 yards on seven totes in the scoring drive.
Miller said LaForest was the beneficiary of an adjustment that led to the win.
We had some momentum there before the end of half," said Miller. "We kind of found something with an attached tight end, and we really hadn't done that yet in the game.
"In that last drive before half, we felt that was pretty productive, and we saw some things on the backside," noted Miller.
"We went in (to the locker room), drew it up on a board, and the kids came out and executed in the first drive for a touchdown," added Miller. "It was that was really cool to see the kids be able to come out and execute it without really repping it."
LaForest said it was all about execution.
"We knew they were going to be tough on defense with their odd front," he said. "We just executed Coach Miller's plan this week.
"The guys on the line were working hard, getting their blocks, and giving me a hole to run through," added LaForest.
Miller praised LaForest's efforts.
"I think he's running very hard, and to me, he's running very low to the ground. I think he's hitting holes a lot faster.
"He hasn't had a lot of attempts, but tonight was a really nice night for him," noted Miller. (JC) was pinching, and he had to squeeze through the kick-out block, and then get to the second level, and I think when he got through, he had a little burst to him that I liked.
"He's a guy who needs a lot of confidence, and tonight is certainly gonna help him," added Miller.
The Wildcats moved the ball into Waverly territory quickly, thanks in large part to a 25-yard pass from Aiden Rohde to Fenesse Morales, but sophomore Axel Murray came down with a high-arching pass at JC 9 on the next play to end the threat with 9 seconds remaining in the half.
JC scored on the second play of the second half when Robinson broke free from several tacklers at the line-of-scrimmage and raced 47 yards to paydirt to close the gap to 20-14 just 56 seconds after the intermission.
The Wolverines answered immediately when LaForest ripped off a 46-yard TD run to make it 26-14 with 10:41 remaining in the third quarter.
JC's next possession ended with Murray's second interception of the game at the Waverly 37.
Two plays later, senior Chase Wheeler hauled in a 40-yard over-the-shoulder reception to the Wildcat 17-yard-line.
Six plays after that, Cooper Chrystie connected with Wheeler again for an 8-yard TD on fourth-and-goal with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter. Junior Jesse Lantz's PAT kick made it 33-14.
The Wildcats answered with a seven-play scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard TD run by Robinson with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Robinson's run for conversion moments later trimmed the deficit to 33-22.
JC's defense got the ball back in short order with a three-and-out, and another 19-yard Waverly punt set the Wildcats up at their own 40.
Runs by Robinson and Morales moved the ball into Waverly territory, and Rohde's 19-yard pass to Daricus Phrakousonh set the Wildcats up at the Wolverine 21.
After three runs by Robinson moved the ball to the 6, JC went to the air, and Waverly junior Sammy Cheresnowsky stepped in front of a Rohde pass at the goal line and returned it to the 18.
"We didn't tackle great, and they had a lot to do with it," said Miller. "We knew (Kalil) Robinson was a tough runner. He's done it every week. And, Fenesse Morales is one of the better running backs in the section.
"We just made plays when we had to," noted Miller. "Those two interceptions were just huge momentum swings. They had a little momentum, and we took it right away.
"Both time they were going in for scores to make it a one-score game, and that would have that would have been a little nerve-wracking," Miller added.
Miller praised Murray's abilities in the secondary.
"He is just a ball hawk in the secondary," he said. "He reads the quarterback's eyes real good, and just is able to play the ball, especially with his length, his aggressiveness, and his ability to high point the ball."
Waverly picked up three first downs, including a pair of fourth-down conversions — the second a 12-yard pass from Cooper to Carter Chrystie on fourth-and-10 — and ran the final 5:53 off the clock to end the game.
The Wolverines racked up 381 yards — 243 rushing and 138 passing of total offense.
Cooper Chrystie led the way with 123 rushing yards and one TD on 20 carries. He also completed 5 of 10 passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
Sophomore Carter Chrystie had two grabs for 84 yards and one TD, and Wheeler had two catches for 48 yards and one TD.
JC had 273 yards (196 rushing and 77 passing) yards in total offense.
Robinson led the Wildcats with 156 rushing yards and three TDs on 17 carries, and Morales added 39 yards on 16 carries.
Rohde was 3-for-8 for 77 yards and three interceptions.
Waverly, now 4-2, returns to action Friday when it hosts Ithaca.
————————
IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Axel Murray comes down with an interception. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Bryce LaForest on his way to the end zone. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
