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Tioga County Team's Preview with Tim Birney · Cover IV Podcast

• 0:24
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• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to our 2023 Tioga County Teams Preview.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm joined by one of our football analysts, the original TB, Tim Bernie, the founder of Five Sports Reports.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Tim will give us an update on the Tioga County teams in section four.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: Hit it, Tim.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Coach, always a pleasure to talk to you.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: The uh 2023 season, I think we're gonna see some pretty good football in Tywa County.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, starting Class D, Newark Valley back in Class D this year.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh obviously, that's a uh smaller group of schools, so I think you know they'll fit in nicely down there as always.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: They're a young team this year.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think you're gonna see a strong sophomore class from them.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, from what I understand, um a lot of young talent in that sophomore class.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: They should be um typical, well-coached Cardinal team.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Ted Hardenstein and that coaching staff is is as good as there is around.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're they're they're very solid.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh last year, they you know, I think they only won one game, but they may have been the best one-win team in the state.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: They end the season that kind of turned things around on them.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: They played Waverly really tough uh at Waverly.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Waverly goes on to win the section title.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think uh Newark Valley fans uh be pleasantly surprised this year.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think you're gonna start to see them turn a corner, you know, and in a couple years with the talent they've got coming through and the fact that you know Tyoga graduates a couple seniors this year, pretty good seniors, bunch of them, uh, you know, could have a little swing in power over the next couple years.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, then you move up the road to Spencer Vanette and Cander.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they were playoff team last year.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: They return a nice group, lose a couple linemen, uh, have a few linemen back.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Jason Terriberry, quarterback, very good athlete.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: They've got some good athletes around him.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Another well-coached team.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Coach Chapey does a great job there.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, their numbers, Newark Valley has 29 kids out for a Class D school.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty solid.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um Speck's uh numbers are pretty solid as well.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think Newark Valley and um Newark Valley and Speck are the are definitely um the two of the teams to watch in Class D this year.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think one of those two teams will end up in the uh in the Class D finals against uh our two-time defending state champion Tyoga Tigers.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll talk about them in a little while.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: And another team in um section four, uh Class B as a Wego.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they graduated uh Steven Bidwell, who was their kind of all-around jack of all trades, master of all, really good running back, good linebacker.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think he even kicked and punted for them, you know.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um they're gonna have to replace him.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but they actually, from what I understand, they've got an athlete over from the soccer team who's turned some heads in the um preseason, and they've got a really good group of juniors back who took some lumps last year as sophomores, but they're a year older, a year bigger, a year stronger.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think they're gonna be a much improved team this year.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Problem being, you know, when you're Class B in section four, there's Maine Anwell sitting there.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, it's that's uh that's a tall mountain to climb these days.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we go, I think right this year with this group of kids, we go's playing to make an appearance in the in the class B title game.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they got a new head coach in uh General Patton Taylor.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And Patton gonna bring in uh Tyoga style football, I believe.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think you'll see some of the TBS.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, they'll be running some power football, and uh, you know, that's a proven winning formula if you've got the horses, and I think, like I said, that's a really good junior class.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I think the key for their whole season comes down to their line, how their line comes together.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, but that's I guess you could say that about every team.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you don't have line, if you don't have play up front, you're not you're not gonna win a lot of football games.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you got to control the line of scrimmage, both both sides, offense and defense.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and and then so that brings us to you know the two power brokers in Tyoga County right now.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll start out with uh Waverly, uh Section 4 Class C champions last year, got over the hump and and beat Shenango Forks the first time to beat, first team to beat Shenango Forks, I believe, in 19 years in the or 19 games, not years.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: They they'd won 18 or 19 in a row in Section 4 championship games before Tyoga or before Waverly beat them.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um did so in convincing fashion.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they lost Waverly lost, I believe it was 14-13 at home, missed a couple field goal attempts.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so the championship game ended up at Shenango Forks, and uh you don't see Shenango Forks beaten up physically very often, but Waverly really did put it to him in the uh in the section title game last year.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was 28 to 14.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that and they physically put it to him, you know.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: But that said, you know, Waverly graduates, they bring back a ton as far as uh skill players, and they bring back a good portion of their line as well, but they lose a couple key linemen, and they graduated all five of their top linebackers, so their entire linebacking core is gone.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: So they come into this season looking to replace those guys, and and that's gonna be um, I think you'll see this team, this Waverly team, which has a really tough schedule to start the season, I think you'll see them improve by the end of the season, they'll be a much better team in week 10 than they were in week one and two.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, that's kind of a trademark for Jason Miller and and Dave Shaw, his defensive coordinator.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: They're they're especially the defense at Waverly, tends to get better and better and better every week, you know.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And by the time the playoff comes around, they're they're a team you don't normally want to play.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: But when when you're talking about Waverly, you really all conversations have to start with Joey Tommaso at quarterback.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Well, what was that name?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've I think I've heard of that student athlete.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I've heard of that student athlete.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Matter of fact, you have I think he's been there long enough that if he was working for the school district, he could be collecting a pension.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, he definitely has tenure, yeah.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Literally, yeah.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: I I can remember I did his um it was the first game he really played at the varsity level.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: He was a seventh grader, and I I had the game at UE.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's when uh there was a playoff game where Waverley was playing Susquehanna Valley when they were at their uh peak.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: And he would he came up from JB's as a seventh grade.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: He got to play the last couple of downs, maybe a series, but rapidly after that, the butt the next season, I believe he uh he and his team came up and they played at Union Endicott early in the season and they won that game.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, I'll never forget that.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then he just obviously has progressed since then, but it seems like you know, he's been around forever.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he you know, a fifth-year starter.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: He's um if he if he doesn't hold the school record in a category now, he probably will by the end of the year.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he's got a tremendously strong arm.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh his you know, we waverly throws a lot of those little five and ten yard outs, which if you don't know anything about the game, it's a lot harder pass than it looks because if you float one of those, it's a pick six going the other way, you know.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And he he definitely doesn't float many passes.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: He uh he can he can float them in there if he has to.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's got good touch, but he's he's got a really strong arm, and he's also got a tremendous core of receivers this year.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Jay Piper's back, you know, he had a he had a tremendous year last year, broke school records for catches and yardage and touchdowns, and and he's got uh Jay's uh Jay's not very big, but he when he gets the ball in his hand, he's lightning.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: The other thing people got to watch out with uh Joey Tommaso, and I've seen it the last couple of years more so than in his early career as a varsity player.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: He he puts he brings the ball down and he goes, he runs.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: He had a couple of long runs against Shenango Forks.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think one was called back, maybe, but he had some really long runs against a lot of really good teams.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And if you and you know, you got somebody in a QB position that's got a threat like that, you have got to watch him at all times.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he's got a different running style.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: He kind of he kind of picks his way through and stands straight up a little bit more than you'd like to see, I guess.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: But it's hard to it's hard to argue with his style when the results are what they are.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And the thing with it is he he he hardly ever gets hit, you know, hard anyway.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And and you're right, he's and when he gets out in the open, he he must be very fast because you don't see him get caught from behind when he gets out there, you know, he's deceptively fast.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, you know, when you're being chased, especially by a huge lineman, your 40 time tends to go down, and you get a lot faster when uh you know you got somebody chasing you that wants to lay the plastic on you.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Here is a great motivator, it sure is.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, and the other thing, and aside from Piper, he's got a pair of six, four wide receivers now in Jake Van Houten and Xavier Watson, a transfer uh this season.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: And Matthias Wells will probably be their tight end H back.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and he's he's a big target, only a freshman, big target.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, he's got he's got a tremendous amount of weapons.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Jason Miller is a great play caller.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, Waverly always um does a lot of great scouting.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: They they know their opponent's weaknesses going in, they tend to exploit them very well, you know.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And they and the other thing with you know, like Tyoga, Waverly is always in shape.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna beat Waverly because they get tired in the fourth quarter.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna beat them because you're a better team, and that's you know, they're not gonna take advantage of them being tired.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, and that's how they Waverly's won a lot of games in in week zero and week one, um, because they've been in better shape than the other teams.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I remember one year uh probably seven, eight, nine years ago, Johnson City came to Waverly week one and had some people buzzing about them because they had a they had a big defensive lineman that was going to go play Division I and uh he he was definitely good, but by the third quarter, Waverly was still running hard and they were gassed, and Waverly ended up beating them.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they're always ready early on.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they play Hunting Eyes Fall, Honey Eye Falls Lima in week zero.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, pretty solid class B program.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that should be a fun game uh at Waverly.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: Six o'clock kickoff on the second Saturday.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Tyoga plays uh at Waverly at 3 p.m.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: that afternoon against Burt Catholic.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: So Tyoga, who gets to Tyoga now.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: They enter this, they entered the season with 27 straight wins coming off their second straight title, 14-0 last year, um, and had graduated one senior.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So very uh, you know, section four class D.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I don't know that um there's a lot of hope from many teams that anyone can unseat them this year.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Caden Bellis is back.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh numbers very, very similar to Joey Tomaso's in terms of both passing and running.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um different style quarterback, obviously.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but throws a nice long ball.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And he's got he's also got a pair of receivers at 6'4 and Evan Sickler and Valentino Rossi.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: And he's got a big tight end in Carson Sandoni can catch the ball.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And he's got a couple other receivers, um, you know, Shea Bailey and kids that can make big plays for him.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then you look in the backfield where um, you know, Bellis ran for eight or nine hundred yards last year, and they have Drew Maycumber coming back at tailback, and he he rushed for you know 1,300 yards last year, somewhere in there, and um had a really big season for him.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: And all those kids are two-way players.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: That said, Tyoga's got 45 kids out on the Class D school class or from nine through 12.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, you know, so yeah, so they're and you know, it's funny because people said, Well boy, they're gonna take a big hit next year.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, Yeah, they lose a lot of skill players, but all six of their linemen are back next year, and they're that's where you start.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly where you start.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, but getting back to this year's team, you know, you're gonna you're gonna see uh Kaden Ballis and Uzman Duncanson at the inside linebacker spots, raising uh Kane on opposing offenses, and then you know you've got Sickler in the defensive backfield with Rossi, both big defenders.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think I think Sickler's probably got off the top of my head, maybe 15 interceptions over the last two years, and he's not afraid to come up and hit.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um team's very, very physical football team um on both sides of the ball.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you I think you're gonna see um if they if they get past Waverly in week two, um, and that's gonna be a really, really fun ball game.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they play at Waverly on September 8th.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: If they get by Waverly in week two, I don't think anybody touches them until state semifinals.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you got a team like uh CSP, Climber, Sherman, Panama, who who beat Tyoga twice in the state semis, and I think 2018 and 19 on their way to state titles.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they'll see them in the semis.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: Last year, Tyoga was able to uh exercise the Randolph demon by beating them in the state semis.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: They may they'll have an opportunity, I think, this year to exercise that CSP demon in the state semis.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and then they and you never know what you're gonna see in the state finals.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: So um I don't like to get ahead of myself, but I honestly I see you know Tyoga winning a third straight state title.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, going back to Waverly a little bit, you know, I I think that's a team that's gonna come down to Waverly and Shenango Forks in the section finals.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I know I I've heard Shenango Forks has a couple new faces on their roster, just like Waverly, you know, has at least one.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you don't know exactly what you're gonna get there.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: But Forks is well coached, they're always physical.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they uh they they have a that program has a winning mentality, and rightfully so.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I think Jason Miller's got Waverly in that same mode now.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, especially when you go into Shango Forks and win on their field and you bring back as much as they do, that's gonna be a fun game, regardless.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that regular season game in week five, I believe it is, and then um, you know, they'll play, they'll probably play again in week 10.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'll be there regardless of whether it's Waverly or Shango Forks.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, but I I think the winner of that Waverley Forks game, if you know, the that'll probably be the section final.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: The winner of that game, you know, has the opportunity to win a state title.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, last year Waverley ran into a good general brown team, and uh and they lost in the state finals to James O'Neill, who's you know, always in the in the eastern part of the state, always a player in the in that uh chance with the finals.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be fun.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be, I think it's gonna be a really fun season.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: I I'd be really surprised.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I like I said, I think Tyoga, I think Tyago wins the state title.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think Waverly plays forks in the in the section finals, and I'll say they win that again this year, they repeat.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um I like um Owego to have a better season record-wise than they did last year.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I just it's you know, trying to compete with Maine Endwell is gonna be very difficult.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think if Oigo gets to the postseason and then can you know can get to the Class B finals, that's a successful season, especially in the first year for Patton Taylor.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there you never know what you're gonna get in a coach's first season, but I think you're gonna see a pretty good year from the Indians this year.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, like I said, with Speck and Newark Valley, I think they're playing for number two behind Tyoga in Class D.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it wouldn't surprise me if um if they played each other in the semifinals for the class D semifinals for a chance to play Tyoga in the finals.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's gonna be a pretty fun year.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think we got five playoff teams, and uh we'll see what happens, maybe one or two state champions.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: You never know.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: And uh your prognos prognostication has always been very good, Tim.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: And we appreciate uh everything you do and the level of detail you bring.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: We really appreciate that.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much, coach.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Always a pleasure.
• 18:02
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• 18:07
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• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Your inputs are never out of bounds.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: In football and life, it's not where we line up, it's where we wind up.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to the Cover 4 podcast.