...

2003 Chenango Forks Varsity Football

Game 6 vs Elmira Notre Dame -  CF wins 28-21!

19-014-030-1421-717-028-21

Preview and game articles courtesy of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
and the Elmira Star-Gazette

to Game 5 - Dryden

to the 2003 team page

to Game 7 - Waverly
1 2 3 4   Tot
Chenango Forks 14 00 07 07 - 28
Elmira ND 7 7 7 0 - 21
  • ND - Manuel 19 pass from Coseo (Peworchik kick)
  • CF - Vredenburgh 11 interception return (Batty kick)
  • CF - Babcock 5 run (Batty kick)
  • ND - Manuel 13 pass from Coseo (Peworchik kick)
  • CF - Batty 1 run (Batty kick)
  • ND - Dougherty 6 pass from Coseo (Peworchik kick)
  • CF - Babcock 6 run (Batty kick)

TEAM STATISTICS 

Elmira ND CF
First Downs 18 13
Rushes-Yards 32-65 46-198
Passing Yards 233 20
Comp-Att-Int 21-30-2 1-1-0
Total Offense 62-298 47-218
Punts-Ave yards 2-40.5 3-36.0
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 3-1
Penalties-Yards 5-27 5-39
.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Elmira Notre Dame rushing:  

  • Norton 9-24
  • Mirando 8-19
  • Coseo 10-17
  • Manuel 3-3
  • Hitchcock 1-1
  • Hoppe 1-1

Chenango Forks rushing:  

  • Batty 18-69, 1 TD
  • Babcock 16-66, 2 TDs
  • O'Branski 7-39
  • Farnham 2-17
  • Chier 3-7

Elmira Notre Dame passing

  • Coseo 18-for-24, 192 yards, 3 TD, 1 int
  • Burris 3-for-6, 41 yards, 1 int. 

Chenango Forks passing: 

  • Batty 1-for-1, 20 yards

Elmira Notre Dame receiving: 

  • Manuel 7-80, 2 TDs
  • Peworchik 6-70
  • Dougherty 5-42, 1 TD
  • Coseo 3-41

Chenango Forks receiving:  

  • Farnham 1-20

JV Score: CF 43-12

Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin game article-    

Babcock's 4th-quarter TD propels Forks

BY KEVIN STEVENS
Press & Sun-Bulletin

SOUTHPORT - They'd surrendered 233 passing yards, as many points in 48 minutes of football as they had in their first five games of the season, and sweated this one down to end.

Nonetheless, when time expired, the Chenango Forks Blue Devils had themselves a highly gratifying 28-21 victory over Elmira Notre Dame, a triumph that clearly defined this team as a serious championship contender.

Fullback Joe Babcock spun across the goal line to complete a 6-yard rush for the winning touchdown with 5:04 remaining, and teammate Ben Farnham sealed the deal by intercepting a pass at Forks' 20-yard line on a second-down play with 1:41 to play.

"They just showed what they've got inside," coach Kelsey Green said of his 6-0 squad, which is ranked second among New York's Class B schools.

It was a victory as much about survival and big-play defense as anything for Forks, which responded to an early 7-0 deficit by taking a 14-7 advantage by virtue of two huge defensive twists.

First came Zach Vredenburgh, tipping a pass from Notre Dame's Matt Coseo, then gathering in the football and charging in from about the 11-yard line for a touchdown with 3:19 left in the first quarter. Tim Batty's PAT kick tied it at 7-7.

Next, it was Nick Tarnowski's turn with what may have been slight assistance.

On second-and-9 from Notre Dame's 26-yard line, Coseo attempted what appeared to be a forward pass that was judged by officials to be a lateral. Tarnowski rushed in, hands held high, from his right end spot. The ball caromed off his arm and back deep into Crusaders territory.

Tarnowski recovered the loose football at the 9-yard line and much to the dismay of Notre Dame coach Mike D'Aloisio Forks was awarded possession.

Two plays later, Babcock bowled over Zach Manuel at the goal line to finish a 5-yard scoring run which, with Batty's PAT kick, made it 14-7 Forks with 73 seconds left in the first.

"All week, we've been practicing that," Tarnowski. "When they have a guy split out, you come in with your hands up. I put my hands up, it hit me in the elbow, I kept running and got the ball."

Call them two desperately needed defensive gems for Forks, which was torched in the first half by Coseo's 13-for-16, 150-yard passing performance. His second TD pass to Manuel, from 13 yards with 5:13 left in the half, helped make it a 14-14 stalemate that stood through halftime.

"They moved the ball on us, threw the ball on us, and we didn't move the ball," Green said. "I think up front, they beat us (in the first half).

"And we talked about it in the locker room and I don't think they beat us up front in the second half."

The Blue Devils flexed their muscles up front to open the third quarter, taking their opening drive 53 yards in five plays for a score. Batty chewed up 37 of those yards on a second-down option play to Notre Dame's 10, and sneaked in from the 1 for the TD with 9:44 left for a 21-14 lead.

But a fumbled snap from center by Forks led to a 6-yard Coseo-to-Kellen Dougherty touchdown pass with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. Tyler Peworchik's kick tied it at 21.

Dougherty, a senior transfer from Owego, had five receptions for 42 yards to go with some stellar defense.

One more piece of defensive brilliance set up the winning TD.

With Coseo looking to pass on second down from the Crusaders' 21-yard line, Forks' Steve Samson rushed in to sack Coseo, caused a fumble, and linebacker Babcock recovered at Notre Dame's 21-yard line.

On the fourth play of the ensuing drive and Babcock's third consecutive carry, he started over the right side and spun clockwise across the goal line for six. Batty's fourth PAT kick supplied the final point.

Babcock, Forks' workhorse through the first half of the season, had 11 of his 16 carries and all but 13 of his 66 rushing yards after halftime.

"They were definitely keying on me and Batty in the first half," Babcock said. "After that, they saw we could run some more guys and that's when we started giving me the ball."

Batty topped Forks with 69 rushing yards, and completed his only pass for 20 yards. Coseo finished 18-for-24 for 192 yards, and added three receptions for 41 yards in the late going when Luke Burris stepped behind center.

Elmira Star-Gazette game article-    

Turnovers cost ND against state power

By AL LOSEY
Star-Gazette
alosey@stargazette.com

SOUTHPORT -- Chenango Forks converted three Notre Dame miscues into scores on the way to a 28-21 win in a Section 4 Division 4 showdown Friday night at Brewer Memorial Field.

The Blue Devils struck twice in the first half after Notre Dame throwing errors and scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter after recovering a fumble on the Notre Dame 20-yard line.

The loss negated a sterling passing performance by Notre Dame senior Matt Coseo, who hit Zack Manuel for an 18-yard first-quarter pass and run to open the scoring, then hit Manuel on a 13-yard scoring toss in the second to tie the game at 14-14 just before halftime. Manuel caught seven passes for 83 yards. Also for Notre Dame (5-1, 1-1), Tyler Peworchik caught six for 67 yards.

"That's the best team I've played in my career," said Coseo, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. "But it came down to turnovers and we made a lot. We kept fighting, but we gave them the ball in our end too many times."

For division-leading Chenango Forks (6-0, 2-0), the first score came when defensive end Zach Vredenburgh tipped a Coseo pass. Vredenburgh batted the ball into the air, caught it on the run and skipped into the end zone from 11 yards out.

On its next possession, Notre Dame lost the ball on a controversial call that left Notre Dame