Game 3 - 2016 Chenango Forks Varsity Football

Game 3 vs Waverly

The Blue Devils defeat Waverly 48-14!
3-0 for the 12th time in sixteen 21st Century seasons

TOP-RANKED CHENANGO FORKS OVERWHLEMS WAVERLY, 48-14

- Rick Jennings, Valley Sports Report

WAVERLY Powerhouse Chenango Forks overwhelmed Waverly, 48-14. here Friday night in Section IV football action at Memorial Stadium.

The Blue Devils, ranked No. 1 in Class B in the state, struck swiftly as they marched down the field without throwing a single pass on the first possession of the game and took a 7-0 lead on 5-yard TD run by Tim McDonald at the 8:54 mark of the first quarter.

On Waverly’s first possession, it was apparent Forks’ defensive speed was going to make it difficult for Waverly to move the ball. After Forks forced Waverly to punt, it completed a 60-yard drive with an 8-yard TD run by L.J. Watson to take a 14-0 lead at the 1:56 left in the first quarter.

Following another Wolverine punt, Chenango Forks began mixing in some pass plays in its next series and scored quickly to push the score to 21-0 on a 13-yard run by Tim McDonald with 11:19 left in the first half.

Chenango Forks then scored on a 49-yard pass play from quarterback Cody Bogue to tight end Connor Borchardt at the 8:59 juncture of the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead.

Chenango Forks demonstrated its dominance early and it was evident that Waverly was in for a long night.

“We got overwhelmed,” said Waverly coach Jason Miller. “They are a good football team. It’s been a long time since we have been in that situation, being down like that. We have put a lot of people in that situation.

“They are fast, and they are big, and they are strong. They have all the tools.

“That’s why they are No. 1 in the state and No. 10 on the East Coast, ” said Miller. “I am proud of our players for stepping out on the field. I just wish we had given them a bit more resistance.”

Chenango Forks dominated the stats sheet, rushing for a whopping 437 yards, while Waverly managed just 51 yards on the ground.

Watson led Chenango Forks with 168 yards rushing, and McDonald added 133 yards.

Shawn Salisbury led Waverly with 45 yards rushing, while Hunter Bodine led Waverly with three receptions for 60 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Sophomore QB Gavin Judson completed five of 10 attempts for 80 yards and two TDs.

Chenango Forks had 24 first downs to Waverly’s seven.

“We had some good senior leadership, but we have a long way to go,” noted Miller. “We have to get better. We have a long ways to go. We have to keep working hard. The kids have to persevere.

“We get a few players back next week, and that is going to help us out a little bit. We have to execute better.”

“In the second half we kept playing,” said Miller.

Judson gave Waverly “a little spark” with two third-quarter TD passes to Bodine. The first TD pass was a throw down the middle of the field that was tipped by a Chenango Forks defensive back before being hauled in by Bodine for a 39-yard score.

The second TD toss was a well thrown ball from Judson to Bodine in the left corner of the end zone for a 13-yard score.

“We played hard but it was just not enough,” stated Miller. “At times, we did not tackle well. It is a lot of fundamental stuff.

“They extend a lot of their blitzes and, at times, we were confused as to who to block and when to block them,” noted Miller. “They expose a lot of weaknesses.

They are a senior-laden team, and L.J. Watson is a great player,” added Miller.

One highlight for Waverly was a lengthy kickoff return by senior Dylan Cooney near the end of the third quarter.

Waverly falls to 0-3 on the season. Waverly next travels to Marcellus, a strong Section 3 team, on Friday.

WAVERLY'S MILLER SAYS "(FORKS) JUST A BETTER FOOTBALL TEAM"

- Tim Birney, Valley Sports Report

WAVERLY Waverly coach Jason Miller didn’t mince words after his team’s, 48-14, loss to the state’s top-ranked Class B Chenango Forks Friday night.

“They were just a better football team than us.”

“Their line is very good,” said Miller. “And, (L.J. Watson) has been running the ball and playing defense for them for five years.

“As an 8th-grader, he was was the (defensive) MVP of the state semifinals,” added Miller. “When you have a guy like that on the field and people to compliment him, who are also very good, it makes a tough team to beat.”

Heading into Week 4, the Wolverines are still searching for their first win, but Miller isn’t concerned about losing his young squad.

“This group of kids is a hard-working group of kids,” he said. “They show up Monday and they’re ready to go.

“They’ve done a pretty good job of staying focused, moving forward, and hopefully, buying into what our long-term goals are this year,” noted Miller. “They continue to show up and work with a positive attitude.

“Even though the score was lopsided, there were a lot of positives we can take from the game and build on, and continue to get better,” he said. “Our deficiencies are beginning to turn into a pattern, it’s not something new every week. Hopefully, we can correct it that has to be our practice focus.

“It’s no fun to lose,” added Miller. “You fear losing becoming acceptable and I don’t feel that’s the case with this group. I think they’ll continue to work toward our divisional play.”

The Wolverines did little offensively in the first half, but did score a pair of TDs late.

“Chenango Forks’ defense is so sound,” said Miller. “They did a great job defensively. It was tough to find a place to run and their coverage was excellent.

“They ran a lot of different stunts. Some times we did a good job of picking it up and some times we didn’t,” said Miller. “We were very inconsistent and that’s really what the game boiled down to.

“We had a big play on a tipped ball by one of their players … Hunter (Bodine) made a great grab with great concentration to secure the ball and get in for the score,” he noted. “We got Hunter the ball again on a deep out pattern in the end zone.”

“We had some success running some mid-line and veer option. Shawn Salisbury had close to 60 yards on five or six carries. At times, we blocked well and (Forks) is a big, physical team those things were good.”

“I thought both quarterbacks threw the ball quite well, I just wish we had thrown the ball to better match-ups,” added Miller. “The majority of the time we were throwing at their best player, and we just can’t do that.”

Miller said his job in the upcoming weeks will get the ball into the playmakers’ hands.

“We’re just not getting enough touches for the people who I think should have the ball,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on this week, forcibly trying to get the ball into people’s hands who can make somebody miss and make plays for us.”

Chenango Forks pounded out 457 yards on the ground against the Wolverines.

“We couldn’t stop them on third down,” said Miller. “We’d make a play here and there and put them in a third-down situation and they’d run for a first down.

“We didn’t tackle that great, especially coming out of the secondary,” he added. “We need to be more aggressive and more assertive.”

It wasn’t all negative, said Miller.

“We had some guys who had good games. I thought our nose guard Shawn Salisbury played an excellent game, and I thought Dalton Loper played well, and Dewain Talada gets better every week.

“These are kids that are getting it,” said Miller “Unfortunately, we need 11 guys to play consistently, especially when the caliber of team you’re playing is that good.”

Miller said special teams was a mixed bag.

“I wasn’t real pleased with our kick return, and we got a lot of attempts at it. Our field position was not great, and that has to improve.

“We’re not helping ourselves gain field position with our kick return,” said Miller. “We have to look at that as an extra offensive play to get us out to the 25- or 30-yard-line, and we’re starting our drives at the 10 or 15. It’s difficult to compete when you’re starting out like that.

“Our punting game was consistent and very good,” noted Miller. “We attempted a 47-yard field goal. We blocked well, and Hunter (Bodine) just missed it.

“And, our kick coverage was pretty good in the three attempts we had at it.

“Overall, there was nothing glaringly wrong other than our kick return was not good,” added Miller.

GRADE FOR WEEK 3: C+. “Our kids played hard,” said Miller. “The reason it’s a low grade is because there are certain positions where we’re just not consistent. We need to play better for 48 minutes.”