NV Varsity Football at Owego

The Newark Valley Cardinals Varsity football team travelled down route 38 to take on the hosting Owego Indians in a little localized rivalry.  Valley was coming off of a tough loss to Chenango Forks the previous week and were looking to avenge that loss.  Owego was celebrating it's homecoming, had the home field advantage, and this was a "Friday Night Under The Lights!" affair.  The Indians were equally stoked for the matchup.  The first half of this game was a really good one too!  Both teams scored a couple of times and both teams held the lead for a while as well.  Going into the half Owego was clinging onto a single point lead of 13-12.  This was shaping up to be a pretty good game.

Owego had demonstrated early on that they had a passing game and they weren't hesitant to use it to their advantage.  The Cardinals are loaded with pretty solid runners and with the line providing some good blocking Valley opted to stick with more of a ground and pound game.  Owego's aerial assault was surprisingly efficient on a couple of instances where sheer speed of execution was key. The ball would get snapped and the #21 at QB, Patrick Bilbrey, would just as quickly offload it to one of a couple of different receivers that he had at his disposal.  The shorter, screen type plays seemed to work best for Owego although they did strike paydirt on a couple of longer strikes.  One receiving weapon in particular was the #5 sophomore of Will Gladney.  Keep an eye on him folks - he made a couple of one handed grabs that were really (really) something else - he's a good ball player.  The Indians also had a deceptively speedy and quick back wearing jersey #40 of Stavion Canavan.  This kid looks kind of like a beefcake (stocky) - but he moves like a cheetah.  He was fun to watch and was also a contributor to the success that Owego had on the field.

On the Valley side of the ball - it was turning out to be a night of single digit assassins.  <grin>  The Cardinals captain of the ship, #5 Vinnie Darpino burned the Indians badly on a couple of terrific runs that resulted in TD's.   In special teams play #8 Christian Chase was quickly becoming "the man!" on kick off and/or punt run backs as he repeatedly put the Cardinals into good field position.  Chase also had an interception on the night.  David Crow wearing his #7 also had a big night with some solid yardage gained on a couple of really good runs.  Crow also swung the hammer that drove the very last nail into the coffin for Owego late in the game with a huge interception that sealed the deal on this one. 

I would be remiss not to mention the tandem of Dexter Hamilton and Nick Schermerhorn who both had a huge game.  Sporting the #'s 22 and 20 respectively they didn't work in to my "single digit assassins" motif.  I'll let you guys come up with a nick name for them ...  the "doomsday duo"?  :)  In any case - the Cardinals headed back home with a 33-13 win!

Valley moves onto a 4-2 record for the season now and will be continuing with the road show (?!) going out to Spencer Van Etten for yet another Friday Night Under The Lights game.

I'm hoping to have all of the keepers from this one up to the galleries by sometime this evening (Saturday, 11 Oct. '14).  I'm about half way through the batch now.. 

***** GO VALLEY!!!!!  *****

NV Varsity Football @Chenango Forks

Valley's Varsity Cardinals knew they were going to face a tough competitor today when they traveled out to the home of the Chenango Forks Blue Devils.  Forks is a long time, well established powerhouse in Section IV football around here.  They are multiple times state champions and, in short, they know football and they play it very very well.

Forks senior Ryan Bronson is a beast.  The Cardinals had their hands full today with the Blue Devils | Click the photo to view it larger

Forks won the coin toss but deferred and allowed Valley to have first possession of the ball.  This opening Cardinal drive didn't amount to much and the ball was punted away to the home team.  In short order it looked as though the Blue Devils offensive line was able to create lanes and get the run game going - they scored.  Newark Valley got another crack at it and again were shutdown.  Rinse and repeat - this Forks team was living up to the reputation that Forks teams have a history of - they're very good.

Towards the end of the 2nd half though, the Cardinals discovered - either by design, or by chance - that if they played an up tempo game and went no huddle, or very short and quick huddles, that they could, and did, have some success in moving the ball.  Unfortunately they discovered this to late in the half and the clock ran out on them.  But -- this was something to take with them into the break,

Readers digest:  Forks players are pretty good sized (not huge - but big enough), definitely fast, and they are obviously well drilled on their particular skillset (defensive players, offensive players, linemen, running backs, etc ... ).  When these players with these attributes are all on the same page and clicking, it makes for a pretty impressive display of prowess on the field.  Translation - they just overpowered the visiting Cardinals.

Darpino took charge of this game for the Cardinals and demonstrated why he is the team captain | Click the photo to view it larger

Valley didn't seem to be firing on all cylinders though like they have been for the past couple of weeks.  Team captain and QB, Vinnie Darpino had a big game.  He stepped up in a big way and took over at the helm of a badly listing ship and did everything that needed to be done to get something going for the Cardinals.  Returning to that up tempo offensive, Cardinal wide receiver Blake Novi threw an excellent block at one point in the game while Darpino was running the ball that allowed for a good gain in yards.  Darpino did eventually get into the end zone to put six on the board the the Cardinals.  Colemans kick for the PAT was good making it seven.  These would be the only points allowed for Valley though.

So while CF was firing on all eight cylinders, Valley appeared to be firing on only six or seven ...   hard to say.  The Cardinals will need to lick their wounds and re-group this week as once again they go on the road and take on Owego.  Newark Valley moves onto a 3-2 record now on the season.

All photo's (keepers) from this game are now posted out to the galleries.

*****  Go Valley!!!  *****

NV Varsity Football - Cardinals Reign Supreme over Whitney Point

Big doin's in The Valley today!!  It's Homecoming weekend and around here, this is a big deal.  A really, really big deal - parades and everything - it's fun!  Valley's Varsity football team played host to Whitney Point's Eagles in a bird on bird smackdown in the birdcage.  This was no smackdown though - this was domination defined as the home team blew the visiting raptors away and kept them totally grounded.   Valley crushed WP 61-6.

( Click on the photo's to view them larger )

This Newark Valley team has really turned into a well rounded squad with multiple players stepping up and contributing to the effort on both offense and defense.  Admittedly I was a little concerned after the 1st game loss to Tioga that Valley looked a little overly dependant on team captain and QB, Vinnie Darpino.  Vinnie is an exceptional player and has demonstrative leadership ability, but one man does not make a team.  This team, right now, appears to be gelling and is in fact a solid looking, cohesive *team*.  Todays win moves the team on to a 3-1 record on the season now - and all three wins have been huge.  The team goes on the road next week to a local perennial powerhouse in Section IV football - Chenango Forks.

I got quite a number of photo's from the day that will be going up to the galleries over the next couple of days - but in the meantime I thought I would just get these out chop chop.

*****  Go Valley!!! *****

NV Varsity Football - vs Tioga

Whoo hoo!  It's Football Season!!  | Click the photo to view it larger

...  and the HS Football season is underway!!  Valley's Varsity Squad hosted cross county rival Tioga today at the Birdcage and ... lost.  Had the game ended at halftime ... the Cardinals would have won - but as everyone knows games don't end at the half.

Valley lost the coin toss but got first crack at offense as Tioga opted to defer its winning possession till after the half.  This would prove to be a premonition in hindsight - but back to present tense. Valley senior, team captain and QB, Vinnie Darpino wasted zero time with the opportunity and immediately electrified a well attended home opener and got everyone in the house cheering when he zigged and zagged his way through Tioga's D on the very first play of the game and grabbed a real quick 6 points.  The PAT was no go -- with less than a minute into this one the Cardinals were up 6-0.

Valley's Darpino got loose on the opening play and put Valley up on the board early | Click the photo to view it larger

The home side of the crowd was stoked with the early score  | Click the photo to view it larger

( I'm rusty having not followed any football to this point in the year -- I'll have to get back into practice of keeping track of the game so from here on out ..  pretty much just synopsis and opinion. )

Tioga Tigers Jesse Manuel runs the ball during the Tigers victory over hosting Newark Valley | Click the photo to view it larger

Tioga really hurt themselves pretty badly on their opening possession with nervous twitches on the line that kept drawing false start flags ...  they literally went backwards by about 25 - maybe even 30 yards.  Ouch.  Mistakes and inconsistent play would hamper the Tigers throughout the half and the hosting Cardinals would capitalize on this.  Early in the 2nd quarter Tioga ( I'm thinking the #7 of Jesse Manuel ) found the end zone and tied it up 6 all.  The PAT was no go.  Headed into the half and with time running down on the clock, Valley was driving and senior Blake Novi wound up with the ball.  I don't think he got in - I think he came up just a yard or so short (?) - but anyway - Valley did score one more time taking it to a 12-6 lead going into the half.  PAT was no go - this was not a day for field goal kickers ...

Valley senior Blake Novi dives for the end zone in a scoring drive for Valley | Click the photo to view it larger

...  until the start of the 2nd half.  As mentioned earlier - Tioga won the coin toss but deferred on the opening possession until the 2nd half.  Less than 2 minutes into the 3rd they scored paydirt AND did convert on the PAT.  Tioga went up 13-12 and would never look back.  Tioga's game really opened up in the 2nd half of this one and they simply out played the hosting Cardinals.  They demonstrated a depth at running backs with a burly senior #3 Brad Jump, and the aforementioned #7 of Manuel.  Thier O line created lanes that these two exploited on a number of times.  The tigers QB, senior #2 Sam Burn - well - he burned the Cardinals on a few plays as well.

Tioga senior and QB, Sam Burn and the rest of the Tiger's team really came to life and played well in the 2nd half  | Click the photo to view it larger

This was a game of tides ...  the Newark Valley Cardinals rode the tide in the first half, the visiting Tioga Tigers rode it for the 2nd half.  They rolled too winning this one going away 25-12 in the end.  Congrats to the Tigers on their season opening win in, what can be a tough place to win in, Valley's Birdcage.  Hopefully NV will grow and learn from this tough loss and use the experience and knowledge gained as they stay home and host Elmira Notre Dame next week.

There is a full gallery of game day photo's available at the galleries right here.

*****  GO VALLEY!!!  *****