Waverly tried to beat Chenango Forks at its own game, and it almost worked.
The Wolverines (0-1), who surged to their first playoff appearance this decade last season, dropped a 7-0 final to the perennial Section IV, Class B champions on the Blue Devils’ home turf.
Combining smash-mouth football with a well-executed option game, an improved Waverly outfit brings that same in-your-face style back home to face the Norwich Purple Tornado (1-0) tonight at 7 p.m.
“It was really a one-possession game,” said Norwich coach John Pluta, who watched Forks eke out yet another win over a Class B opponent. Chenango Forks has not dropped a game to a division opponent – or any Section IV Class B team – since the early part of this decade. “Waverly has a lot of veteran players back, and they stuck to their game plan against Forks. The thing about Chenango Forks is that they play great positional defense, and they are where they need to be.”
And therein is the rub for Norwich. “We need to play disciplined defense,” Pluta said.
Disciplined defense is what Chenango Forks did quite well in posting a shutout. What the Blue Devils were unable to do is move the ball with any consistency. Norwich mixed in the passing game with its vaunted ball-control running game to rally past Owego. The Tornado had 241 yards of total offense, not a particularly impressive output. But wipe away a three-yard first quarter in which it saw the ball less than two minutes, and the total does not seem that bad. “We’re hoping last week’s win gives us confidence, but the most important thing about the first game is where do you take it from there,” Pluta said. “Chenango Forks had a tough time moving the ball, and we need to prove we can move it. We have to keep our offense on the field a little longer, put together a couple of good drives, and play the field position game.”
Field position swung heavily in Norwich’s favor last week behind the stellar punting of senior Tyler Slater. Slater averaged 45 yards on three punts, and twice pinned Owego inside the one-yard line. “We hope that continues,” Pluta said.
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Elsewhere in Chenango County football:


Tioga (0-1) at Greene (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
A year ago, these two teams played for the final playoff spot in Class C. The Trojans ran away with a five-touchdown victory to clinch a second straight postseason berth. The Trojans looked like a team ready to make it three straight, while Tioga – now a Class D club – floundered in a 34-8 loss to Elmira Notre Dame. “They didn’t lose many players from last year, and they probably have that redemption type of thing in mind,” said Greene coach Tim Paske.
The Trojans piled up nearly 370 yards of offense against the Blackhawks, and allowed less than 50 for the shutout victory in week one. The one glaring shortfall was a minus-three turnover ratio. Greene lost three fumbles and threw an interception to hamper potential scoring drives. “We also had a few penalties that shouldn’t have happened,” Paske said. “We need to stay focused for four quarters, and you won’t win games making that many mistakes against playoff-caliber teams.”

Bainbridge-Guilford (1-0) at Oxford (0-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
This matchup, straight out of the old Susquenango Association East division from years past, became a viable rivalry last season when, the Bobcats defeated Oxford for the first time since the two entered Class D division play.
“Last year was a defensive slugfest, and we expect a lot of the same this year,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly.
Mattingly wasn’t deceived by Greene’s 37-point shutout over Oxford a week ago. His Bobcats matched up with the Trojans in the preseason scrimmage. “Greene is very good, and I think Oxford will be pretty hungry to get their first win,” Mattingly said.
The Bobcats were led by 1,000-yard back Dustin Ross last week, but making big strides was junior quarterback Justin Pepper. Pepper ran for 59 yards and one score, and threw for 91 yards and a score to James Banta. Banta is another surprise for B-G. A backup to start the game, Banta came in for injured incumbent Dustin Rutz, and caught two balls for 53 yards.
On the Oxford side, there was little on the offense to take note. Mattingly expects a bigger game out of senior running back Travis Frank, and is wary of Blackhawks quarterback John Wonka.

Unadilla Valley-Edmeston (0-1) at Sherburne-Earlville, (0-1).
S-E was down 26 points in the first half before coming to life. It played Cazenovia almost straight-up from the late part of the second quarter to the fourth, but it was too late at that point.
UV-E, as well, dug itself a 14-point hole to B-G before losing by seven points. “We shot ourselves in the foot too many times last week,” said Storm coach Jack Loeffler. “We had a turnover or a penalty at crucial times, and we’re fighting to overcome that.”
The Storm did establish a sound inside running game with Eric Bennett and Jay Lloyd each gaining over 50 yards apiece.
S-E’s two best weapons were Nate Kline at running back and Phil Price at receiver. Kline had 62 yards rushing and one score, while Price caught three passes for 45 yards including an acrobatic over-the-shoulder first-down catch in the first quarter. “We were hurt by B-G in the running game when they got outside,” Loeffler. “We’ve worked with our defensive ends all week to keep (S-E’s) running backs contained. We feel if we keep it in the middle, we’re tough to run on.”