Section title just out of Norwich's reach
BINGHAMTON – An elusive Section IV Class B title fell just out of the Purple Tornado’s grasp.
On a fourth-down pass with under 45 seconds to play, Seth Thomsen’s long, arcing toss directed to Kyle Edwards was tipped by Chenango Valley defensive back Justin Gaudinier at the moment ball met fingertips. The oblong ball bounded high in the air, and Edwards futilely dove for the falling pigskin – mere inches away from his outstretched arms before hitting the ground.
The near miss for Norwich ended its drive, and effectively ended its season in a 20-14 loss to the Warriors at Binghamton Alumni Stadium Friday night.
Chenango Valley shifted the field position battle twice in the fourth quarter driving deep into Norwich’s end. The Purple’s defense bent like weakened steel, but failed to break forcing key defensive stops. The Norwich offense, built more for sustained, grind-it-out drives, was unable to shift that defensive momentum to the offensive side of the ball.
“Chenango Valley is a tremendous program, and we have a great program,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “It was a fight right down to the end.”
Down 20-7 in the third quarter, Norwich muscled its way back into the game with a prototypical scoring drive covering 71 yards on nine plays and using nearly five minutes of clock.
Seth Thomsen hit Kyle Edwards on a big 12-yard pass play on a third-and-long to keep the chains moving, Thomsen scrambled 11 yards for a first down, and the inside running of Edwards and Grant Brightman had Norwich headed into the red zone. Edwards raced 15 yard left on an off-tackle run, and hit the corner of the end zone untouched. Zan Stewart’s extra point drew NHS to within 20-14 with nearly a quarter and a half yet to play.
Late in the third, CV stalwart Adam Greene lost his handle of the ball – the game’s lone turnover – and Norwich freshman Mike Oralls made the recovery.
Brightman ran for two first downs, the latter to the CV 39 to end the third quarter.
The Warriors, who missed the extra point on their third touchdown of the game, seemed to be in danger of losing a once 13-point lead.
Greene, who made countless big plays on offense, surged from his linebacker spot to help halt the Norwich possession. He tackled Norwich back Pat Taylor for a three-yard loss on second down, and Norwich was forced to punt when Edwards’ third-down run of two yards left the Tornado far short of the first down marker.
“(When they were driving), I was thinking that I wish we had made that extra point,” said Chenango Valley head coach Jay Hope. “But our kids have persevered all year, and I thought we would make a play. We were able to come up with a big stop.”
Chenango Valley failed to score in the fourth quarter, but dug itself out of bad field position with timely runs. After Norwich’s fourth-quarter punt to the CV 16, Greene hit a seam in the Norwich defense on the first play, and ran 41 yards to the Norwich 43. Although Norwich’s defense tightened, the Tornado again faced a long trek to the goal.
Norwich stalled on its second fourth-quarter drive, and again punted deep into CV territory. Warriors quarterback Kevin Cox, contained all game, raced 37 yards on an option keeper to the Norwich 32. Greene had another big run inside the Norwich 20, and the Warriors were poised to shut the door on Norwich’s fleeting victory hopes. On a fourth-and-two for the Norwich 11, though, Brightman and Edwards stuffed Greene for no gain.
Norwich had less than two minutes on the clock, no timeouts, and 89 yards to the opposite endzone. Thomsen managed one first-down run, but two ill-timed penalties – Norwich’s only infractions of the game – left Norwich needing a near miracle to continue the possession. Edwards, running free down the left sideline for a moment, almost pulled it off. “We were playing our game, but they had a couple of big runs, and it seemed like they were always in four-down territory,” Martinson said. “That put a lot of pressure on our defense, but to hold a team like that to just 20 points and to have an opportunity at the end, I couldn’t ask for more of our kids.”
Greene ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, both of those scores coming in the first half. On its second drive, CV went 56 yards on four plays to move in front 7-0, Greene’s four-yard dash the last of those quartet of play calls.
Norwich traveled 66 yards on 16 plays – and used nearly eight minutes of time – to tie the ballgame up. A 15-yard roughing-the-punter penalty extended the possession, and Brightman’s two-yard score tied the game.
CV’s quick-strike attack answered that TD in just two minutes. Greene returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the Norwich 47, Greene eyed a hole on the left side, and turned it into a 28-yard gainer. Two plays later, Greene covered the remaining 19 yards, again using his speed to outrun the Tornado defense.
“Norwich definitely changed its defensive focus to our quarterback (Cox), so we had to change our offensive focus and have plays for other people ready to go,” Hope said. “Norwich did a great job of pressuring us and defending us today, but I think we stayed just ahead them to eke it out.”
The win was the sixth straight this season for Chenango Valley, who captured a second straight Class B title in the process.
Norwich (5-4), meanwhile, took a step forward this year moving past the first round of the playoffs and into its first sectional final since the 2004 season. “This season says a lot about our JV and varsity programs, the fact that we were a touchdown away from winning a section title,” Martinson said. “It speaks loudly of the way the kids work, our community, and their commitment to the program, especially in the offseason. Most of these guys are three-sport athletes. It’s just a great position for me to be in as head coach, and I love it.”
Scoring Summary
NHS 0 7 7 0–14
CV 7 7 6 0–20
Scoring Summary
First quarter
CV: Adam Greene 4 run (Silvanic kick), 1:26
Second quarter
N: Grant Brightman 2 run (Zan Stewart kick), 6:02
CV: Adam Greene 19 run (Silvanic kick), 4:01
Third quarter
CV: MIke Fillers 4 run (kick blocked), 9:01
N: Kyle Edwards 15 run (Stewart kick), 4:21
Team Summary
N CV
First downs 13 13
Rushes-yds 48-172 45-328
Passing yds 12 31
Comp-att-int 1-6-0 2-3-0
Punts-avg 5-25.4 0-0
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-yds 2-10 2-20
Individual Statistics
Rushing: (N) Kyle Edwards, 16-74; Grant Brightman, 15-44; Pat Taylor, 7-28; Seth Thomsen, 10-26. (CV) Adam Greene, 17-153; Mike Millers, 7-58; Evan Trebilcock, 5-47; Kevin Cox, 10-44; Dominik Forbidussi, 6-26.
Passing: (N) S. Thomsen, 1-5-0, 12 yds, K. Edwards, 0-1-0, 0 yds. (CV) Cox, 2-3-0, 31 yds.
Receiving: (N) Edwards, 1-12 (CV) Zach Collins, 1-28, Fillers, 1-3.
On a fourth-down pass with under 45 seconds to play, Seth Thomsen’s long, arcing toss directed to Kyle Edwards was tipped by Chenango Valley defensive back Justin Gaudinier at the moment ball met fingertips. The oblong ball bounded high in the air, and Edwards futilely dove for the falling pigskin – mere inches away from his outstretched arms before hitting the ground.
The near miss for Norwich ended its drive, and effectively ended its season in a 20-14 loss to the Warriors at Binghamton Alumni Stadium Friday night.
Chenango Valley shifted the field position battle twice in the fourth quarter driving deep into Norwich’s end. The Purple’s defense bent like weakened steel, but failed to break forcing key defensive stops. The Norwich offense, built more for sustained, grind-it-out drives, was unable to shift that defensive momentum to the offensive side of the ball.
“Chenango Valley is a tremendous program, and we have a great program,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “It was a fight right down to the end.”
Down 20-7 in the third quarter, Norwich muscled its way back into the game with a prototypical scoring drive covering 71 yards on nine plays and using nearly five minutes of clock.
Seth Thomsen hit Kyle Edwards on a big 12-yard pass play on a third-and-long to keep the chains moving, Thomsen scrambled 11 yards for a first down, and the inside running of Edwards and Grant Brightman had Norwich headed into the red zone. Edwards raced 15 yard left on an off-tackle run, and hit the corner of the end zone untouched. Zan Stewart’s extra point drew NHS to within 20-14 with nearly a quarter and a half yet to play.
Late in the third, CV stalwart Adam Greene lost his handle of the ball – the game’s lone turnover – and Norwich freshman Mike Oralls made the recovery.
Brightman ran for two first downs, the latter to the CV 39 to end the third quarter.
The Warriors, who missed the extra point on their third touchdown of the game, seemed to be in danger of losing a once 13-point lead.
Greene, who made countless big plays on offense, surged from his linebacker spot to help halt the Norwich possession. He tackled Norwich back Pat Taylor for a three-yard loss on second down, and Norwich was forced to punt when Edwards’ third-down run of two yards left the Tornado far short of the first down marker.
“(When they were driving), I was thinking that I wish we had made that extra point,” said Chenango Valley head coach Jay Hope. “But our kids have persevered all year, and I thought we would make a play. We were able to come up with a big stop.”
Chenango Valley failed to score in the fourth quarter, but dug itself out of bad field position with timely runs. After Norwich’s fourth-quarter punt to the CV 16, Greene hit a seam in the Norwich defense on the first play, and ran 41 yards to the Norwich 43. Although Norwich’s defense tightened, the Tornado again faced a long trek to the goal.
Norwich stalled on its second fourth-quarter drive, and again punted deep into CV territory. Warriors quarterback Kevin Cox, contained all game, raced 37 yards on an option keeper to the Norwich 32. Greene had another big run inside the Norwich 20, and the Warriors were poised to shut the door on Norwich’s fleeting victory hopes. On a fourth-and-two for the Norwich 11, though, Brightman and Edwards stuffed Greene for no gain.
Norwich had less than two minutes on the clock, no timeouts, and 89 yards to the opposite endzone. Thomsen managed one first-down run, but two ill-timed penalties – Norwich’s only infractions of the game – left Norwich needing a near miracle to continue the possession. Edwards, running free down the left sideline for a moment, almost pulled it off. “We were playing our game, but they had a couple of big runs, and it seemed like they were always in four-down territory,” Martinson said. “That put a lot of pressure on our defense, but to hold a team like that to just 20 points and to have an opportunity at the end, I couldn’t ask for more of our kids.”
Greene ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, both of those scores coming in the first half. On its second drive, CV went 56 yards on four plays to move in front 7-0, Greene’s four-yard dash the last of those quartet of play calls.
Norwich traveled 66 yards on 16 plays – and used nearly eight minutes of time – to tie the ballgame up. A 15-yard roughing-the-punter penalty extended the possession, and Brightman’s two-yard score tied the game.
CV’s quick-strike attack answered that TD in just two minutes. Greene returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the Norwich 47, Greene eyed a hole on the left side, and turned it into a 28-yard gainer. Two plays later, Greene covered the remaining 19 yards, again using his speed to outrun the Tornado defense.
“Norwich definitely changed its defensive focus to our quarterback (Cox), so we had to change our offensive focus and have plays for other people ready to go,” Hope said. “Norwich did a great job of pressuring us and defending us today, but I think we stayed just ahead them to eke it out.”
The win was the sixth straight this season for Chenango Valley, who captured a second straight Class B title in the process.
Norwich (5-4), meanwhile, took a step forward this year moving past the first round of the playoffs and into its first sectional final since the 2004 season. “This season says a lot about our JV and varsity programs, the fact that we were a touchdown away from winning a section title,” Martinson said. “It speaks loudly of the way the kids work, our community, and their commitment to the program, especially in the offseason. Most of these guys are three-sport athletes. It’s just a great position for me to be in as head coach, and I love it.”
Scoring Summary
NHS 0 7 7 0–14
CV 7 7 6 0–20
Scoring Summary
First quarter
CV: Adam Greene 4 run (Silvanic kick), 1:26
Second quarter
N: Grant Brightman 2 run (Zan Stewart kick), 6:02
CV: Adam Greene 19 run (Silvanic kick), 4:01
Third quarter
CV: MIke Fillers 4 run (kick blocked), 9:01
N: Kyle Edwards 15 run (Stewart kick), 4:21
Team Summary
N CV
First downs 13 13
Rushes-yds 48-172 45-328
Passing yds 12 31
Comp-att-int 1-6-0 2-3-0
Punts-avg 5-25.4 0-0
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-yds 2-10 2-20
Individual Statistics
Rushing: (N) Kyle Edwards, 16-74; Grant Brightman, 15-44; Pat Taylor, 7-28; Seth Thomsen, 10-26. (CV) Adam Greene, 17-153; Mike Millers, 7-58; Evan Trebilcock, 5-47; Kevin Cox, 10-44; Dominik Forbidussi, 6-26.
Passing: (N) S. Thomsen, 1-5-0, 12 yds, K. Edwards, 0-1-0, 0 yds. (CV) Cox, 2-3-0, 31 yds.
Receiving: (N) Edwards, 1-12 (CV) Zach Collins, 1-28, Fillers, 1-3.
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