2015 Chenango Forks Varsity Football

Game 12 vs Bath-Haverling

Chenango Forks 44, Bath-Haverling 22
CF advances to the NYSPHSAA Class C Championship Game
CF's 9th trip to the State Championship Game

Articles courtesy of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin and the The Leader (Corning)

Domeward-bound: Chenango Forks routs Bath

Rob Centorani
rcentorani@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Brutal efficiency on both sides of the ball Saturday brought Chenango Forks' football team the opportunity to play for a third straight state title.

Dylan Studer and L.J. Watson scored two touchdowns apiece, and Tony Silvanic contributed a pair of TD passes in the Blue Devils' 44-22 Class C state semifinal victory over Bath.

Those wearing red helmets at Cicero-North Syracuse High blocked and tackled their way to a 16-point lead two minutes into the second quarter and simply out-muscled the Rams for a vast majority of the afternoon.

Standing in the way of three successive championships? That would be 12-0 Greenwich, a 47-13 winner over Liberty in the other semifinal. The title game is 6 p.m. Friday at the Carrier Dome.

When Studer somehow kept his balance on a stumbling 14-yard scoring burst up the middle and Silvanic kicked the extra point, the 11-1 Blue Devils led, 16-0, with 9:59 left in the first half. Meanwhile, the Rams were still searching for their initial first down.

"We have something in the Dome that's ours and we don't like it when people try to take it away from us," said Studer, who rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 14 carries.

From the very first play from scrimmage, Forks made it clear to the Rams they were seated at the big boys table. Run-oriented Bath opted for a pass and quarterback Michael Rice rolled right. Defensive end Trevor Borchardt felled Rice near the sideline for a 7-yard sack and two plays later, Bath punted.

Borchardt's next big play came from his tight end position. Forks drove from Bath's 48 to the 20. Silvanic dropped to pass. Silvanic sent a high-arching pass to the back of the end zone on the left side. The 6-foot-5 Borchardt tracked it down and kept a foot just inbounds for a touchdown.

"I thought I was out, honestly," Borchardt said. "When (the referee) put his hands up, I was so happy."

Added Forks coach David Hogan: "That was sweet. I can't wait to watch that over again. It was one of the better catches we've seen this year."

The first of six Silvanic extra points made it 7-0 with 7:41 left in the first quarter.

Forks' lead became 9-0 when a high snap from punt formation went over Rice and through the back of the end zone for a safety on the opening play of the second quarter.

Cody Lamond returned the ensuing free kick to Bath's 46. Four plays later, Studer scored and Forks led, 16-0.

Then Bath showed a glimpse of why the first 11 opponents on its schedule walked away losers. It drove 66 yards, a methodical 14-play possession that ended with Patrick Brewer's 4-yard scoring run off the right side.

Still, Forks' lead was 10 and would expand to 17 two minutes later. The highlight on a seven-play, 70-yard answering drive was a 28-yard catch-and-run by Watson. He caught Silvanic's pass about 10 yards down field on the right side and then did his best Fred Astaire impression. Watson's nimble footwork included a turn, a juke, a stop, an escape to the sideline and powerful finish to Bath's 30.

Three plays later, Watson took a handoff right and made a sharp cut up the field on a 13-yard scoring run as Forks took a 23-6 lead into halftime.

"They were just really strong and then when their running backs got outside, we couldn't tackle them," Rice said. "They just outplayed us at the point of attack, that's for sure."

The lead grew to 30-6 when Forks completed a 49-yard drive to start the second half. Silvanic, 5-for-6 for 91 yards on the day, completed an 11-yard pass to Watson and hit Jacob Krupp on a 24-yard scoring pass on the drive. Krupp slipped out unnoticed from his tight end position on the right side and had a 10-yard cushion on Bath's closest defender. Krupp caught Silvanic's lofted pass as he was falling, just over the goal line.

Bath responded with another 14-play drive, all runs in a march that consumed 6 1/2 minutes. Rice scored off the left side from a yard out and then hit Jake Taggart for a two-pointer to make it 30-14 late in third quarter.

No matter, as Forks answered with a 74-yard drive that included a 30-yard run by Lamond around the left end and four Watson carries that netted 33 yards. Watson's 8-yard touchdown run around the right corner extended the lead to 37-14 with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter.

Studer contributed a 62-yard scoring run for a 30-point Forks lead before Rice hit Taggart in the closing seconds on a 22-yard touchdown play to cap the scoring.

"To make a statement on defense is very crucial and then going out and scoring on offense, too, it set the tone for the rest of the game," Ryan Ehrets, named Forks' defensive MVP, said of the Blue Devils' dominant getaway.

Watson gained 99 rushing yards and 39 more receiving. He was named the Blue Devils' offensive MVP.

Chenango Forks too much for Bath

Bob Benz
Corning - The Leader

By the time the Bath Haverling Rams got their act together offensively Saturday, their deficit was simply too much to overcome.

Particularly against two-time defending state champion Chenango Forks, which made methodical scoring drives into an art form during its 44-22 victory over Bath in a Class C state semifinal playoff game at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

“They put up 44 points on us and we didn’t play horrible,” Bath head coach Wayne Carroll said. “That’s why they’re state champs. Our defense was a little soft and they were fast. They made a lot of plays when they had the ball. It’s going to take a great football team to beat them.”

Chenango Forks (11-1) will move on to play Greenwich in the Class C state championship game at 6 p.m. Friday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The Blue Devils will go for their third straight Class C state title against the Section II champion Witches.

With a chance to advance to the state championship game for the first time in the program’s history, Bath (11-1) started out flat offensively and looked nothing like the defense that pitched six shutouts prior to Saturday. As a result, the Rams were ousted in the state semifinal round for the fourth time since 2001. It also marked the third time (2015, 2002, 2001) the Section IV champion Blue Devils ended the Rams’ season one step short of a chance to play for a state title.

“We started off pretty slow and that really hurt us,” Carroll said.

After the Rams fell into a 16-0 hole early in the second quarter, they found a rhythm offensively and produced touchdown-scoring drives on three of their next five possessions.

But the Rams’ normally-stingy defense was virtually helpless in stopping the Blue Devils’ multifaceted offense, which found the end zone on six of seven possessions to advance to the state championship game.

“They’re definitely the biggest team we’ve faced,” Carroll said. “They move well for big guys and their running backs are all very skilled.”

With the exception of an eight-play drive that ended in a punt and one final play to run out the clock, the Blue Devils converted six different drives that lasted between five to nine plays into six touchdowns and 42 points.

Dylan Studer rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to lead Forks’ ground attack, while teammate L.J. Watson added 97 yards and another two TDs on 17 carries.

Quarterback Tony Silvanic completed 5 of 6 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns - including a 20-yard scoring strike to Trevor Borchardt, who caught a pass in the back of the end zone to give Forks a 7-0 lead at the 7:41 mark of the first quarter.

Chenango Forks amassed 409 yards from scrimmage and never turned the ball over.

After a mishandled Bath punt snap led to a Chenango Forks safety on the first play of the second quarter to make it 9-0, the Blue Devils drove 46 yards in five plays on the ensuing possession to go up 16-0 on the first of Studer’s two touchdowns.

Following three consecutive three-and-out possessions to begin the game, the Rams showed signs of life when they pieced together a 14-play, 66-yard scoring march that was capped on Patrick Brewer’s four-yard touchdown run.

It was Brewer’s first action since Bath’s sectional championship game win against East Rochester/Gananda two weeks earlier when he ripped off two 80-plus yard touchdown runs. Playing with a sore knee that sidelined him last week, Brewer was used on a limited basis and finished with 39 yards rushing on seven carries.

“He’s still hurting, but he tried,” Carroll said. “We needed a bye week or something. That was a good football team and we weren’t going to beat those guys without Brewer. We didn’t have that kind of punch.”

Although Bath cut its deficit to 10 after the two-point conversion attempt failed, it was as close as the Rams would come.

A late first-half touchdown and another TD on the opening possession of the second half stretched the Blue Devils’ lead to 30-6 with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter.

“They were just blocking our ends and getting outside of us and we weren’t able to tackle them,” Brewer said. “I don’t think we really came ready to play. Our offense wasn’t on and our defense wasn’t on.”

Even when Bath answered with another ball-control scoring drive, it proved way too little and way too late. A 14-play, 67-yard march ended on quarterback Michael Rice’s one-yard touchdown run. The Rams converted for two when Rice threw up a desperation pass that was deflected and hauled in by Jake Taggart, making it 30-14 with 1:18 left in the third quarter.

Two more Chenango Forks touchdowns in the fourth quarter and a drive-ending interception gave the Blue Devils a commanding 44-14 lead.

Bath closed the scoring when Rice connected with Taggart on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 23.5 seconds left in the game.

Rice finished with 53 yards rushing and a TD on 16 attempts and was named Bath’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. Teammate Chris Ward earned Bath’s Most Valuable Defensive Player and Bath’s Jacob Cupp was recognized with the game’s Sportsmanship Award.

Bath’s Tyler Finch rushed for 56 yards rushing on 13 carries and Connor DiDomineck amassed 20 yards on four carries. Taggart caught three passes for a touchdown and 57 yards.

“We wanted to go farther than any team at Bath, but 11 wins is a great season,” Carroll said. “I’ll take 11-1 any year. I feel bad I can’t work with the seniors one more week. The message for them is pain is temporary and pride is forever. We had a great season and a lot of people don’t have the experience of going 11-1.”

Stevens: For Forks, Tioga, title drive alive

Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

One state championship defense continues. Ditto for another’s journey to view from the peak.

Not so festive was it for the program that has justifiably seized marquee billing in Section 4 football and beyond.

Two-for-three went local sides on semifinal weekend at Cicero-North Syracuse High, from which we emerge having experienced two noteworthy bombshells:

First, neither digit-stinging cold nor a drop of precipitation interfered three weeks into an Upstate New York November.

Second, that which transpired in Friday’s nightcap.

Not that Maine-Endwell lost a football game. Uh-uh. After five calendar years and 62 successive cheery outcomes, a teary one was overdue. It was just that, that 43-26 setback dealt by Buffalo’s South Park High had a feel of, “Who are these boys in blue and, Damn It! what have you done with the Spartans?”

In hindsight? No surprise whatsoever that Chenango Forks and Tioga reserved space in the Carrier Dome a day after Thanksgiving, and that M-E will not conduct practice on that holiday for the first time since 2010.

Why?

As a sage colleague astutely and succinctly noted: The turnover count for Section 4’s newly-minted state finalists was a combined zero. The ousted local team gave it away/had it taken seven times.

(Telling nugget brought forth by Centorani, R.)

Tioga Central was first to C-NS’ turf Friday night and emerged with a squeeze-the-wheel escape from Irondequoit’s Bishop Kearney. The Tigers ain’t accustomed to 38-36 but they’ll gleefully take that one.

Chenango Forks was last of the locals in action, and extended a pattern of very good-and-getting-better football by besting unbeaten, third-ranked and big-bodied Bath, 44-22.

Forty-four! Or, a dozen more than Section 5’s champions permitted in their first nine games of 2015.

“It started with our line, our line was the biggest part of the game,” said Dylan Studer, rusher of 120 yards and maker of two touchdowns. “Our game plan right from the beginning was beat them up front, and we stuck to the game plan the entire time and it worked for us.”

As center Ryan Ehrets suggested, “We played very well offensively, I’d say, moved those big guys who normally can’t be moved.”

Indeed.

The boys from Bath were big, both-way big and intent on delivering a memory-maker of a thwack whenever possible. Clean but bruising smack-&-whack football, is all.

Thing is? Bath had not encountered the likes of the Red Helmets, not this season.

Forks was better, quicker, more versatile. Oh, and the Devils’ athletes were just plain superior.

L.J. Watson provided some spectacular stuff out of the backfield, via the rush or reception.

Studer, Cody Lamond and Tim McDonald more than did their part.

Together, they tended to one another’s needs. Blocking by the backs on rushes around end was Grade-A. These guys get it. One isn’t at his best without the others’ contributions, and they clearly grasped that Saturday.

Forks rang up 16 points before Bath logged its initial first down, 2:42 into second-quarter play.

Oh, as for that crossbar-high snap with the Rams in punt formation from their 10-yard line and subsequent safety on the first play of the second quarter? Kinda get an idea where the outcome is going when something of that nature pops up.

Forks knows its way around protecting a lead under any circumstances, has for years. But give the Devils a 16-pointer against an opponent that ordinarily eschews the forward pass? Game, set, match.

Bath was left little choice but to do some passing to the Blue Devils’ delight.

“If they’re throwing the ball, they’re out of their element. So, yes, and that’s what we wanted them to do,” coach David Hogan said. “They had a drive or two where they pretty much had their way, but, a lot of times we just bend but don’t break.”

To go with that 44-point harvest, Devilish defense was in evidence throughout.

From defensive MVP Ehrets to Tony Silvanic, Lamond and Studer. Brandin Paulhamus, Trevor Borchardt, Seth Bush, Watson and Nick Hutchinson and the rest of the cast. Forks essentially limited this Bath scoring machine to two touchdowns, save for that Firsts-versus-Seconds TD with 24 seconds remaining.

“We emphasized not being moved on the defensive front, and just playing hard,” said Ehrets.

And so, Friday in the Dome brings twofold opportunity for Section 4’s finest. And while one squad’s championship chase hit a spike strip, the following needs acknowledgement.

Maine-Endwell ran into one of those nights. It happens. And the Spartans’ offensive leader, quarterback Kyle Balmer, had a rough go of it the night long in the face of continuous South Park harassment. Wasn’t his finest hour, and he’d be the first to say so.

But when it ended? Moments after 62 in a row became past tense? Balmer was tapped on the back by way of request for a quick chat.

Some might have, politely or otherwise, sought a path toward the nearest exit gate.

Not K.B.

Through tears and quivering voice and all the emotions that spill from a youngster reacquainted with defeat for the first time since whenever, he manned up, answered best as he could. He made himself accountable, is what he did.

An individual’s character is more truly revealed in the wake of a shortcoming than when in celebratory mode.

That, more so than two seasons of quarterbacking excellence, will be my lasting impression of Kyle Balmer.

	01	02	03	04		Tot
Chenango Forks	7	16	7	14	-	44
Bath-Haverling	0	6	8	8	-	22

CF - Trevor Borchardt 20y pass from Tony Silvanic (Silvanic kick)

CF - Safety, ball snapped out of end zone

CF - Dylan Studer 14y run (Silvanic kick)

BH - Patrick Brewer 4y run (pass failed)

CF - LJ Watson 13y run (Silvanic kick)

CF - Jacob Krupp 24y pass from Silvanic (Silvanic kick)

BH - Michael Rice 1y run (Jake Taggart pass from Rice)

CF - Watson 8y run (Silvanic kick)

CF - Studer 62y run (Silvanic kick)

BH - Taggart 33y pass from Rice (Jeremiah Kinner pass from Rice)

TEAM STATISTICS

	B-H	CF
First Downs	14	19
Rushes-Yards	43-144	45-323
Passing Yards	70	91
Comp-Att-Int	4-12-1	5-6-0
Total Offense	55-214	51-414
Punts-Ave yards	2-27	1-41
Fumbles-Lost	1-0	0-0
Penalties-Yards	2-10	2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Bath-Haverling rushing

Tyler Finch 13-55
Patrick Brewer 7-38, 1 TD
Michael Rice 16-36, 1 TD
Connor DiDomineck 5-26
Jeremiah Kinner 1-(-1)
team 1-(-10)

Chenango Forks rushing

Dylan Studer 14-120, 2 TDs

LJ Watson 16-99, 2 TDs

Cody Lamond 6-80

Tim McDonald 5-24

Tony Silvanic 3-2

Dylan Frey 1-(-2)

Bath-Haverling passing

Rice 4-for-12, 70y, 1 TD, 1 int.

Chenango Forks passing

Silvanic 5-for-6, 91y, 2 TDs

Bath-Haverling receiving

Taggart 3-57, 1 TD
DiDomineck 1-13

Chenango Forks receiving:

Watson 2-39
Borchardt 1-20, 1 TD
Krupp 1-24, 1 TD
Lamond 1-8

Preview Article(s)

Forks vs. Bath: Tough on Tough in football semi

Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

A large, unbeaten and, through much of the season, dominant squad will oppose Chenango Forks in Saturday’s Class C state football semifinal at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

Bath’s Haverling High has been tested in two games this season, 10- and eight-point victories the last two weekends.

In nine games preceding those, the aggregate score was Rams 414, Others 32.

At stake Saturday will be a berth in the title game, 6 p.m. Nov. 27 in the Carrier Dome against Greenwich or Liberty.

“They are enormous. Very, very big and strong up front,” Blue Devils coach David Hogan said of Bath. “They run that double-wing offense, which we haven’t played against all year. Obviously that’s a concern, but something we hope we’ll be ready for by Saturday.”

Bath won those first nine games by 26 or more points, in the process scoring 44 or more in seven.

But last weekend’s quarterfinal against Maple Grove/Chautauqua Lake brought the greatest challenge of the season as the season-low point total in a 16-8 win would suggest. However, the Rams played that one without their top offensive producer.

Running back Patrick Brewer, a four-digit rusher with 23 touchdowns, missed the game with a knee ailment. That opened opportunity for several sophomores, who combined for 180 yards from scrimmage and two TDs. Leading that group was Tyler Finch (5-8, 165), who went for 102 rushing yards.

Brewer (5-11, 190) scored twice from beyond 80 yards in Bath’s 40-30 win over East Rochester-Gananda for the Section 5 championship.

“You look at the previous game and you could tell that he was all over the place, offensively and defensively,” Hogan said. “So that’s concerning that they were able to win against a very good team without him.”

The Rams’ 5-2 defense, however, had better be at its best against a Forks squad that has averaged 42 points in three playoff games.

Playoff experience will side with the Blue Devils, two-time defending state champions who’ve reached the final four for a fourth consecutive year. Bath will participate in the program’s first semifinal since 2008.

Forks has played some of its finest football in recent weeks. Combined halftime scores the last three weekends have favored the Devils, 84-0, and six touchdowns have come from 28 or more yards three from 64 or better.

“I think we can definitely get better every single week, and we have been,” said two-way backfield starter L.J. Watson. “(The Section 4 final) was our best game but we came out (against Utica Notre Dame) and had to think that this was going to be our best game of the season. That’s the way we’ll look at it every game we go into.”

Bath hopes to make history against Forks

Bob Benz
Corning - The Leader

In three previous trips this deep into the playoffs, the state semifinal round has been the stumbling block for the Bath Haverling Rams.

In 2008, Bath suffered a 27-0 shutout at the hands of Oneida in the Class B state semifinal round. Similarly, in 2001 and 2002, the Rams were ousted from the state semifinals by Chenango Forks.

And while another state semifinal encounter looms with Chenango Forks, as in the two-time defending state champion Blue Devils, Bath head coach Wayne Carroll has heavily emphasized the opportunity the 2015 Rams have to make history.

“We told our football team, if they want to be the best team ever to walk the halls at Haverling, you’ve got to win because that means you went farther than any other Bath team,” Carroll said following practice Friday. “You can debate all you want on who had the best football team, but if we went the farthest, that’s tough to debate against. We have not won this (state semifinal) game. We are 0-3 in this game. If we win, it would be a great victory and that would help our football team indefinitely.”

Bath (11-0) will take on Chenango Forks (10-1) at noon today at Cicero-North Syracuse High School in a NYSPHSAA Class C semifinal playoff game. A date in Friday’s state championship game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse awaits the winner.

So just how good is Chenango Forks? Aside from rattling off back-to-back state championships in each of the past two seasons, the Blue Devils’ most impressive outing this season just might be their lone blemish of 2015 thus far. In Week 2 of this season, Chenango Forks dropped a 28-21 loss to Class A juggernaut Maine-Endwell, the four-time defending state champ and still building on a 62-game winning streak.

“We know what we’re up against,” Carroll said. “They’re a good football program and we have to play our best and we’ve got to be great with the football and we’ve got to put points on the board and we have to make sure that our defense is on. We can’t be soft.”

One player Carroll and the Rams plan to key on is quarterback Tony Silvanic, who began the season at tight end, before switching to quarterback last month. Former starting QB L.J. Watson now mainly runs in the Blue Devils’ option attack, which ran roughshod over Utica Notre Dame en route to a 35-8 state quarterfinal victory last week. Silvanic ran for three scored and passed for another in the win.

“Their quarterback is a real tough kid, plays inside linebacker on defense, wears a neck roll,” Carroll said. “You don’t usually see quarterbacks with cowboy collars and neck rolls. That tells you a little about the physical nature of his athletic ability.”

Carroll also noted Forks’ oversized line.

“They run option and power and they just overpower you with their gigantic line,” Carroll said.

Bath advanced last week following a 16-8 win against Maple Grove/Chautauqua Lake in the state quarterfinals, a win the Rams were able to pull off without their best runner, Patrick Brewer, who sat out with a bruised knee.

Brewer is expected to return, but Carroll isn’t sure his top back will be at 100 percent. In Bath’s sectional title game victory, Brewer ripped off a pair of 80-plus yard touchdown runs to seal a 40-30 victory.

“He’s going to play but I don’t know where he’s at as far as his speed,” Carroll said of Brewer. “I just want to make sure his play is going to help us. I don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s going against a great team at half speed.”

Carroll said he was encouraged by the success the Rams were able to have last week, even without their top offensive weapon.

“It shows that we’re a good football team,” Carroll said. “Good football teams aren’t one person. We would be better off if he was 100 percent because that would give us a little more offensive pop.”

Dual-threat duo key for Forks, M-E

Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

One is a quarterback who wasn’t penciled in for a whole ton of time at linebacker.

The other is a linebacker who was not to have played any quarterback.

But here they are, Maine-Endwell’s Kyle Balmer and Chenango Forks’ Tony Silvanic, still kickin’ oh, that, too on teams that continue defense of multiple state football championships.

As they say in The Corps: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome.

And these two state semifinalists have.

Balmer was to have defended “as necessary,” according to coach Matt Gallagher’s pre-season blueprint.

Of late, his presence at outside linebacker has been necessary.

Silvanic? Tight end was his offensive position, and one at which he excelled. But, as coach David Hogan said, “As the season went on and the more we kept experimenting with him at quarterback, I think we realized together that this team is probably better with Tony at quarterback.”

What they are, these two superior athletes, are indispensable members of squads one win away from returning to what for each has been a Dome Away From Home.

The respective rosters list Balmer at 6-2 and 202, Silvanic at 6-1 and 225. Strong, sturdy boys. And tough, not an ounce of pretty boy in either and we’ve all seen pretty-boy quarterbacks.

Balmer was “The Other Kyle” when he debuted as varsity quarterback. That was in the 2013 opener in the Dome, after third-year starter Kyle Gallagher absorbed a shot to the head a few minutes in against Nottingham. The newbie showed promise, directing the Spartans to 354 yards and the program’s 26th consecutive win.

Since?

Balmer has played two magnificent seasons at quarterback as that streak has blossomed to a flip-flop of the 2 and the 6.

M-E’s modus operandi on offense calls for its leader to be an acute decision-maker, unselfish, light on his feet, willing to absorb a whack and able to drop the occasional forward pass where it needs to be dropped.

In Balmer’s case? Check. Check. Check. Check. And check.

But since the onset of Section 4 playoffs, that offensive catalyst has transitioned into a two-way mainstay, providing that “as necessary” defensive presence with regularity.

“Because of certain things, where we are now in the season and other people like Drew (Gallagher) getting hurt, we’ve had to make some adjustments and move people around,” Coach Matt said. “That’s why he’s in there.”

“Now we understand that, there’s no tomorrow.”

In M-E’s most recent outing, a 42-7 quarterfinal win against Whitesboro, Balmer’s most notable defensive contribution was a 56-yard interception return for his team’s fourth touchdown of the opening quarter. But also came the likes of the less-glamorous, such as when he positioned himself to swat away a deep pass with Whitesboro driving early in the third quarter, and all the tackles in which he had a hand.

It’s about answering the call with impactful results.

Forks’ Silvanic, even before the unexpected shift to full-time quarterback, was asked to move this season from defensive end to linebacker no simple switch. He’s handled that tremendously, and done so atop grasping all the nuances that go into orchestrating Forks’ offense following his shift from tight end to quarterback.

“Tony is continuously getting better week-in and week-out,” Hogan said. “We move one of our best blocking linemen to quarterback, and he gets better there every week. We move one of the best defensive ends in the area to linebacker and he continues to get better there. We couldn’t ask for more.”

Oh, and talk about versatility? In Week 2 against Maine-Endwell, when Forks stormed back from the verge of something ugly to a 28-21 loss, Silvanic tugged jersey No. 53 over the pads and had a go of it at offensive tackle.

Seriously.

The Blue Devils went for a time with L.J. Watson at quarterback. But it became apparent that, well, Watson’s considerable talents were of more value at running back. And so, enter Silvanic behind stout center Ryan Ehrets, where he needs to be an acute decision-maker, unselfish, light on his feet, willing to absorb a whack and able to drop the highly infrequent forward pass where it needs to be dropped.

In Silvanic’s case? Check. Check. Check. Check. And check.

“I think he wanted to stay at tight end as much as I wanted him to stay at tight end originally,” Hogan said. “ … But this is the way to go and of course Tony, he’s a team player anyway, he’d do whatever we wanted him to do.”

Silvanic was a clear-cut choice as MVP of Forks’ 35-8 quarterfinal win against Utica Notre Dame.

To go with virtual omnipresence defensively, he rushed for three TDs, passed for another and a 43-yard beauty it was and generally managed matters without incident as the Devils advanced to the program’s 12th state-tournament semifinal.

And these two lads are special-teamers as well. Balmer punts for Maine-Endwell. “Sure Shoe” Silvanic kicks for Forks.

Each is surrounded by talent aplenty, and each operates in a system that accentuates widespread contributions rather than singular stat sheet-stuffers.

But these two are glue guys. Without them, the likelihood of extending state-championship streaks shrinks.

Post-game Midweek Article(s):

Fifth Quarter:

Rob Centorani
rcentorani@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Mammoth sack

If Chenango Forks does a highlight video after the season, it's a certainty Brandin Paulhamus' sack in the fourth quarter of Bath's Michael Rice will be featured prominently.

The Blue Devils' 44-22 victory had already been sealed, with the Rams trailing 44-14. Bath set up for a second-and-5 from its 43.

Paulhamus, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, entered the backfield from the left side and with Rice focused downfield, unloaded a huge hit, one the quarterback didn't see coming. Rice fumbled but teammate Jake Taggart scooped it up at Bath's 30-yard line and raced 30 yards for a first down. Rice was shaken up but only missed a few plays.

"I was looking to throw a post pattern and it took the wind right from me," Rice said of Paulhamus' hit.

Putting it on line

Dylan Studer, L.J. Watson and Cody Lamond gained 120, 99 and 80 yards, respectively, on the ground for the Blue Devils on Saturday.

Overall, Forks finished with 323 rushing yards on 45 attempts.

Studer, who scored two touchdowns, was quick to credit the offensive line.

"It's amazing," he said. "You can put anybody in the backfield behind a solid offensive line and they'll get some yards. We're thankful we have a solid line and they do the things they do."

Preparation pays off

In building a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter, the Blue Devils outgained Bath, 131-7.

During that stretch, three Bath runs went for no yards, a sack resulted in a 7-yard loss and the Rams lost 10 yards on a botched snap on a punt that went for a safety.

"The coaches prepare us very well," two-way lineman Ryan Ehrets said. "They mimic their offense and defense during practice and they do a great job."

While Ehrets praised the coaching staff, coach David Hogan put it on the players.

"They always want to be taught more," he said. "It's even challenging for the coaches sometimes. I feel like we're not doing enough here. The players we have, I wouldn't trade them for anyone."

Behind the scenes

The tightly-bunched, double-wing offense employed by Bath much of the way was something Forks doesn’t see much of on the home front, and so film study and practice-field reps were off the essence for Forks in the week leading to Saturday.

The result?

Bath was held to its second-lowest point total of the season— and needed a last-minute TD and two-pointer to head off a season low.

“I think we did it very well with the people we had, let me tell you,” Hogan said. “It’s tough, with stuff like that it’s so tough. We had our preppies watching their offense. A lot of them did that and that helped out a lot.

“You’re never going to simulate that perfectly because this is what those guys do all the time. We try to cram this in in a week and obviously they did a great job with it. Our preppies did outstanding.”

Chenango Forks versus Bath-Haverling
~ Transcending Sporting Contests ~

There is something I wish to share about the Bath-Haverling Rams football program.

CF and Bath met in the state semifinals twice before, in 2001 & 2002. In both games the Blue Devils advanced.

Bath's quarterback in both of those games, was a fine athlete by the name of Keith Cagle. I am not just saying that, I recall watching him and realizing how good of an athlete he was.

In the late summer of 2006, just nineteen days after his 22nd birthday, Keith passed away.

Obviously a shock to all that knew and loved him, from what I have been told by a radioman from the Bath area, the Rams football team and program remembers Keith in a special way.

He told me that
"...he is beloved around the football family. I know in big games and around his birthday Coach Carroll will take a time out with 4 seconds to go - 4 was Keith's number - and they hold up 4 fingers on the sideline and remember him."

How wonderfully special is that?

A remembrance of #4
Keith Michael Cagle (August 16, 1984 -September 4, 2006)