Week 6 - "Games of the Week" with Roger Neel

In this episode, Roger Neel and I preview the "Games of the Week" for Week 6 of the 2022 Section IV Football Season.

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Cover Four. If you're a Section Four football fan, this is your podcast. I'm Coach Smith and I'll be your host. The Cover Four podcast is brought to you by TDS Performance Improvement. Leading people is the most important responsibility in the world, yet 60% of first-time leaders fail. TDS Performance Improvement prevents these failures. Beginning in January of 2023, TDS Performance Improvement will deliver a monthly first-time leader development program at the Tiger Downs Casino in Nichols, New York. Join me for an online introduction to this program on Tuesday, November 15th at 12 noon. Visit TDSPI.com. That's TDSPI.com and click register. Welcome to week six of the Section 4 football season. Today, my Hall of Fame broadcast partner, Roger Neal and I will be analyzing the four games of the week. For the third week in a row, all four of our games will be Friday night lights games with 7 p.m. kickoffs. All four games are divisional matchups. One of the eight teams is still undefeated, and four are New York State ranked. One at number one, one at two, one at five, and one at eleven. And remember, you can watch most of the Section 4 football games on YouTube for free by subscribing to a particular school's YouTube channel. On Friday evenings, I watch five or six games and sometimes two or three on Saturday. You might say I'm a junkie. Remember, check with your school for any last-minute schedule updates. Let's go. Our first game is a Class A homecoming showdown. The four and two Horseheads Blue Raiders, receiving an honorable mention ranking this week, led by Coach Hillman, will be visiting the three and two Golden Bears led by Coach Crundan, and that game will be at Dick Hoover Stadium. I'm sure the Raiders are looking to crash the Golden Bears homecoming festivities. Roger?

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Yeah, this is going to be, I think, exciting. First of all, homecoming anytime a home team is able to do that in front of alumni, a lot of parents and fans. It's going to be extra exciting. But I think this is going to be very interesting because you've got teams that have been playing very well. From my standpoint, seeing Vestel right up there with a three-and-two record winning the last couple of times out is exciting because they've been trying to come back into the pack and do some good things, and they're doing that this year. They were 0-2 to start the season, lost to Johnson City and Omira. They've come back with a couple of wins, and they also had some big time points put up, too. They uh rolled by Binghamton 41-0, and then also crushed Ithaca last week, 65-0. So their offense is in full gear. Now, horseheads, a tough defense, and they won three in a row, coming in overall at 4-2. So I think this will be a very interesting game. Vestal is a huge game for them because if they can knock off horseheads, they really are going to be on the way to establishing themselves as a bona fide top team in our area.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Exactly. I agree, Roger. Our second game is a Class D contest. The four and one Walton Warriors, ranked number 11 in the state, led by Coach Hoover, traveled to Sydney to take on the one and four Warriors led by Coach Matthews. This is one of those chuck-em games we've talked about, Roger. Chuck the records. Uh, there's a lot of history between these two schools, and I give the nod to the Warriors in this game. Roger.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Yeah, Walton has been uh playing some outstanding football offensively in particular. Their only loss so far this year came at the hands of the high-flying Tyoga Club, 54 to 14. Last week they rolled by Harpersville Afton 54 to nothing. So they're putting a ton of points up. Sydney only one and five overall. Their only win came against Deposit Hancock. But as you said, they are uh playing um against an old rival. And again, you can toss the book right out the window with that one. Last week, uh again, um they played and they lost to Tyoga, 60 to nothing. But again, Tyoga is on a roll, also. So it looks like Walton going in, certainly is favored, but Sydney can try to pull one upset, and for them, that would be perhaps the biggest game of the year for them.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Exactly. Our third game is also a class D game. The unfeated and number one ranked Tioga Tigers, led by Coach Ayolo, take the short drive north to face the two and three Spencer Bennett and Cander Warriors, led by Coach Chafee. Although this is a backyard game, the Warriors will have their hands full with the Tyoga Tigers. Roger?

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Yeah, and and Tyoga, you talk about a machine. My goodness, what a tremendous program, and they continue that this year. This is pretty amazing. I was looking at the statistics. They've scored 305 points in their five games, averaging almost 51 points a game. But how about the defense? They've only given up 8.8 points a game. So you combine a stingy, and that's an understatement defense with that high-playing offense. And you got to figure also with the number of points they're putting up, they've got to be playing at least a quarter of a game, if not more, with their second team in there. So that means that who knows what they could put up if they had to have their full starting units in there the entire game. Spencer Vanett and Kander, two and three, and they won last week big time, 50 to nothing over Bainbridge Guildford. And before that, though, the defense was mega tested. They give up 60 points against Walton, 49 against Delaware Academy. So the defense certainly is going to be very, very tested in this game. Not only are they going to try to have to try to shut down the high-flying Tyoga team, but just to keep themselves in the ball game, it's going to be awfully tough because if Tyoga uses that ground game that they're so good at, they'll control the ball for probably at least half of each quarter. So not only does that mean that you're up against the eight-ball trying to stop them, but you're not going to get the ball much. So it's going to be a tough test, certainly, for um Spencer Bennett and Cantor in that one.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Our fourth and final game is what I call a Class C collision with a capital C. The once beaten and number two ranked Shenango Forks Blue Devils, led by Coach Hogan, travel west to challenge the undefeated and sixth-ranked Waverly Wolverines, led by Coach Miller. I believe both defenses will be challenged in this game. This is a homecoming game of sorts for Coach Hogan, whose dad, also Dave, was born in Waverly and played quarterback for the Wolverines for his uncle, Robert Hogan. Very interesting and long history there. The game will definitely be worth the price of a mission. Or tune into the Wolverine's YouTube channel. You don't want to miss this one. These two schools have very involved communities, and their home games have a small college atmosphere. Memorial Stadium will be rocking Friday evening, Roger.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

It sure will. And you know, interestingly, we've been talking about not only the D teams, but C competition too, which is so tremendous in our Section 4 area. And you know, it used to be in years gone by, sure, you'd talk about Tyoga, Walton, but you'd also have A and A teams that got the headlines, and they're doing well. But again, you look at some of the smaller schools. Now remember the time Waverly, the Forks, and Maine Enwell all were in one classification. I remember us talking on the air that how sad it was going to be that two of those three teams wouldn't even make it out of the section, and any of the three could have been a state champion. So that's amazing. And the forks going in, five and one record. They cruised, crushing Chenago Valley last week, 62 to 7. CV scored their first possession, the first play, and then lights out. The forks took over and play like they can, and they rolled big. Waverly, wow. Last weekend they beat Susquehanna Valley 34 to 12. They're putting a lot of points up, averaging 39 a game, and they've given up only an average of 13 points a game. So the defense for Waverly up against the Forks, tough offense, and then vice versa. This looks like a very evenly matched game, and it should be uh perhaps the marquee game of the whole section for slate this weekend.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

And also I'll add to that, Roger. This could be uh I don't like to get too far ahead of ourselves, but this could be a a preview of what the uh Section C uh championship game could look like as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Sure, absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Well, that wraps up week six, Roger. Thank you very much and uh appreciate what you do. Take care.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

All right, thanks, Sam.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

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