Grid Preview: Storm gain confidence after first win

By Patrick Newell

Sun Sports Editor

One and half seasons and 13 games later, Unadilla Valley-Edmeston broke through with a win on Saturday against Moravia. It was no garden-variety victory by any stretch of the imagination, which we will quickly summarize:

• Five overtime periods, a new Section IV record

• 79 rushing attempts by the Storm including 47 from fullback Tom Giordano.

• Moravia quarterback Greg Langtry had two passes dropped in the end zone, and the Devils had a potential game-winning touchdown in the fourth overtime called back.

• Plus, there were two lengthy delays due to Moravia injuries, and the sum total of the action and inaction amounted to a 3-hour, 45-minute game.

“There were some things going on in that game that I have never seen before,” said UV-E head coach Jack Loeffler. “I’ve been in an overtime game, but certainly not five.”

The Storm haven’t played five total overtime periods over the last 12 seasons combined, and at one point an official asked Loeffler if he would settle for a tie.

Loeffler, of course, rejected the official’s notion noting his team’s need for a victory. When Jay Lloyd intercepted Langtry’s pass on fourth down, the players spilled out onto the field. “In the locker room after the game, it didn’t matter what I said or the coaches said,” Loeffler recalls. “They were cheering for everything.”

The product of the victory is a “little more zip” in practice, says Loeffler. Confidence is up heading to tonight’s game with Groton (also with just one win this season), but Loeffler confessed that he was beginning to wonder if his team would indeed get a win this year, and he heard the backdrop of negativity from the fans and community. “It always hurts to hear that talk, and I know it bothered the kids,” Loeffler said. “They’ve shouldered that and felt they had something to prove.”

Now, with the monkey off the team’s collective backs, Loeffler believes the victory may allow the Storm to turn the corner and finish the season strong. “We definitely have a lot more confidence,” he said, “and there is a belief they can do it.”

Game time is 7 p.m. tonight. Below are capsules of Chenango County’s scheduled grid matchups:

Chenango Valley (4-1) at Norwich (3-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

After finishing with three wins to end last season, Chenango Valley has won four of five this season, and that loss – to Chenango Forks last week – was anyone’s game until the late-going. “They dominated a lot of the statistics against Chenango Forks, but they had a couple key mistakes,” said Norwich coach John Pluta, “but they are talented.”

The Warriors have an accurate passer in junior signal-caller, Matt Mullins, who has completed around 62 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns and 101.6 yards per game. Nick Dadamio leads the receiving corps with 15 catches, and a balanced running game features Trevor Cola (403 yards) and fullback Derek Haven (388 yards). “I’m sure they will try to establish the run, but we expect they will throw the ball quite a bit,” Pluta said. “They play a lot of throw-and-catch, and try to get their athletes out into space.”

It couldn’t be a more important game for Norwich, who with one division loss to Chenango Forks already this season, would essentially be out of the playoff picture with another defeat.