Warriors end long drought, beat NHS 24-14

NORWICH – It’s been 10 years since Chenango Valley has had a winning season, and much, much longer since the Warriors beat Norwich.

“They haven’t been all of my years,” joked CV third-year head coach Jay Hope.

Hope’s Chenango Valley squad, loaded with depth and blessed with talented skill position players, defeated Norwich Friday night, 24-14. The loss for Norwich (3-3) was its second in division play, while CV (5-1) holds out hope for a Class B playoff position, and needs a win over Windsor to do it.

“It was a typical, physical Class B football game in Section IV,” said Norwich coach John Pluta. “They were a little tougher than us. Not a lot tougher, but tougher.”

CV tested the Norwich defense with several drives into the red zone area. It had one TD in the first quarter, then two more drives inside the NHS 10 in which it came up with just a Nick Dadamio field goal.

To start the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Matt Mullins, contained all game long, flipped a short shovel pass to Trevor Cola. Cola, another junior back, weaved his way through the Purple defense and raced down the sideline covering 41 yards before he was knocked out of bounds. Cola then scored his second TD of the day upping the lead to 17-6.

Norwich scored on its first possession of the game marching 81 yards to lead early. After that, the host club did not record a first down in the second quarter. A brief excursion in the third quarter covered 43 yards, but Robert Martin’s fourth-down pass was knocked down. That set the stage for CV’s second TD, and NHS’ subsequent emergence from offensive hibernation.

Martin, on a quarterback keeper, shrugged off a shirt tackle, and picked up huge blocks downfield from Keegan Edwards and Tyler Slater to score from 58 yards out to draw Norwich closer. Shane Thompson scooted in untouched on the conversion, and Norwich was back in business with just a three-point deficit.