Football: Class C Division Title game

True grit and hard Knox earn Bears division title

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — Facing a talented and well-prepared Pine Plains team (3-1) in a game that could well determine the temper of their season, the Tri-Valley Bears showed something special on October 2.

Coming in at 1-2 in a season marked by both high and low watermarks, the Bears unveiled uncommon valor, timely defense and a running back gone wild to defeat Class C rival Pine Plains for the 2004 Class C Division Title.

Riding the sensational running of Junior Danny Knox’s 349 yards and four touchdowns, triggered by stellar blocking, the Bears overcame three first quarter turnovers and outpaced the Bombers in round one of this year’s Class C grid wars.

Most of Section Nine’s football titles are like the show “Survivor,” where weaker contestants fall by the wayside, leaving only the staunchest two teams to battle for supremacy. But Class C is more akin to a pair of marquee boxing bouts featuring two vaunted contenders for the crown.

As the section’s only two Class C teams, Tri-Valley and Pine Plains are both assured a berth in the sectional championship game at Dietz Stadium in November.

Metaphorically speaking, the Section Nine title game is the year’s entrée, but the division title game is a tasty appetizer. Last year Tri-Valley lost the division at Pine Plains by the score of 22-14, but came back to take the Sectional title 24-16. The Bears subsequent first-round loss to Dobb’s Ferry, the number two Class C team in the state, ended the 2003 campaign.

The Bears and Bombers renewed their rivalry under threatening skies, but for Tri-Valley, the greater threat would be falling to 1-3.

Winning key football games takes careful preparation, players who are willing to step up and make things happen, and above all else, toughness and desire. Tri-Valley brought all of that with them onto the field while Mother Nature’s ensuing downpour slowed down a fast and dangerous Bomber attack.

Early on it looked as if miscues could be costly for the Bears. A fumble on their first series gave Pine Plains the ball at the Tri-Valley 18-yard-line, but the Bears’ red zone defense didn’t bend. Tri-Valley took over on downs only to fumble again and give the ball right back on the Tri-Valley 38. Split out to the right on a fourth-and-one was Bombers’ wide receiver Pat Hooks, a lethal combination of height and speed. Matched up against him was senior Casey Grey—David versus Goliath.

Grey put a jarring hit on Hooks to break up a first down. In retrospect it was a defining moment, but the Bears soon would be tested again. An interception by Bomber Shane O’Dell gave his team the ball at the Bears’ 25, but assistant coach Jason Semo’s gritty defense held them off again. The turf wars continued until Knox galloped 20 yards for the day’s first score. Alan Coombe rumbled through for the two-point conversion and the Bears led 8-0 with 3:28 to go in the half.

Pine Plains answered right back. A long vertical pass to Hooks set up a touchdown by O’Dell, but Hooks was out of the end zone for the two-point catch. Tri-Valley led 8-6 at the half.

Tri-Valley’s hard-hitting Kevin Hornbeck popped quarterback Jimmy Boyles on an option pitch. The lick took the option play out of the Bombers’ arsenal. While Bears’ defensive end Owen Williams, linebackers Josh and Kevin Smith and safety Matt Smith were bringing their “A” game to bear on running back Jayson Millius and Hooks, Knox moved into the astral zone with his running. His touchdown runs of 35 and 25 yards catapulted his team to a 20-6 lead and took up the slack when Coombe went down with a recurring ankle injury. Pine Plains’ O’Dell got his team within striking distance at 20-12, but the iron curtain defense thwarted the conversion. For good measure Knox added a breakaway 51-yard score to ice the win.

Bears’ coach Dave Viglione knows the rematch will be tough. Played on the turf at Dietz Stadium, the Bombers will be able to speed up the game’s pace. For now, pushing their record to 2-2 is a laudable milestone, but the Bears’ road ahead is a tough one: Section One’s Blind Brook, Sullivan West and John S. Burke Catholic loom as heavy adversaries. The good news is that playing up tends to make you better.

Viglione complimented Pine Plains’ Tom Giorgio: “His team was well-prepared and they played tough,” he said. Pine Plains had posted wins against Delhi, Webutuck and Haldane.

The Bears’ coach also praised his own running back, James Connolly: “He did a great job on downfield blocking,” and defensive end Owen Williams, “who played the game of his life. Casey Grey should earn props for his fine defensive efforts, as should quarterback Joe Garigliano who stood the test of great pressure and led this team to a special win.” Viglione also lauded the efforts of his entire team.

Stat line: Knox: 39 carries for 340 yards with four touchdowns; Alan Coombe: 12-for-33; Josh Smith: eight-for-46. Bears’ total offense: 437 yards with 66 carries for 430 yards. Tri-Valley dominated time of possession.