Friday afternoon saw a tough ending to an otherwise terrific season for Tuckahoe, as the Tigers fell one win short of their ultimate goal, losing to Section 4 Tioga 42-31 in the New York State Class D Football Championship Game.
Tuckahoe—making its first state finals appearance since 2012—seemed to be in stride early on, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead over their opponents. But Tioga, led by undersized running back Logan Bellis, kept pace with the Section 1 champs, matching them score for score before taking a lead into halftime.
Bellis would finish the day with four touchdowns on the day, running behind a physical Tioga line that opened sizable holes for the diminutive speedster. Tuckahoe senior captain and defensive lineman Connor Scully credited Bellis for a terrific performance on the big stage, noting that his style bore more than a passing resemblance to Tuckahoe’s own Declan Connolly, who also busted out a long touchdown run on Friday.
“He’s fast, he’s relentless and he reminds me a lot of our running back,” said Scully. “He’s not the biggest, but he’s a brave runner and he just loves football, he definitely deserves all the credit.”
Offensively, Tuckahoe was led by a heroic performance from quarterback Connor Brice, who rushed for 214 yards and three of his team’s four scores on the day. Killian Curylo had nine tackles to lead the defense.
Scully said that the Tigers knew coming in that Tioga would present a unique challenge, boasting both size and speed that have proved difficult for most teams—Tioga finished the year with a 13-1 record—have been unable to contend with.
“We knew right away from the first snap this was going to be a tough one; they have a very good defensive line, they were dogs, and they just outworked us in the end,” said Scully. “But I’m so proud of all my teammates; even though we didn’t come away with the win, we never wavered and we never backed down.”
Tuckahoe finishes the year with a 10-2 record, it’s only losses coming against Tioga and Class C State Champion Bronxville. And even if the Tigers came up short in the championship game, said Scully, this year is one that won’t soon be forgotten.
“It was a great season because since day one in June, the goal was always to do this together,” said the senior. “I’m sad to be gone, but I know that my boys are going to be back here next year.”
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