Dakota Vandermark of Bainbridge-Guilford, and Kurt Shear of Greene set new single-season rushing records for their schools, and the running duo head up our 2010 Evening Sun Football All-Star Team.
From a team perspective, Norwich returned to the playoffs a second straight year, Greene made it six straight winning seasons under head coach Tim Paske, and B-G fifth-year head coach, Tim Mattingly, piloted the Bobcats to a fifth straight winning campaign.
Norwich typically dominant with its running game, used a stingy defense that allowed less than 14 points a game during the regular season to garner a Class B playoff spot.
“We asked a lot of our defense, and they really gave us a lot,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We just need to improve our rushing game next year, and the passing comes off of our running. We’ll be back and we’re optimistic about next year.”
Greene found itself in a division that included state-ranked Sidney and Chenango Forks, yet still managed to post its best rushing numbers in the eight years under Paske. With the exception of losses to Forks and Sidney, Greene’s defense was usually pretty sound. “We just turned it over too many times in key situations,” Paske said of the losses. “We had nine players this year with varsity experience when we started the season. With young kids in key positions, it put us in situations that can be stressful. By the end of the year, we improved.”
Perhaps one of the big surprises this year was the re-emergence of Sherburne-Earlville’s football program. It had been several years since the Marauders posted a .500 record, and 23 seasons since S-E won six games in 11-man football. S-E finished the season on a five-game winning streak, and if the offense had jelled a bit sooner, the Marauders may have earned their first-ever Section III playoff berth.
As it turns out, S-E led the county in total defense and scoring defense. “From what I’ve seen in the past, after the first four games (1-3 record), we could have tanked the rest of the season,” said S-E second-year coach Mike Jasper. “We kept working and realized we could win games. We went to the Clinton game, and just explosded. The kids developed confidence and bought into the program and what we were doing.”
Unadilla Valley-Edmeston, buoyed by an influx of new players, ended a two-year winless streak to win four games, the highlight of that a 14-7 win over Greene, the first win for the Storm over the Trojans.
“We went 4-4 in our regular season games, and we’ll build off this season as we go forward next year with a full offseason,” said UV-E coach Stan Foulds.
Getting to our list of all-stars, only five players return from last year’s group. That includes Daren Terpstra and Billy Holden of B-G; Seth Thomsen of Norwich; Greg DuVall of Sherburne-Earlville; and John Wonka of Oxford.
Below we have summarized the season and career accomplishments of our all-star players. Teams are listed in alphabetical order with their respective all-star picks.
Bainbridge-Guilford
Dakota Vandermark, 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, running back
Vandermark set Bainbridge-Guilford’s single-season rushing record, doing so in the fourth quarter of his final game as a Bobcats player. He had a County-best 1,339 yards rushing to go with 12 TDS and had 1,978 yards rushing over the past two seasons. “He ran much more physical this year, and had great breakaway speed,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “
Vandermark topped 100 yards rushing six times this season, and had a career-high 322 yards rushing against Deposit-Hancock, one of the top rushing performances in Chenango County history.
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Billy Holden, jr. 6-2, 220 pounds, fullback
The Bobcats had an outstanding one-two punch in the backfield with Vandermark testing the edge of defenses, and Holden powering up the middle. Despite his large size, Holden had impressive speed in the open field. He proved that with a 67-yard TD run up the middle against Oxford when he went virtually untouched. He finished with 599 yards rushing and nine scores. He also had a big interception for a touchdown in week one against UV-Edmeston to secure a victory. “He really came into his own this year, and teams had to respect his inside running,” Mattingly said. “He’s a tough, strong kid, and on defense, he brought it every time.”
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Danny Gormley, sr., 5-7, 140 pounds, defensive back
Gormley usually gave up size to the other team’s receivers, but never backed down, and made up for his smaller frame with intelligent and aggressive play. “He always did an excellent job in coverage, and we always put him on the other team’s best receivers,” Mattingly said. “He was a sure tackler in the open field, and he would come up and stick you. He’s a great kid, and we’ll miss him and his leadership.” Gormley also was an able pass receiver for a team that did not throw the ball much. He finished with four catches for 60 yards.
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Daren Terpstra, sr., 5-9, 160 pounds, linebacker
Terpstra, who was called into duty last year as a running back, but saw most of his time this season at linebacker. With fresher legs, Terpstra capped a standout career as the captain and leader of the Bobcats’ defense. “He was always communicating to the guys and was really good about calling out formations in certain sets and what the other team was about to run,” Mattingly said. “He got guys in the right spots, and he had a nose for the football. He was a kid, for his size, who played bigger. He was intense, and that rubbed off on the other kids.”
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Ryan Burt, sr., 5-9, 220 pounds, offensive tackle
A backup fullback until this year, Burt, was moved to the offensive line as the Bobcats needed to replace four of five starters from the previous season. Despite his lack of experience at offensive tackle, he became the team’s best offensive lineman. “He’s one of those kids who rose to the occasion and exceeded all of our expectations,” Mattingly said. “He was a kid who wanted to run the ball, but to his creidt, he made the switch to the line and did whatever we needed. He is a big, strong kid who was quick on his feet. He did an outstanding job for us.”
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Greene
Kurt Shear, sr., 5-10, 186 pounds, running back
In his first and only season as a full-time starting running back, all Shear did was establish a new Greene single-season rushing record. He had two 200-yard rushing games this season, the high a 243-yard performance in a 41-12 victory over Lansing. He had 11 rushing scores, led the area with 224 carries, and finished with 1,309 yards, just 30 shy of the area’s lead. “At the beginning of the year, we evaluated our team and felt Kurt would be a strong weapon,” Paske said. “It turned out that way. With Keegan (Cerwinski) at quarterback, we had a nice combo.” Even though Shear was stocky and powerfully built, he also proved tough to catch. Only one time was he caught from behind in the open field, Paske said. “We had very few negative plays with Kurt running the ball,” Paske said. “He’s a heck of a player, and one who definitely shined this year.”
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Alex Kenyon, sr., 6-1, 245 pounds, offensive line, linebacker
A three-year starter for the Trojans, Kenyon had 32 pancake blocks this season, second on the team, and had 82 pancakes for his career. On defense, he was the Trojans’ second leading tackler and had three sacks to lead the team to go with one interception. “Alex had a great motor,” Paske said. “He’s a quiet guy, like Kurt, but he never quit and never gave up. He was definitely a leader on our offensive line and a guy the other guys looked up to and counted on. He’s that type of kid that helps you establish a program.”
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James Church, sr., 5-10, 175 pounds, offensive guard
Of Greene’s offensive linemen, Church led the way with 38 pancake blocks this season as the Trojans went on to lead the area with over 2,500 rushing yards this season. “He’s a kid that just worked his butt off in the weight room,” Paske said. “He did a heck of a job on the offensive line as one of our pulling guards. He relished that role and loved to finish blocks. He was an improved player, and his work in the offseason showed up on game days.”
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Keegan Cerwinski, 6-0, 180 pounds, quarterback
Greene became more of a running team this year, and the balance of the offense was swayed in large part due to Cerwinski’s running abilities as the signal-caller. Cerwinski led all area quarterbacks with 633 yards rushing and nine scores. He also threw an area-best seven TD passes for 346 yards. He was a breakaway threat to score every time he pulled the ball down, and had three 100-yard rushing days. “He’s a tough kid who was more than willing to put his shoulder down,” Paske said. “He has the speed to take it far, and was a nice complement to Kurt (Shear). He’s someone who we tried to get to the edge, and he also threw the ball better on the run instead of in the pocket. That’s where he threw the majority of his touchdown passes.”
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Norwich
Tyler Hoffman, sr., 5-11 190 pounds, fullback/defensive line
Hoffman did all of his work in the trenches. As a fullback in the Norwich offense, all of his carries came between the tackles, and he hit the holes with power, while always finishing off his runs pushing forward. Defensively, he worked as an interior defensive lineman. “He’s a mild-mannered kid off the field, but on the field, he really enjoys contact and plays for contact,” Martinson said. “He was a leader through his work ethic, and an anchor on both sides of the ball.” Hoffman led Norwich with five rushing touchdowns, and finished with 349 yards rushing. Hoffman was also selected, along with teammate Josh Favaloro to play in the 21st Annual Ernie Davis Senior Classic football game.
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Josh Favaloro, sr., 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, running back, defensive end
Favaloro had his hand in just about everything for the Tornado with the exception of doling out water during timeouts. He led Norwich in yards per carry (6.3), had three rushing TDs and 364 yards, he was a cornerback on first and second down, and defensive end on passing downs, while also serving as punter and kickoff specialist. “He helped us out in a lot of areas, and he was a very consistent player on both sides of the ball,” Martinson said.
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Seth Thomsen, jr., 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, defensive back/quarterback
Thomsen’s number one attribute, Martinson said, was his consistency. Thomsen did not make a lot of mistakes, and had only two interceptions entering the playoff game with Owego. “He did all of the things we asked him to do,” Martinson said. “We’re not a big throwing team, but he was a great leader in the huddle.” Defensively, Thomsen played defensive safety, and was also the primary kickoff and punt returner. He had one punt return for a touchdown, and added four rushing touchdowns to his season resume to go with a pair of TD passes and 329 yards passing.
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