Homer Football vs. CVA. (Photo Source: Kevin L. Smith/The Cortland Voice).
The #2 seeded Homer Trojans defeated the #7 seeded Central Valley Academy Thunder (CVA) in the quarterfinal stage of the Section III Class B Sectional Tournament with a score of 30-13 on Friday.
It was a close first half, with Homer entering halftime with a one point lead (14-13). Homer’s defense came in clutch in the second half to shutout CVA’s offense and secure the win for the Trojans.
“It took a long time for us to finally take over in this game,” said Homer Head Coach Gary Podsiedlik. “We made a couple subtle adjustments at halftime that made our defense better. We were able to shut (CVA's) offense down. I’m really proud of the effort.”
Homer’s defense was led by Tayvn Malchak (12 tackles), Logan Darling (9 tackles), Tyler Riehlman (8 tackles), Sam Sorenson (8 tackles), and Bryce Hoffmann (6 tackles & 1 sack).
Offensively, all of Homer’s touchdowns were scored by junior Sam Sorenson (4 rushing touchdowns). He also led the Trojans in rushing yards with a total of 193 yards.
“He's (Sam Sorenson) a tough kid,” stated Coach Podsiedlik. “He's not afraid of hard work. Nobody has to push him because he's driven to be the best he can be. He's that quiet leader. He doesn't want it to be about himself. The kid's got a big heart.”
Homer was also able to score on three out of their four 2-point conversions. Their three conversions were scored by Jake Calabro, David Morse, and Sam Sorenson.
CVA’s points were scored by Chase Brewer (rushing touchdown), Tanner Warren (rushing touchdown), and Cole Brewer (1 extra point kick).
Here is a score breakdown of yesterday’s game:
With this win, the Trojans are now heading into the sectional semifinals, where they will host Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (3rd seed) at Homer High School. The game is scheduled to kick-off on Friday (November 5th) at 7pm.
“I’m feeling pretty good about our chances,” said Coach Podsiedlik. “Like CVA tonight, everyone is going to be this good the rest of the way. We have to do our homework, take care of our bodies and be student-athletes.”
According to Coach Podsiedlik, the last time the Trojans made the semifinal round of the sectional tournament was in 2017, when they won the Section III Class B title.
Here are some photos of yesterday’s quarterfinal game:
