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Regional playoff brings Dolgeville, Tioga together again

jon rathbun, times telegram
·4 min read
Dolgeville Blue Devil Kamryn Comstock (left) grabs a touchdown pass against Tioga during the 2021 regional Class D playoff game in Vestal. Comstock leads Dolgeville with eight receiving touchdowns as a senior.
Dolgeville Blue Devil Kamryn Comstock (left) grabs a touchdown pass against Tioga during the 2021 regional Class D playoff game in Vestal. Comstock leads Dolgeville with eight receiving touchdowns as a senior.

The Blue Devils are not exactly dealing with the unknown as the football schedule expands beyond Section III and Dolgeville heads to Cicero-North Syracuse High School and Michael J. Bragman Stadium for Class D regional play.

As they have the last three times Dolgeville won Section III titles, the Tioga Tigers will represent Section IV on the opposite sideline Friday. The Tigers defeated the Blue Devils 50-12 at Vestal High School on the way to winning their second state championship last fall.

More:Dolgeville's 2021 season ends with loss in regional football playoff

More:Dolgeville meets its match in 2017 regional

More:Tioga tops Dolgeville in 2013 regional

Tioga also defeated Dolgeville in 2013 and 2017, part of a decade that has seen the Tigers win nine regional playoffs prior to their 10th sectional title in 11 playoff seasons this fall.

There will be familiar faces and names on both squads. Dolgeville senior Jared Bilinski and Tioga junior Gavin Fisher were first-team all-state picks by the New York State Sportswriters Association last fall, and Michael Blaskey, another Dolgeville senior, was a second teamer. Bilinski and classmate Kamryn Comstock scored the Dolgeville touchdowns in last year's game. Emmett Wood, the state's Class D Player of the Year who scored four regional touchdowns last year, has graduated but junior quarterback Caden Bellis is back along with classmate Valentino Rossi who caught his two touchdown passes against Dolgeville.

Those players have been visible for their unbeaten teams again this fall.

Dolgeville's Jared Bilinski runs for a touchdown against Cato-Meridian during a 2021 Section III Class D semifinal at the Diss Memorial Athletic Complex in Ilion. Bilinski has run for almost 1,300 yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a senior this fall.
Dolgeville's Jared Bilinski runs for a touchdown against Cato-Meridian during a 2021 Section III Class D semifinal at the Diss Memorial Athletic Complex in Ilion. Bilinski has run for almost 1,300 yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a senior this fall.

Bilinski has run for 1,298 yards and 18 touchdowns for 10-0 Dolgeville and has added three defensive touchdowns. Blaskey, honored as a linebacker last fall, has nine tackles for losses and has helped generate opponent turnovers with three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions; he has added four touchdowns on offense, one on defense and one on a kickoff return to start a game. Comstock has caught 20 passes for 391 yards and eight touchdowns as the top target for first-year varsity quarterback Cade Mosher.

Mosher has passed for 716 yards and 15 touchdowns while running for 291 yards and six scores. Cameron Dager, another primary linebacker last year, is the second-leading rusher with 564 yards and six touchdowns while Kolbi Hadden has emerged as the leading tackler and Brett Mosher has 10 tackles for losses including a team-high five sacks.

Bellis, a state finalist as a 132-pound wrestler last winter, has thrown for 1,039 yards and 17 touchdowns and run for 427 yards and seven more scores for the 11-0 Tigers who have won 24 consecutive games. Rossi has been on the receiving end for seven of those touchdown passes while juniors Drew Macumber (848 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Ousmane Duncanson (656 yards, 13 touchdowns) have emerged as the leading rushers. Fisher, who kicked a field goal in last year's regional, is 46-for-57 on extra points had has raised his career point total to 116.

Tioga quarterback Caden Bellis looks for a receiver during the Tigers' 2021 Class D regional playoff game against Dogeville at Vestal High School's Dick Hoover Stadium. Bellis threw two touchdown passes in that game, a step on Tioga's path to its second state championship.
Tioga quarterback Caden Bellis looks for a receiver during the Tigers' 2021 Class D regional playoff game against Dogeville at Vestal High School's Dick Hoover Stadium. Bellis threw two touchdown passes in that game, a step on Tioga's path to its second state championship.

Tioga has won its nine regionals by an average of almost 35 points. A 46-22 victory over Dolgeville in 2014 was the closest game as the Tigers have topped 40 points in each game and passed 50 five times. The score in 2017 was 46-16.

Overall Section IV has won each Class D regional since Section III Onondaga defeated Delhi's Delaware Academy 28-0 in 2006. Section IV is 15-1 since Weedsport won the last of four Section III state championships in five years in 2004. Dolgeville won the first of those state championships in 2000, the last time the Blue Devils won in regional play; they are 4-5 in regional playoff, matching Tioga's nine appearances.

Friday's winner heads to Section IV's Union-Endicott High School for semifinal play the day after Thanksgiving against the winner of Saturday's western regional rematch in Batavia between five-time state champion Randolph from Section VI and Oakfield-Alabama/Elba, a first-time regional winner last year as a merged program from Section V.

Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Friday and the Class D game will be followed by the Class A regional between Section III West Genesee and Section IV Union-Endicott. Regionals for classes AA, B and C will be played Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse.

Morrisville-Eaton's game against Section V's Pembroke in Pittsford was moved up to 6 p.m. Thursday due to the threat of heavy snow in western New York. The regional marks the end of the eight player season, which has no state playoff.

This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Dolgeville, Tioga meet again in regional football playoff