The Homer football team snapped its two-game losing streak in resounding fashion Friday night, as it rolled over Cortland to claim the Home-Cort Jug 58-12 at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School. The Trojans racked up 328 yards on the ground, with Alex Votra accounting for 277 yards and five scores.
It was a much needed bounce-back performance for a Trojan team that had been outscored 68-20 over the previous two games.
“I think it came at the right time in the sense that we practiced well all week, and good practice makes a game go a lot better,” Homer head coach Greg Roskos said. “Our kids did a great job with four days of hard work in practice and it showed up from the first snap. We were the more physical team, and I think that helped us.”
Senior offensive lineman Christopher Slade said it best when describing his team’s performance in the often-chippy victory.
“We talked with our pads,” Slade said.
Homer asserted itself early on. After forcing a turnover on downs defensively, it drove 75 yards on eight plays. Votra capped off the drive with a 1-yard plunge.
The big play of the opening drive came on a rare Homer passing play, when Max Franco found Jack Brady for a 46-yard connection on a third down. From there, the Trojans were off and running.
“It feels great, senior year, you don’t get another chance at this,” Franco said. “I was injured last year. So, only getting one shot at this I was really nervous. Just to go out there with my teammates against our rivals. They played a great game, they wanted it bad but we wanted it too, so just to go out there and get the win was super nice.”
Brady halted the next offensive possession for Cortland with an interception and, after a big return and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Purple Tigers, the Trojans were in business once again. Votra needed just three totes to find the end zone again and extend the lead to 16-0.
Cortland, facing a fourth-and-long on its next drive, tried a fake punt with Iniko Abani and instead handed the Trojans another short field. Former Purple Tiger and current Trojan Logan Griffin ended up the beneficiary, breaking a 30-yard score on the first play of the drive and blowing the game open.
Cortland responded with a nine-play, 68-yard drive aided by a pair of Homer penalties. Dante Wilson ended the march down the field with a score to cut the lead to 24-6.
Gunnar Tyrrell responded immediately, returning the ensuing kick for six to silence the Cortland crowd.
The Purple Tigers were given another chance to recapture momentum late in the first half after blocking a punt and recovering it for a score to make it a 32-12 game. The defense forced a third-and-13 on the next drive, but again Homer answered with Franco finding Brady for a 63-yard touchdown.
Connor Browngardt’s second pick of the night ended the first half and essentially put the game away, as the Trojans took a 38-12 lead into the break.
“We just have to protect the football,” Cortland head coach Brett Segala said. “Connor can’t throw four picks. That really hurts us. But he’ll learn from it and he’ll bounce back like he has all year. We just have to react to the negatives a little better than we have. Anytime a negative occurs, the air comes out of the balloon and we can’t catch up. And then the big plays come for the other team. So, we’ve got a lot to work on and we’re going to figure it out.”
The second half was all Homer. Cortland had its four second half drives end in an interception, two fumbles and a turnover on downs. Votra scored touchdowns from 31, 45, and 98 yards to push the game well out of reach. Segala was impressed by Votra’s performance.
“Alex Votra is arguably the best running back we’ve seen all year,” Segala said. “He’s really talented and they run a really good system of football. Alex did a really nice job.”
The win marked the 12th in a row for Homer in the series. The Trojans lead the all-time series 29-15-1.
Homer finishes its regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at Homer High School, when it hosts Westhill. Cortland wraps its regular season at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School against Oswego.
FOOTBALL
DRYDEN 28, WATKINS GLEN/ODESSA-MONTOUR 24
Dryden led 22-8 at halftime and held on for its third win of the season after allowing 16 fourth-quarter points.
BISHOP LUDDEN/SYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 40, SOUTHERN HILLS 0
No additional details were reported.
MORAVIA 77, NEWFIELD 14
Moravia scored three special teams touchdowns as it took a 57-14 lead into halftime to improve to 4-1. Eli Landis returned a kickoff for a touchdown, Mason Kratzer brought a punt to the house and Ethan Dehart recovered a blocked punt in the end zone.
Landis also recorded a pick-six for the Blue Devils. Hunter Boynton and Dillon Palmer each picked a pass off and Noah Corbett paced the defense with 13 tackles.
Riley Jones caught Thomas Palmer’s only completion for a 41-yard touchdown. Dillon Palmer had four carries for 69 yards and two scores, Corbett had five touches for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Boynton had two carries for 50 yards and a score, Jones recorded a 9-yard rushing touchdown and Kratzer had four rushes for 28 yards.
BOYS SOCCER
SYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 2, HOMER 1
Mark Conger scored Homer’s goal on an assist from Tristyn Henkel in the first half, but the Trojans gave up the deciding goal after the break. Levi Guay stopped four shots in a losing effort. Homer finishes its regular season 3-9-1.
DERUYTER 1, OTSELIC VALLEY 1
Justin Booth scored in the first half for DeRuyter, but both teams played an even game under the light for a draw. Daniel Holl assisted on Booth’s goal and Dylan Foster made four saves for the Rockets. DeRuyter ends the regular season with an 8-6-2 record.
GIRLS SOCCER
CINCINNATUS 8, BROOKFIELD 0
Cincinnatus completed an unbeaten regular season after another dominant win. The Lions have won 28 games in a row and haven’t lost a regular season game since Oct. 1, 2021.
Jocelyn Turshman scored two goals and dished out an assist for Cincinnatus, Payton Landers and Cassia Schuyler each scored twice, Jelsie Stafford recorded a goal and an assist, Kendall Sustad scored a goal and Mandi Waltz, Ava Larrabee and Maddie Pittsley all added an assist.
DERUYTER 5, OTSELIC VALLEY 0
DeRuyter scored four second-half goals to knock off Otselic Valley and end the regular season 13-3.
FIELD HOCKEY
HOMER 1, EAST SYRACUSE-MINOA 1
Ava Armstrong scored a fourth-quarter goal for Homer, but the Trojans also allowed a goal in the final frame en route to a draw. Taylor Seamans stopped two shots in goal and Homer ends the regular season at 8-4-2.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
BOYS SOCCER
Marathon vs. Odessa-Montour, 2 p.m. today at Tompkins Cortland Community College
McGraw at LaFayette/Onondaga, 11 a.m. today
GIRLS SOCCER
Groton vs. Tioga, noon today at Tompkins Cortland Community College
No. 13 Seton Catholic at No. 4 Groton, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Cortland, Homer at Phoenix, 8 a.m. today
Dryden at Horseheads, 9:15 a.m. today
Phoenix at Homer, 6 p.m. Monday
Elmira Heights at Groton, 6:30 p.m. Monday
Dryden at Whitney Point, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Moravia at Odessa-Montour, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
CROSS COUNTRY
Cortland, Homer, Groton, Cincinnatus, Dryden, Moravia at Marathon, 9 a.m. today
Tully, DeRuyter at Marcellus, 9 a.m. today at Marcellus Park
Dryden at Whitney Point, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
GIRLS TENNIS
Homer at Drumlins, Tuesday
