Section 4 football games from October 15 through October 17 (Week 7) crowned several top Binghamton-area high school teams, including division leaders Chenango Forks, Maine-Endwell, Horseheads and Waverly.
Tioga football met its match in Class D over the weekend, facing offensive leader Groton on Friday, and held on to its top spot in Division VII with a 62-50 win in Week 7’s game of the week.
Game of the week: Tioga 62 – Groton 50
Tioga tops Groton in a back-and-forth thriller
Tioga (5-2) remains undefeated in league play after outscoring Groton (5-2) 62-50 on Friday, Oct. 16 at Haggerty Field, and heads into Week 8 with a chance to clinch its ninth straight division title.
The Groton Red Hawks, who lead Division VII in points scored and fewest points allowed, suffered their second loss of the season after shutting out Spencer-van Etten/Candor 38-0 in Week 6.
The Tigers scored a season-high eight touchdowns and amassed 533 yards of offense. Senior Max Stauder led the team with a career-high 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
Senior running back Caden Bradley had a 115-yard game in eight carries, scoring two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jackson Bombard went 3-for-4 for 74 yards and one touchdown, while also tallying 111 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
The Red Hawks led 14-8 in the first quarter and entered the second half with an 8-point deficit to overcome.
A 50-play, 59-yard drive led by Groton quarterback Kameron McClain tied the game at 38-38. McClain went 4-for-4 for 44 yards with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, but Groton still trailed 46-44.
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Just four points away (54-50) from losing the division title, Tioga turned two fourth-down conversions into a 25-yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion with less than 20 seconds left in the game.
McClain led Groton, finishing 17-for-24 for 351 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 82 yards and scored two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Vestal gets the upset victory on Corning’s senior night
The Vestal Golden Bears (4-3) handed the Corning Hawks their third loss of the season, winning 17-14 at Corning Memorial Stadium on Friday.
Vestal is now 4-1 against Corning over the last five years, with the Golden Bears' only loss to the Hawks, ironically, being a 45-6 defeat on the Hawks' senior night in 2024.
Corning’s junior running back John Graham scored the first touchdown, then, with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter, scored again to put the Hawks up 14-3.
Senior running back Cayden Kitchin sparked the Golden Bears’ comeback with a two-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 14-9.
Junior quarterback Grayson Burns threw a five-yard touchdown pass to senior Jake Stica, then hit junior tight end Caleb Kittle for a two-point conversion, all with less than 40 seconds left, to win the game.
Senior Casey Hale led the Hawks with 105 yards on 14 carries. Graham ran 97 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns.
Kitchin led the Golden Bears with 106 yards and a touchdown, while Burns threw for 120 yards and a touchdown.
More: 2026 Section 4 high school football standings
Maine-Endwell Spartans defense does its big one
Maine-Endwell defeated Southern Tier rival Union-Endicott 18-7 at home on Friday, improving the Spartans’ record to 6-1.
Both teams were scoreless through the first quarter, and both defenses kept the game low-scoring through the second quarter. Union-Endicott managed a 7-6 lead by the third quarter.
Maine-Endwell quarterback Jackson Buckley scored the go-ahead touchdown, and senior Max Policare scored his second touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the Maine-Endwell win.
The Spartans’ defense was key to the victory, allowing zero offensive touchdowns from a normal drive. The team pitched a shutout after Union-Endicott scored from a high snap that the Tigers recovered on the Spartans’ 2-yard line.
Notable mentions: Sidney 30 – BGAH 24 in OT; Owego 63 – Oneonta 6; Horseheads 36 – Elmira 22
More Section 4 football Week 7 scores from local teams:
Johnson City 51 - Binghamton 21
Waverly 38 – Ithaca 16
Chenango Forks 34 – Windsor 6
Susquehanna Valley 46 - Chenango Valley 6
Owego 63 – Oneonta 6
Watkins Glen/O-M 36 - Trumansburg 0
See more scores: Section 4 high school football matchups and scores for Week 7
Horseheads 36 – Elmira 22
Vestal 17 – Corning 14
Maine-Endwell 18 – Union-Endicott 7
Sidney 30 – BGAH 24 (OT)
Tioga 62 – Groton 50
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Game of the Week | Tioga and Groton battle to lead the division in a 15-touchdown game