NTL FOOTBALL: TROY'S RALLY COMES UP JUST SHORT AGAINST WAVERLY (August 30, 2025)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
WAVERLY, N.Y. — Troy made too many mistakes that Waverly capitalized on in their 14-13 loss to the Wolverines in non-league football action Saturday.

Despite out gaining Waverly 269-209 penalties and turnovers held the Trojans back, forcing them to rally from a 14-0 deficit.

“We really stopped ourselves in the first half,” said Troy coach Jim Smith. “We’re going to have it look at it, very confusing ones before they even lined up penalties. We’ll have to look at that and see what they were seeing, and some of the that were obvious we have to take care of. We can’t hurt ourselves like that against a good program like this.”

They would score with 1:14 left in the fourth to make it a 1-point game, then went for the win with a 2-point conversion only to get stuffed by Wolverines.

“The kids immediately wanted it,” said Smith. “It’s on me, I should have called a timeout. It’s a big play, and we should have talked it over. We went right back to the play before, and they stunted into it. They made a play when they had to at the end of the game. We gave ourselves a chance to win, and when you have two really good teams somebody comes out victorious, and they did - kudos to them. I foresee them having a great season.”

Waverly swarmed on defense and tackled well in the open field, keeping Troy’s big plays to a minimum. The Trojans did seem to start wearing the Wolverines down in the second half but ran out of time.

The Trojans had more offensive snaps, 55-34, but failed to finish off promising drives. A Mason Smith 53-yard touchdown run late in the third got them back into the game, and then a big drive in the fourth that ended with a Brendan Gilliland 13-yard scoring run appeared to tie the game up.

The Wolverines forced two turnovers - scoring a touchdown off one - and also forced the Trojans to turn it over on downs twice.

Gilliland continued to be a workhorse for Troy, rushing the ball 26 times for 141 yards while Smith ran the ball nine times for 78 yards while also going 2-for-4 for 14 yards and a pick through the air.

Kael Millard chipped in with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries, with Reed Palmer hauling in a 17 yard reception.

Cooper Robinson led Waverly with 72 yards on 13 carries while Brance VanDyke had three carries for 37 yards and a score. Matthias Welles added four carries for 17 yards with a touchdown, while quarterback Ben Shaw ran the ball six times for 27 yards.

He was 3-for-6 for 74 yards and an interception with Daltton Davis hauling in all three of his passes.

Troy’s Logunn Heasley and Waverly’s Bryce LaForest had the two picks in the game.

Troy’s opening drive was a tale of two possessions. The first half of it was a eight play, 31-yard demonstration in ground and pound football.

A false start would back them up, they would get as far as the 19-yard line on a Millard 4-yard run on fourth-and-inches.

That’s when a string of penalties pushed them back to first-and-35 from midfield, and they never recovered as the possession ended with LaForest’s pick.

Waverly went 3-and-out, giving Troy the ball back in the shadow of their own goal-line at the 5-yard line.

A 19-yard run from Gilliland got them out near midfield, but a fumble off an option pitch was hopped on by Waverly’s Drayton DeKay at the Trojan 38-yard line.

Waverly would take advantage with a 10-play scoring drive setting up Welles’ 1-yard plunge on third-and-goal. An 11-yard run by Welles on third-and-3 early in the drive kept things going.

Hogan Shaw hit the point after for the 7-0 lead with 4:57 on the clock.

Troy’s ensuing drive ended in a turnover on downs at the Waverly 43-yard line. A fourth-and-inches turned into a fourth-and-6 due to an offsides call on the Trojans.

Waverly started the second half with the ball but were forced to punt. The Trojans took over at their own 29-yard line but were once again stopped on fourth-and-4 at the Waverly 37.

The ensuing Wolverine drive didn’t start very promising, but a 6-yard run from Robinson on third-and-5 kept it alive as they got to the Trojan 46.

Robinson then found some running room on the next play with a 23-yard run, setting up VanDyke’s 31-yard run where he started right, then cut back left. 

Hogan Shaw added the point after and it was Waverly 14-0 with 4:23 left in the third.

Troy needed a spark and got one as on their second play from scrimmage Smith went over the left side nearly untouched for 53-yards for the score. Gavin Lykon-Leffler added the extra point for a 14-7 game with 3:42 on the clock.

A big kick-off return set Waverly up at their own 44-yard line. Shaw then hit Davis for a 29-yard pass play to put the Wolverines down at the Trojan 25-yard line.

Troy’s defense stiffened as they forced a third-and-4. Shaw went for Davis again, this time in the end zone, but Heasley came down with the jump ball, ending the drive.

The ensuing Trojan drive went 3-and-out, followed by a 3-and-out from the Wolverines.

Troy would take over at their own 23-yard with 10:29 left to play and marched down the field with a nine-minute, 16-play drive where they converted two fourth downs to stay alive.

The first was a 4th-and-four at their 40 where Smith hit Palmer with a backside pass for 17-yards.

The next was a 4th-and-3 as Gilliland took the option pitch eight yards for a new set of downs.

Two plays later Gilliland ran it up the gut 13-yards to pay dirt, scoring with 1:14 left to play.

Troy tried that again on the 2-point conversion but Waverly stuffed them to keep the 1-point lead.

The Wolverines recovered the onside kick, then on second down Robinson ran 13 yards for the first, allowing Waverly to kneel down and end the game.

Troy (1-1) hits the road this week as they travel to South Williamsport (1-1), and Smith will have plenty to work as they get ready for the Mounties.

“We still have to get better every week,” he said. “We have to stay healthy, we’ve got a couple guys dinged up, but you want this game now and not in week eight. This is where we can look at this game and get so much from it, and you’re not going to get that from a game where your starters are in 12 plays, and out. That’s going to potentially happen throughout the season in other games, so this is a great opportunity for us.”

— — 

WAVERLY 14, TROY 13

Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
W: Matthias Welles 1-yard run (Hogan Shaw kick), 4:57
Third Quarter
W: France VanDyke 31-yard run (Shaw kick), 4:23
T: Mason Smith 53-yard run (Gavin Lykon-Leffler kick), 3:42
Fourth Quarter
T: Brendan Cohick 13-yard run (2-point failed), 1:14

Individual Stats
Troy
Passing
Mason Smith 2-4-14-0-1
Rushing
Brendan Gilliland 26-141-1, Mason Smith 9-78-1, Kael Millard 11-45, Jayden Kutt 3-8, Team 1-(-6)
Receiving
Spencer Martin 1-(-3), Reed Palmer 1-17
Waverly
Passing
Ben Shaw 3-6-47-0-1
Rushing
Cooper Robinson 13-72, Brance VanDyke 3-37-1, Matthias Welles 4-17, Ben Shaw 6-27, Daltton Davis 2-9
Receiving
Daltton Davis 3-47

Team Stats        Troy        Waverly
Rushes/Yards    51/255    28/162
Passing Yards    14        47
First Downs        14        9
Penalties/Yards    8/65        8/65
Fumbles/Lost    1/1        0/0
Interceptions: Troy - Logunn Heasley, Waverly-Bryce LaForest

— — 

PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

— — 

SHOWCASE:
Your athlete works hard, and their dedication deserves to be seen. With Showcase by Circle W Sports, you can give your child a professional, online presence that stands out to college coaches and recruiters. Whether your child is aiming for a college roster or just wants to proudly showcase their journey, Showcase helps tell their story the right way. Use code "VSR" to receive a two-week free trial when you sign up for Showcase before September 8th."

Print Friendly Version