T-burg football wins 1st Section IV title, aims for regional title

Trumansburg football has had quite the story over the last ten years. From 2014 to 2018, the program did not even exist due to a lack of players. The Blue Raiders were revived in 2019 as an eight-man team under Julian Munoz. The wins kept piling up as the years went on, and it’s all culminating in a historic 2024 campaign.

The Blue Raiders captured their first-ever Section IV title on November 15 in Johnson City, taking down Moravia 34-12 in the eight-man championship game. After falling in last season’s final to the Blue Devils, that no doubt acted as motivation for everybody on the team to put in the work to finally get over the hump.

“The entire team has been very focused,” first-year head coach Chad Doolittle said. “The offseason workouts were great. We had tremendous participation, more so than we have in the past. We’ve had a goal in mind all season, but I’ve been telling the kids along the way: small goals begets bigger goals. And we’ve just been achieving week-over-week goals. [We got] to that opportunity to prove what we knew we were capable of doing, and thankfully we were able to do it.”

The biggest difference between this year’s final compared to last year’s was their defense. The Blue Raiders allowed 74 points to Moravia last season. It was a totally different story this time around, holding a still high-powered Blue Devils offense to just 12 points and forcing five turnovers. That’s been the case all season long, allowing only an average of 13 points per game. Doolittle pointed to their improved pass defense in particular that was the X factor for their triumph.

“What’s really made a difference for us is the pass coverage that our linebackers have been able to get into and the trust that they’ve developed,” Doolittle said. “Earlier in the season—maybe the first time that we played Moravia, for example—everyone would have the sense that they had to make a play, so we’d have linebackers flying off of their responsibilities and come up and try to make a play, creating open receivers downfield. And we just don’t have that at this point. Everyone on the field trusts their teammate to do their assignment, and it’s created kind of a blanket coverage in those passing situations, which is key for a team like Moravia.”

Doolittle also credited the team’s synergy on the sidelines and the traveling fanbase for also acting as a catalyst to come out on top.

“Everyone seems to be in complete unison [with a] united goal,” Doolittle said. “Everybody understands their role. The entire team, the sideline and the ninth man (in this case) in the stands were incredible. The crowd noise was great. We felt supported the entire time. We knew that we had a job to do, and we just executed.”

Not only has their defense taken great strides throughout the season, the offensive side of the ball has also grown in many ways.

“As a football coach, you really preach technique, and our technique has just steadily improved,” Doolittle said. “Last year, there were games where we were not a good tackling team… But throughout the season, we have not missed many tackles on defense, and that has been huge for us in terms of the offensive side of the ball. Our receivers are really attacking the ball, and our offensive line’s pass set technique has really firmed up, so they’re giving Nik [Nelson] time and comfort to do what he needs to do behind them, and they’re also opening holes.”

There are two things that make their offense that’s averaging 50 points per game so dangerous. The amount of skill players at their disposal is endless, including the one-two punch of Dikota Hamilton and Aidan Clarke-Cabezas in the backfield and the quartet of Derwin Good, Mason von Gordon, Dafydd Williams and Will Brainard in the receiving game.

Then there’s quarterback Nik Nelson. His third season starting under center has been his best by far, setting career-highs in completions, yards, and touchdowns. It all comes down to his growing confidence and comfort.

“I think he’s had a level of comfort all along, but at this point, he can feel pressure a little bit better,” Doolittle said. “He’s starting to trust his feet a lot more. He’s very explosive out of the backfield. If he sees an open receiver at the same time he sees an opportunity to run, the message to him throughout the second half of the season is, ‘Hey, you don’t have to risk the long ball. Take the open 12 yards, get a first down, and let’s regroup.’ He’s really taken to that approach, and it’s been helpful.”

The Blue Raiders focus now lies on a regional championship, which is the de facto state title. This year’s tournament expanded to eight teams, meaning they had to play a quarterfinal matchup against Section X’s Tupper Lake on November 22. They took care of business with a 70-18 thrashing of the Lumberjacks, setting up a date against familiar foes Moravia in the semifinals on November 29 downstate in Middletown.