SECTION 4 FOOTBALL: CORNING CELEBRATES HOMECOMING WITH WIN OVER ELMIRA (24 PHOTOS) (2024-10-18)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
CORNING — Sometimes a good, ball-control offense can be the best defense.

The Corning Hawks controlled the clock with their run game and that helped them top Elmira 24-12 in a rematch of last year’s sectional final on Homecoming.

Corning ran for 333 yards on the game and had four drives of at least nine plays, and two drives of 14 or more plays.

James Freeman ran for 154 yards on 21 carries in the win, scoring all three Corning touchdowns, and Brenden Jardin-Reed ran for 136 yards on 18 carries.

“Was a good win,” Corning coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “It’s only one game. We still need to get better each week.”

The Hawks had two nine-play drives, a 14-play drive and an 18-play drive in the win.

The long drives allowed Corning to run the ball 57 times in the game, against 37 carries for the Express. Elmira ran 15 more plays in the game than Elmira.

“We had nine play, nine play, 14 play and 18 play drives in the game that ate up clock,” Johnston Jr. said.

Freeman missed the Hawks last game, a loss last week to Horseheads, and having him back this week was special for Jardin-Reed. The two backs combined for 290 yards on 39 carries in the game.

“It’s great to have him back,” Jardin-Reed said. “It’s a lot easier to run the ball when it’s behind the best blocking running back I know of. And, the best games are the ones where anyone can get the ball and pick up good yards.”

For Corning’s players the win was special, after falling to Elmira the last time the two teams met, last year in the sectional final.

“This game was big for me and my teammates since we lost to them last year and this game we got back at them,” Corning’s Carter Sparks said.

Freeman started the scoring at 6:55 of the first quarter on a two-yard run. Freeman ran in the two-point try and it was 8-0.

Elmira answered in the second quarter as Daeshaun Harris scored on a nine-yard run with 10:08 left in the half. The two-point try failed and it was 8-6 Corning.

Freeman scored on a one-yard run with 4:55 left in the half and he had the two-point run and it was 16-6 at the break.

After a scoreless third quarter, Breyan Brooks scored on a one-yard run for Elmira with 8:49 left in the game. The two-point pass failed and the Hawks lead was 16-12.

Freeman capped the scoring with 4:04 left as he scored on an 18-yard run then ran in the two-point try.

Along with the 290 yards between Freeman and Jardin-Reed, the Hawks got 47 yards on 16 carries fro Clayton Smith.

Harris led Elmira with 68 yards on 16 carries and Julian Colon had 35 yards on 11 carries. Brooks had nine carries for 23 yards and Zach Conklinran for seven yards.

Conklin was 4-for-7 passing for 93 yards and Harris had two grabs for 96 yards, while Arius Bradbury had a 38-yard catch and Colon had a nine-yard catch.

Gavin Walker had an interception late in the first half for Corning to keep the Hawks ahead 16-6 at the break.

While the win is special the Hawks know they have to keep working, and keep improving.

“While the win tonight did feel great and secure us as league champs and a home sectional game, sectionals is a whole different game,” Jardin-Reed said. “We have a lot of corrections and improvements to make before then.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:


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