SECTION 4 FOOTBALL: HORSEHEADS DOWNS U-E IN REMATCH OF SECTIONAL FINAL (24 PHOTOS) (September 18, 2026)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
HORSEHEADS — As Lyncoln Bennett ran to the sideline to get the play late in the third quarter, he had just a few words to tell the coaches.

Give him the ball again, Bennett told the coaches. Him was Bryce Thomas, who had just run for eight yards the previous play.

The coaches had the same idea in mind and the ball went to Thomas again, who broke free and took off for a 72-yard touchdown with 4:53 left in the third to turn a 8-6 lead into a 15-6 advantage on their way to a 21-15 win over Union-Endicott in a rematch of last year’s sectional title game. 

“I was saying that’s the time of game when you see him start to separate himself and especially with him playing on defense, that’s a testament to him on how hard he works,” Horseheads coach Kevin Hillman said. 

Thomas has a history of big runs later in the game, and Friday night was no different. 

“I know all my guys are counting on me, I have been doing it a long time, I can’t let my guys down,” Thomas said.

For Bennett there was no doubt they had to feed Thomas the ball.

“I have full trust in my guy,” Bennett said. “He has gone out and proved it. He is the best running back in Section 4, no doubt.”

Hillman knew exactly what his quarterback saw on that drive.

“He was ready, you can see it in his eyes, he has the eye of the Tiger,” Hillman said. 

The whole team has confidence in their star running back.

“It’s what he does,” Jack Patchett said. “Look at Elmira (last year), he broke it off, that’s what we needed.”

For Thomas the support of his teammates just fuels him more.

“It’s a little extra confidence behind me,” he said. “When I know they are behind me, I can’t fail.”

For the Horseheads players this game was in their mind ever since they fell to the Tigers in overtime in last year’s sectional final.

“I’d be lying if I said they didn’t circle this,” Hillman said. You have to enjoy it, it’s a great win. They played their tails off, you have to give credit to those guys (U-E). It was a heavyweight fight like we thought it would be. 

“I’m super proud, these guys came in, they were focused all week. We had some guys who had to step in to because we had some injuries throughout it. Elijah (Miller) cramped up kind of that last six minutes and some guys stepped up and made some plays when they had to.”

The game had a playoff like atmosphere with a huge crowd, including a loud student section.

“The community showed out,” Bennett said. “It was an unbelievable atmosphere from the second we kicked off until that final buzzer. They always have our back and it’s amazing.”

“It was a big league game,” Thomas said. “We are missing a bunch of guys and it was far from a perfect game, but we were still able to squeak out the win.”

“It’s meant so much, ever since sectionals last year we have been thinking about it,” Patchett said. “Hard week of practice and it showed.”

Horseheads came out strong right from the start. Bennett hit Jack Patchett on a big-pass play for 31 yards on the second play of the game, setting up a an eight-yard Thomas touchdown run with 8:04 left in the opening quarter.

“We have been practicing that all the time,” Patchett said. 

“It’s always been our kind of game to drive it down their throats and rely on our D,” Thomas said. “To have the lead and have the play catchup is a big advantage.”

Just getting a good first drive was big for the Blue Raiders. 

“I think that was huge,” Hillman said. “Getting the ball and going and scoring on that drive. That was huge. Even if you get a drive in and just flip the field and get some momentum.”

Union Endicott had gotten within 8-6 at the half, before the Thomas touchdown.

After the Thomas score the Tiers scored right as the third quarter ended to get within 15-12.

Bennett scored on a one-yard run with 9:44 left in the game to put Horseheads up 21-12. 

The Tigers drove down the field, but the Horseheads defense stood strong, forcing a Tigers’ field goal to cut the deficit to 21-15. 

Union-Endicott got the ball back in the final minutes with a chance to mount a game-winning drive. 

On the first play of the drive Union-Endicott looked like it had completed a pass when Patchett flew in and blew up the play with a big hit.

“That’s huge, because we preach all week being physical,” Hillman said. “That’s a huge play because that incomplete pass was huge.

“We had some mixups in the flats and stuff (Hillman said of the pass defense in the game). We have some new guys still working it, but they are improving. What you are seeing is some improvement and they are leaning from their mistakes and hopefully in a couple weeks we get Jaxson (Burchard) back and that’s a whole other game.”

Being physical was a big part of the game plan for the Blue Raiders. 

“That was kind of our motto going I, physicality all game,” Thomas said. 

For Patchett that’s one of the bigger hits in his career. 

“It’s a bigger one,” he said. “I just saw that, if they catch it, that might be game, so you have to give it everything you’ve got. Been preaching all week, get down, hit them, no matter what it is, make sure they feel it.”

Thomas ran for 101 yards in the game with two scores on seven carries and Bennett ran for 40 yards on four carries. 

Bennett threw for 72 yards in the game and Patchett had two grabs for 44 yards, while Miller had two catches for 28 yards.

Aiden Culshaw had 10 tackles and Miller had nine tackles in the game and Thomas and Patchett each had seven tackles. 

Connor Warrick and Brayden Walton both had five tackles in the game.

For Horseheads this game is huge as it puts them closer to trying to get home playoff games.

“It’s huge, it’s real big,” Hillman said. “Right now we are putting ourselves, we are 2-0 in the league, we have one left, so we are not quite done yet. We are putting ourselves there and it gives us a chance to have a home playoff game and maybe have home field throughout if we can keep going. That’s huge.

“There is probably a good chance we will see them again, so to have an opportunity to maybe play them at home is huge. Because the crowd was great today. I have to give props to them. And having to go there is a whole different animal, like last year. We are putting ourselves in a good position, it’s still early and we still have work to do, but we are putting ourselves in a good position.”

For the players they were waiting 10 months for Friday.

“We have been hungry for the past 10 months,” Thomas said. “Going away for the sectional finals sucked last year, so being able to get ahead for the chance to be the No. 1 seed is big.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:

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