
SECOND-TEAMERS TOMASSO, CLARK AMONG FIVE WOLVERINES TO EARN ALL-STATE HONORS
By: Tim Birney | Waverly Athletics | January 12, 2022
SYRACUSE — After a historic 2021 football season, Waverly had four
players honored with New York State, Class C all-state recognition on
Wednesday by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Sophomore
quarterback Joey Tomasso, and junior placekicker Ryan Clark were
second-team selections, while sophomore wire receiver Jay Pipher and
junior defensive lineman Ty Beeman were third-team picks. Senior wide
receiver Brady Blauvelt received honorable mention recognition.
“It’s
great for our program to get this type of recognition,” said Miller,
whose team had five honored despite not getting out of Section IV. The
Wolverines did start the season at 10-0 for the first time in program
history.
“I don’t want to sound greedy, but I’m a little
disappointed D.J. Shaw didn’t get recognized,” noted Miller. “As well as
we played defensively this season, and the fact he averaged about 14
tackles per game, I would think that merits at least an honorable
mention.
“But, it is good to have five boys honored, and four of them will be back next year,” added Miller.
SECOND TEAM
Joey Tomasso, sophomore, QB: Tomasso
completed 55 percent, completing a school-record 149 passes in 273
attempts for 1,847 yards and 18 TDs, with just five interceptions. (The
passing attempts was also a school record, and the yardage was
second-best all-time.)
A dual-threat, Tomasso also led the Wolverines with 552 rushing yards and 13 TDs.
“You
throw for 1,800 yards and run for nearly 600, that’s a really good
year,” said Miller. “It ranks up there with any quarterback we’ve had.
“He’s
on the verge of becoming our all-time passing leader in just about
every category … he’s going to break most of our records,” noted Miller.
"He's also the first sophomore we've had to make second team.
“He’s
a really good, level-headed kid, and understands what we’re doing,”
added Miller. “He continues to get better and better, and is getting to
the point where he can make a lot of throws he couldn’t necessarily make
his freshman year.”
Ryan Clark, junior, PK: Clark, whose
kick-offs often helped Waverly gain an edge in field position, connected
on 35 of 42 extra-point attempts, and was 4-for-4 on field goals,
including a long of 37 yards.
“Ryan’s season started with him recovering his own on-side kick,” laughed Miller.
“He
really works hard, and embraces his role on the team,” noted Miller.
“He’s an incredible weapon, and has the potential to play at the next
level, and this will get him on some teams’ radar early.
“He
works hard at all the different kicks … most people don’t realize that
he kicks with both legs,” continued Miller. “He can start to his left,
and it looks like an onside kick, but he kicks it deep with his right.
“He’s
really talented, and whatever challenge we give him, he works hard at
it on his own,” added Miller. “We certainly understand his value, and
we’ll continue to make sure he’s a huge part of what we do.”
THIRD TEAM
Jay Pipher, sophomore, WR:
Fast and extremely dangerous after the catch, Pipher had 42 receptions
for 666 yards, and six TDs. He also rushed 118 yards and one TD on 18
carries.
“He has really developed into a good slot receiver,”
said Miller. “He can catch ball down the field, he can catch the ball in
the middle of the field, and especially when he catches the ball in the
flats, he’s able to make people miss. He can do a lot with the
football.
“He’s come a long way since his freshman year, which
was his first year playing in a long time,” noted Miller. “He’s improved
his route-running … he seemed to improve every game, and he was able to
do a lot of things he couldn’t do as a freshman due to his lack of
experience; that’s a testament to his wrk ethic.
“A lot of that
is the trust between he and (QB) Joe (Tomasso), too” added Miller. “It’s
not just that they’re friends, but they trust each other on the field. A
quarterback needs that, he needs to have a go-to guy, and Jay is that
guy.”
Ty Beeman, junior, DL: Extremely athletic with a non-stop motor, Beeman recorded 142 tackles, including 28 solo stops, and one QB sack on the season.
“He’s
very explosive off the ball when his hand is down,” said Miller. “For a
kid who is 215 pounds, he’s very athletic, and we were able to create
mismatches up front with him.
“He’s a good pass rusher, and
excellent at getting rid of blockers — he’s tough to block,” noted
Miller. “At the end of the year, a lot of teams started double-teaming
him and he was still able to make plays.
“He challenges everybody (in practice) every day, and that makes everybody better up front.
“Later
in the season, he had to move to linebacker because of injuries and he
did a very good job there, too,” added Miller. “And, that’s very
different than playing with your hand down.”
Honorable Mention
Brady Blauvelt, senior, WR: A big target with sure hands, Blauvelt had 46 catches for 561 yards, and six TDs.
“He’s
another guy who made a huge improvement from his junior year into his
senior year,” said Miller. “He came out in his junior year, after not
playing since 7th-grade when he was a quarterback.
“He was long
and was really dangerous catching the ball, especially on out-routes,”
noted Miller. “He was able to get in position and make a lot of catches
for us downfield.
“He really worked at it,” added Miller. “He
never missed a workout, and developed into a very good receiver. It’s
great to see him get honored.”

About the Author
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020). Southern Tier Sports Report is set to launch in 2021.
