Meet the 2023 Corning/Elmira/Ithaca-area Elite 24 Football Team
Corning/Elmira/Ithaca Player of the Year
Joey Tomasso, Waverly
Grade: Senior.
Position: Quarterback.
Achievements: Tomasso capped one of the most prolific passing careers in New York history by completing 206 of 278 passes for 3,160 yards and 43 touchdowns, with three interceptions. He added 120 carries for 627 yards and 12 touchdowns. The College of William & Mary commit and repeat Player of the Year selection helped Waverly win the Class C state title for the program's first state championship and was named Co-Player of the Year in Class C in New York.
Caden Bellis, Tioga Central
Grade: Senior.
Position: Quarterback/strong safety.
Achievements: Bellis completed 51 of 74 passes for 1,350 yards and 28 touchdowns on the way to earning New York State Player of the Year honors in Class D. He added 743 yards and 12 touchdowns on 55 carries and on defense had 92 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery as part of the Tigers' unbeaten state championship season.
Jaden Branch, Maine-Endwell
Grade: Junior.
Position: Fullback/linebacker.
Achievements: Branch rushed for 1,281 yards to help the Spartans to a 12-1 season that included an appearance in the Class B state championship game. He was a second-team all-state selection in Class B.
Tanner Burlingame, Maine-Endwell
Grade: Senior.
Position: Offensive tackle/defensive tackle.
Achievements: Burlingame's physicality made him a force on offense and defense for a Spartans team that posted a 12-1 record and advanced to the Class B state championship game. The UMass commit was chosen to the Class B all-state first team and leaves M-E as a two-time state champion.
Adam DeSantis, Maine-Endwell
Grade: Senior.
Position: Offensive tackle/defensive end.
Achievements: The Colgate commit was named New York state's Co-Player of the Year in Class B after dominating on both sides of the ball during the Spartans' run to a 12-1 record and a berth in the Class B state final. He won two state titles at Maine-Endwell and was a two-time NYS Player of the Year.
Ousmane Duncanson, Tioga Central
Grade: Senior.
Position: Fullback/inside linebacker.
Achievements: Duncanson, a first-team Class D all-state pick, averaged 12.6 yards per carry, putting up 716 yards and 10 touchdowns on 57 rushes. He was a force on the defensive side as well, recording 79 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two fumble recoveries as part of Tioga's state championship season.
JT Gannon, Vestal
Grade: Sophomore.
Position: Wide receiver/defensive back.
Achievements: Gannon set a program record with 718 receiving yards this season on 44 catches. He added big plays as a return man and also made a significant impact on defense to help Vestal capture the Section 4 Class A title.
Evan Garvin, Elmira
Grade: Senior.
Position: Quarterback/linebacker.
Achievements: In an abbreviated eight full games because of weather and injuries, Garvin completed 36 passes for 584 yards and nine touchdowns to lead Elmira to the Section 4 Class AA championship. He ran for 416 yards and seven touchdowns on 67 carries and contributed significantly on the defensive side.
Jack Hennessey, Maine-Endwell
Grade: Senior.
Position: Kicker/wide receiver.
Achievements: Hennessey's big right leg produced 55 touchbacks on kickoffs. He converted on 68 of 72 extra-point attempts to help the Spartans reach the Class B state championship game. Hennessey was part of two New York state champions during his career.
Kam Hills, Waverly
Grade: Junior.
Position: Offensive guard/defensive tackle.
Achievements: Hills was honored with first-team Class C all-state recognition after his play in the middle of the line on both sides contributed to Waverly's first state championship. He had 88 tackles, including 23 solo stops.
Cooper Hughes, Union-Endicott
Grade: Senior.
Position: Running back/wide receiver/defensive back.
Achievements: Hughes' career numbers included 915 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns along with 345 receiving yards and four touchdowns. On defense he had 106 tackles, including two sacks and 13 tackles for loss, and six interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Dustin Jump, Chenango Forks.
Grade: Senior.
Position: Offensive guard/defensive tackle.
Achievements: Jump was a presence up front on both sides of the ball and helped Chenango Forks reach the Section 4 Class C championship game, where the Blue Devils lost to eventual state champion Waverly in the closest game the Wolverines had during the postseason. Jump earned Class C all-state honors.
Tate MaCauley, Tioga Central
Grade: Junior.
Position: Offensive guard/defensive end.
Achievements: The blocking of three-year starter MaCauley contributed to an offense that piled up 4,347 rushing yards and 1,425 passing yards while averaging 55 points per game during a 14-0 Class D state championship season. MaCauley, a first-team all-state pick, added 46 tackles on defense, with three of them leading to negative yardage.
Drew Macumber, Tioga Central
Grade: Senior.
Position: Running back/linebacker.
Achievements: Macumber carried 159 times for 1,295 yards (7.9 yards per carry) and 30 touchdowns to help the unbeaten Tigers capture the Class D state championship and earn first-team Class D all-state honors. He added 57 tackles, including two for losses, and two quarterback sacks.
Vinny Mancini, Maine-Endwell
Grade: Junior.
Position: Running back/outside linebacker.
Achievements: Mancini was a first-team Class B selection as an all-purpose player after a season in which he made big play after big play as a rusher, receiver and return man. With one season to go, the speedy Mancini has two state titles and this season's state runner-up finish under his belt.
Mason McCombs, Windsor
Grade: Senior.
Position: Running back/inside linebacker.
Achievements: McCombs ran for 1,354 yards and 17 touchdowns to finish his high school career with 3,212 rushing yards. He broke the program's scoring record and contributed 102 tackles on defense. McCombs was a repeat Class B all-state selection, earning first-team honors at linebacker.
Liam Nealy, Vestal
Grade: Senior.
Position: Running back/defensive back.
Achievements: Nealy rushed for more than 1,000 yards and accounted for more than 100 points to spearhead Vestal's run to the Section 4 Class A championship. He was a dynamic presence in the Golden Bears' secondary, piling up 79 tackles.
Walker Paske, Chenango Forks
Grade: Senior.
Position: Tight end/linebacker.
Achievements: Paske led the Blue Devils with 82 tackles and helped them advance to the Section 4 Class C championship game, where they fell to eventual state champion Waverly. He was a second-team Class C all-state pick at linebacker.
Jay Pipher, Waverly
Grade: Senior.
Position: Wide receiver/defensive back.
Achievements: Pipher's 3,135 career receiving yards rank No. 4 all-time in New York history. This season's contribution to that total was 1,179 yards on 62 catches, with 12 of them going for touchdowns. Pipher was a repeat Class C first-team all-state selection.
Colby Phraner, Walton
Grade: Senior.
Position: Fullback/tight end/linebacker/defensive line.
Achievements: Four-year varsity starter was a repeat Class D all-state selection this season and a three-time Section 4 all-star. He carried 86 times for 422 yards and four touchdowns, caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, and led the team with 67 tackles, including six for loss. He also had an interception and touchdown on defense.
Valentino Rossi, Tioga Central
Grade: Senior.
Position: Wide receiver/outside linebacker.
Achievements: Rossi caught 13 passes for 447 yards and eight touchdowns to help the Tigers go unbeaten and win the Class D state title. The first-team Class D all-state selection finished his career with 45 catches for 1,370 yards and 22 touchdowns. His defensive stats included 46 tackles and three quarterback sacks.
Bradock Salisbury, Horseheads
Grade: Senior.
Position: Running back/defensive back.
Achievements: Salisbury averaged better than 10 yards per carry for Section 4 Class A runner-up Horseheads, contributing 787 yards and 10 touchdowns on 77 carries in nine games. He added a touchdown on a kickoff return and caught 18 passes for 253 yards. On defense Salisbury came up with 32 tackles.
AJ Thomas, Corning
Grade: Senior.
Position: Fullback/linebacker.
Achievements: Thomas played in seven games because of injury and ran for 468 yards on 86 rushes. He caught four passes for 44 yards, ran for five touchdowns, caught a TD pass and converted three 2-point conversions. On defense Thomas had 38 tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack.
Xavier Watson, Waverly
Grade: Junior.
Position: Wide receiver/defensive back.
Achievements: Watson caught 62 passes for 917 yards and 18 touchdowns while helping the Wolverines capture the Class C state championship, the program's first state title. He had eight catches for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolverines' 46-26 victory over Fonda-Fultonville in the state final and was named first-team all-state in Class C.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Meet the 2023 Corning/Elmira/Ithaca-area Elite 24 Football Team
