Gavin Walker returned the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown, and Corning went on to a 49-6 road victory over Ithaca on Thursday night to clinch the Section 4 Division I football title and a spot in the Class AA state tournament.
The Hawks improved to 5-2 overall and ended up 2-0 in the three-team division. That secures the top Class AA seed for the Section 4 tournament, which brings with it a bye into the final and home field for that contest. Elmira will host Ithaca in the lone semifinal in two weeks.
Both Class AA finalists from Section 4 advance to state quarterfinals. The winner faces the Section 3 champion, and runner-up takes on the champ from Section 9.
Corning piled up 348 yards on the ground. James Freeman led the way with 128 yards and two touchdowns (4 and 19 yards) on 14 carries, followed by Brenden Jardin-Reed with 84 yards on 10 rushes, including an 18-yard TD.
Hawks fullback Clayton Smith contributed 72 yards and two touchdowns (8 and 7 yards) on 13 rushes. He intercepted a pass on defense.
Corning’s other touchdown came on a 3-yard run from Tahj Haynes, who rushed six times for 38 yards and blocked a punt.
More:Section 4 HS Football Week 7: Eight games to watch, plus the rest of the schedule
The Hawks limited Ithaca (2-6, 0-2) to 25 rushing yards on 20 carries. A 25-yard run late in the game moved the Little Red into positive territory.
Walker and Dylan Brewster also intercepted passes for Corning. Cameron Anderson had a strip sack and recovered the fumble.
Noah Butler hit Mikko Greene for an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter to provide Ithaca’s scoring. Corning led 35-0 at halftime.
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