Wolverines 1st 8-Man season ends in Semifinals, as No. 2 Pembroke rolls toward 40-18 win behind Totten’s 5-touchdown evening in backfield

PEMBROKE — Tyson Totten has emerged as one of Section V’s best to make their presence known from the backfield.

The Pembroke tailback can become a gamechanger from any angle on the field, and with a trip to the 8-Man Finals at Pittsford Sutherland on the line next weekend, the Dragons will need all the momentum they can muster with a potential matchup with the State’s No. 1 in Canisteo-Greenwood, waiting in the wings.

Against No. 3 Bolivar-Richburg on their home field one last time this year, he would go on to do just that.

After a quiet first half that saw him give the Dragons the lead going in, he would continue his explosiveness into the second half, helping the No. 2 seeds score a humongous 20-point third quarter, starting it with an absolute bang on a kickoff return straight out of the gate, as they went on to roll past the Wolverines by a 40-18 count to end their first season in 8-Man competition in the Semifinal round on Friday.

Totten was simply incredible from the backfield once again for the Dragons from start to finish, as he provided five of the team’s six total scores from scrimmage — four from the backfield in addition to his second half-starting kickoff returns, all of which from long distance. He would begin by giving Pembroke the lead to work with going into the break after Bolivar-Richburg (6-4) started on their opening drive with a 57-yard strike from Caden Allen to Trevor Pforter.

On their first lengthy drive of the night in turn, Pembroke would take their time going down the field with a series of runs helping set up a 50-yard scamper from Totten to tie the game, using over five minutes in time to finish off the scoring drive. The score would remain tied at six before the Dragons worked their way into the driver’s seat in the second quarter with Totten finding the end zone one more time with five minutes left in the half, heading off the races with a 55-yard touchdown.

It would help set up bigger and better things for the Dragons in the third quarter, setting the tone for the remainder of the battle with a 45-yard kickoff return for Totten’s third score right out of the gate. After Totten followed with a 66-yard touchdown later on, the Wolverines would attempt to cut their deficit down with assistance from their rush attack, led by Trent Sibble, who provided a goal-line strike of his own for the team’s first second half strike.

But then the 15-point advantage held by Pembroke was branched back out to three possessions by Cayden Pfalzer, who scored from 40 yards out to continue the dominant rush attack from the backfield. Two more scores on each side were gathered in the last 12 minute quarter, with Tavyn MacDonell ultimately scoring what would be Bolivar-Richburg’s final touchdown of the season, finding the end zone from 10 yards.

Totten would then bring the curtain down on another incredible game with a 43-yard touchdown in the final stages, finishing the evening with 268 yards off 17 carries. The Dragons would total 357 yards of total offense against Bolivar-Richburg.

As for the Wolverines, they were led by Sibble in the backfield with 16 rushes for 82 yards and his goal-line score. On defense, Caden Allen recorded six tackles. MacDonell and Maddox Davison each had four tackles, while Zach Mitchell provided three.

Bolivar-Richburg’s inaugural season in 8-Man competition is officially in the books, as they wrap up with a record of 6-4 overall. The Wolverines will say goodbye to five seniors at the end of the school year, in Sibble, Maddox Day, Parker Worth, Jadon Bromley and Dawson Little.

Bolivar-Richburg 6 0 6 6 – 18

Pembroke 6 7 20 7 – 40

Scoring Summary

1st

B-R – Trevor Pforter 57-yard pass from Caden Allen, 2-pts failed (6-0 B-R)

PEM – Tyson Totten 50-yard run, 2-pts failed (6-6)

2nd

PEM – Tyson Totten 55-yard run, PAT good (13-6 PEM)

3rd

PEM – Tyson Totten 45-yard kickoff return, PAT good (20-6 PEM)

PEM – Tyson Totten 66-yard run, PAT good (27-6 PEM)

B-R – Trent Sibble 1-yard run, 2-pts failed (27-12 PEM)

PEM – Cayden Pfalzer 40-yard run, PAT failed (33-12 PEM)

4th

B-R – Tavyn MacDonell 10-yard run, 2-pts failed (33-18 PEM)

PEM – Tyson Totten 43-yard run, PAT good (40-18 PEM)

Total Yards: B-R 243, PEM 357.
First Downs: B-R 15, PEM 10.
Turnovers: B-R 1, PEM 0.
Penalties: B-R 6-74, PEM 4-39.
Punts: B-R 6-28, PEM 3-31.
T.O.P: B-R 35:00, PEM 20:59.