CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) – Corning Football is set for another run at the Section IV Class AA title.

The Corning Hawks have found themselves at the top of Section IV Class AA every season (No playoffs in 2020) since 2019. The Hawks will be going for their 4th-straight section title in 2023, and will look to build on a state quarterfinals appearance. The journey back to the top will not be easy for the Hawks following the departure of 7 seniors. Among those graduated are quarterback Brady Hughes, running back Logan Booker, and defensive standouts Sam Palmesano, and Jack Van Woert. Despite the losses, head coach Mike Johnston is confident that his team will step up.

“I think the neat thing this year is that we’ve got 16 kids that had to come up last year as freshmen and sophomores, said Johnston. They’ll step in this year and be ready to play right from the get go.”

Senior running back Brody Wolfe backed up Johnston’s statement and stated that the team’s expectations remain high.

“We would definitely like to make it back to state playoffs again, said Wolfe. That has kind of been our thing, so we want to go after that again and perform well with a winning record this year.”

The defending section champions open their season with a rematch with Cicero-North Syracuse, the team that knocked them out of last season’s state tournament. Below is a full look at Corning’s schedule for 2023-24.

09/08 – @ Cicero-North Syracuse – 6:30pm
09/15 – Christian Brothers Academy – 7pm
09/22 – Maine-Endwell – 7pm
09/29 – @ Binghamton – 7pm
10/6 – Union-Endicott – 7pm
10/13 – @ Vestal – 7pm
10/20 – @ Elmira – 7pm
10/27 – Horseheads – 6:30pm – Senior Night/Homecoming

Stick with 18 Sports for more on Corning Hawks Football all season long.