ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Cowanesque Valley football will lean on a new offense and experience in 2023.

In 2022, Cowanesque Valley football did not find the win column. With a new season approaching and plenty of changes in the NTL, the Indians and 2nd-year Head Coach Joe Leonard find themselves as one of the most experienced teams in the league. Leonard looks to lean on his experienced players, while giving opponents a different look, thanks to a Section IV style offense.

“If I could run it like Coach (Mike) Johnston does at Corning, we’d be fantastic, said Leonard. I did learn a lot from Coach (Mike) D’Aloisio. Section IV in New York does run the offense a lot and does so very well. I think if we can do that and mix it up a little bit, it can help us compete.”

Aside from the new offense, the Indians will be returning a majority of their roster. With a high team chemistry and positive mindset, players like senior offensive lineman Peter Wendell believe this team can have a lot of success.

“I think it’s going to do wonders for us, said Wendell. I’ve been through multiple coaches and this coach, he is a positive guy. I think that will take us places this year. I think you should expect us to be a good team.”

Cowanesque Valley will start their season with a scrimmage on the road at Port Allegany, before opening the regular season at home on August 25th. A full look at the Cowanesque Valley Indians schedule is listed below. * denotes league game.

08/19 – @ Port Allegany (A) – Scrimmage 11am
08/25 – Northwest Area* (A) – 7pm
09/01 – Athens (AAA) – 7pm
09/08 – @ Montgomery* (A) – 7pm
09/15 – @ South Williamsport* (A) – 7pm
09/23 – Sayre* (A) – 7pm
09/29 – @ North Penn-Mansfield (AA) – 7pm
10/07 – @ Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech* (AAAA) – 1pm
10/13 – Muncy* (A) – 7pm
10/20 – Wellsboro (AA) – 7pm
10/27 – Coudersport (A) – 7pm

For more on the Cowanesque Valley Indians and the NTL Football season, stick with 18 Sports both on-air and online.