The blustery conditions of the first cold front of the fall provided the backdrop for what Dutchtown coach Guy Mistretta called “a weird game.”

His Griffins survived heavy winds and a Tioga scoring threat that fell 2 yards short on the final play as Dutchtown claimed a 20-16 nondistrict home victory Friday night.

Ethan Odom’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Walker-Vice with 5:22 to go in the fourth quarter handed the Class 5A Griffins (6-1) a lead their defense made stand up.

“The weather really played havoc on both teams,” Mistretta said. “Passing was tough to come by. In the kicking game, you’re thinking about the wind (on) every punt and every (extra point) or field goal. Proud of our guys (and) both teams. What a fight, all the way to the end. Gutsy performance from both sides.”

Class 4A Tioga (5-2) started its last drive from its own 35 and marched to the Dutchtown 6, aided by a pass interference penalty with seven seconds to go. But an illegal formation penalty backed up the Indians to the 11, and Jackson Tarver was tackled at the 2 to end the game.

“We played as hard as we could,” Tioga coach Dan Christman said. “They have a good program, a class program. It was a hard-fought game.”

Tioga trailed 14-10 at halftime but took a 16-14 lead on a 28-yard pass from Ronnie Stevens to David Garrett with eight minutes to go in the third quarter.

Tioga held that lead into the fourth quarter and drove deep into Dutchtown territory with a chance to extend its advantage. But the drive stalled when CJ Thomas recovered a fumble for Dutchtown at the 20 with 10:15 to go.

Defense was the name of the game all evening. The teams played a run-oriented first quarter. Tioga’s Garrett caught a fumble that popped in the air and raced 48 yards to the Dutchtown 1.

But two penalties and two plays stuffed by Dutchtown at the goal line forced Tioga to settle for Ethan Bridges’ 22-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 40 seconds to go in the first quarter.

The offenses warmed up in the second quarter.

Marcello Rizzuto’s interception at the Tioga 10 turned back another Tioga scoring threat in the second quarter. Dutchtown responded with a 90-yard touchdown drive. A 34-yard pass from Odom to Landon Ruffns paved the way for Odom’s 2-yard touchdown run. Cade Foley booted the extra point for a 7-3 edge with 6:50 remaining in the first half.

The Griffins boosted their advantage to 14-3 with 2:54 remaining in the first half when Brock Black, part of Dutchtown’s two-quarterback rotation, scored on an 8-yard quarterback keeper after a 35-yard Hayden Becnel run.

Tioga answered on the ensuing drive. Bryson Faul’s 62-yard run on the first play of the series set up a 1-yard Tarver scoring plunge. Bridges’ extra point cut the Indians’ deficit to 14-10 with 1:45 to go before halftime.

After a Dutchtown series ended with a turnover on downs at its own 38 with 15 seconds to go in the first half, Tioga had a shot to score again. But Terron Reese intercepted a pass at the Griffins 8 on the final play of the first half.