Saturday, October 29, 2011

OLL in the title game

Warriors come from 13 down in 4th to win semifinal football game vs. Irvington, 28-27

LaGRANGE – Two measly points are all that separated the Our Lady of Lourdes High School football team from an unbeaten season this year, so the Warriors are well-acquainted with one-point games.

In fact, the only two one-pointers they played this year were 7-6 defeats, one to Beacon and one to Croton-Harmon.

Not this time.

In one of the all-time great games in school history, Lourdes rallied from a 27-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Irvington, 28-27, in a Section One, Class A semifinal game at Overlook Park.

The second-seeded Warriors, now 6-2 and winners of five straight, will play for the championship next Saturday against the winner of today’s other semifinal between No. 1 Croton and No. 4 Briarcliff.

Sebastian DeGuisto had another big game on the ground for OLL, rushing for 195 yards and two scores, but the Warriors went to the air to win it. Down six with 53 seconds left, quarterback Sam Hickey found Nick Wynne for a 13-yard touchdown pass for the game-tying score. Wynne kicked the extra point moments later for the decisive go-ahead point to give OLL the victory.

In fact, the kicking game was a big part of the victory – Irvington missed an extra point and a 42-yard field goal after a 15-yard penalty pushed it back from what should have been a 27-yard attempt.

Admirals start with win

FREEDOM PLAINS – Kevin Ferreira’s goal late in the first half gave Arlington High School momentum, and the second-seeded Admirals opened the 2011 postseason with a 3-1 win over No. 14 Clarkstown North on Friday in a Section One, Class AA first-round boys’ soccer game.

Arlington, now 13-3-1, takes on No. 10 Ossining on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.

Ferreira broke up a scoreless game with just 98 seconds left in the half.

“A huge goal for us,” Arlington coach Craig Sanborn said. “We really dominated play in the first half, created plenty of scoring opportunities and we finally finished one right before the half. For me, that was the game-winner. Even though we gave up one a little bit later, that first one didn’t allow Clarkstown to sit back and pack the box.”

Indeed, P.J. Zipser and Mike DiMaggio both scored in the second half as the Admirals built a 3-0 lead before giving up a late tally.

Dome not home for Beacon

MILTON – The Dome was not home as far as the Beacon High School boys’ soccer team is concerned.

The third-seeded Bulldogs – forced to move their first-round Section One, Class A playoff game away from home due to unplayable conditions – struggled with the new location and artificial turf, and were shocked by No. 14 Spring Valley, 2-1 in overtime on Friday afternoon.

Beacon ends its season at 14-3 overall; Spring Valley moves on to play No. 11 Pelham, another upset winner after a 4-3 double-overtime decision over No. 6 Rye.

“It was completely different,” Beacon coach Craig Seaman said. “Playing on turf totally changes the game. You play a ball over the top and on grass you just run on it. On turf, it bounces hard and bounces away from you.”

Seaman held out hope that the Bulldogs would be able to walk out the back door of their school and play, but Thursday night’s heavy downpour, followed more saturating snow, left the field unplayable. Athletic director Eric Romanino then booked the closest facility available with a playable field that somebody else wasn’t already using – the indoor Hudson Valley Sportsdome in Milton, 11 miles north of Beacon.

Beacon went undefeated at home this season on grass. The Bulldogs’ only two losses prior to their sectional opener? To Arlington, on turf. And to John F. Kennedy Catholic, on turf.

“I think, psychologically, it threw the kids off,” Seaman said. “I mean, you work hard and play all year to get a home game, and then in an instant it’s changed and you lose the homefield advantage. We were completely thrown off.”

Still, the Bulldogs dominated and kept possession for the bulk of the game, faltering only, as Seaman said, when it tried to press forward into the final third of the field. Both of Spring Valley’s goals came on Beacon mistakes – a questionable takedown in the box early in the first half that resulted in a penalty kick that the Tigers converted, and a misplayed clear in the first overtime that Spring Valley pounced on for the game-winning goal.

In between, the Bulldogs’ Mario Riccardi had tied the game with a goal from 25 yards out with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

“I understand our field was wet, I understand that Spring Valley had to come up and play on the same turf as we did, and I understand the section’s rule that postponing a game means everybody in the bracket has to postpone (for fairness sake),” Seaman said. “But it’s still just disappointing.”

FDR football beats Pine Bush, ends on strong note

PINE BUSH – Joe Soltysiak scored on a 22-yard run with 1:40 remaining Friday, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School football team finished the year with a 28-27 come-from-behind win over Pine Bush.

The Presidents end the season at 4-5.

Zach Goodwin, who earlier caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Soltysiak, kicked the extra point for the difference after Soltysiak tied the game with his TD run.

Pine Bush went ahead 27-21 with 5:22 left in the game but FDR’s Joe Ciampaglione blocked the extra point attempt, which proved to be the difference in the game.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Neither wind nor rain nor snow, nor sleet....

Poughkeepsie, John Jay cruise in openers

Pioneers crush Harrison, 41-6

FREEDOM PLAINS – Poughkeepsie High School football coach Ken Barger knew he was taking something of a chance, however minimal it might have been.

Knowing that his Section One, Class A quarterfinal game against Harrison would be played in bad weather – and ‘bad’ being used in the loosest sense after actually seeing what transpired – Barger had the game moved to neutral Arlington High School’s artificial turf field.

With Poughkeepsie being an inner-city school that draws many of its fans through nearby foot traffic, it was something of a gamble.

But what Barger lost in home fans, he gained in better footing and traction for his amazing set of skill players.

Quarterback Josh Oliver ran wild again, and the Pioneers had no trouble with Harrison, blowing out the Huskies, 41-6.

Poughkeepsie – the top seed in the Class A playoffs and the No. 2 team in the state – will now play Ossining on Tuesday in a sectional semifinal game. Barring another round of unseasonable weather, the game is scheduled for Sam Kalloch Field at Poughkeepsie High School.

But for this one against Harrison, with the driving rain, sleet and snow, Barger made the correct call.

“We felt that putting solid footing under our kids’ feet far outweighs the 15 minute travel by bus and lack of a home game,” he said. “It is certainly a risk/reward situation. When push comes to shove....both teams have to play on it and our kids have known for days that this was a possibility.”

Indeed, the switch also meant Harrison got to play under more solid footing. But after a close half in which the Pioneers led only 13-6 at the intermission, Poughkeepsie ran wild with four touchdowns in the second half.

Henderson carries the load for Patriots

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

WICCOPEE – Rain, sleet, snow …. whatever.

Didn’t matter to the John Jay High School football team.

In a game that had many wondering why it wasn’t postponed or moved – especially in a fall season that saw numerous cancellations over the slightest hint of bad weather – the Patriots reveled in what Mother Nature threw at them on Thursday night.

Especially Bobby Henderson.

The senior running back followed his powerful offensive line all night, scoring all three touchdowns to lead John Jay to a 19-6 win over Arlington in a Section One, Class AA football quarterfinal.

John Jay, the top seed out of League I, moves on to the sectional semifinals and will host Clarkstown South on Tuesday. The winner of that plays for all the marbles.

Henderson was one-man wrecking crew. Though official stats were not available, Henderson carried the ball more than 40 times for over 200 yards.

“It’s what I love,” the senior said. “I have to give all the credit to my offensive line. I knew we were going to run the ball as much as we could. I wanted the ball.”

“Hey, I kept looking at him and he said he was good,” John Jay coach Tom O’Hare said. “I was going to go to that well as often as I could. They couldn’t stop him so we kept going to him.”

The Patriots scored on long drives on their first possession of each half, playing smashmouth football behind Henderson. The Admirals had two problems. One, they couldn’t stop Henderson. When they did get a body on him, Henderson carried potential tacklers with him for a few extra yards. Two, Arlington’s offensive bugaboo of not finishing drives came back to haunt the Admirals, as they didn’t score until 100 seconds left remaining in the game.

The quarterfinal began in a ridiculous downpour and wind, with the rain going more horizontal than vertical. By the end of the first quarter, it had turned into a full-blown snowfall, with thick, heavy flakes. If anything, it turned out to be a good thing – any more rain would have turned a muddy, puddled mess of a field into an all-out quagmire.

“Never,” O’Hare said when asked if there was any considerate about postponing or moving the game. “This is our kind of weather. We can grind it out, too. And I’ve actually never seen the kids more excited to play.”

However picturesque it might have been – and that’s debatable given it’s still October and nobody wants a repeat of last winter – it still kept the field slippery. Surprisingly, both teams did a nice job of holding on to the football.

John Jay drew first blood after stopping the Admirals on downs in Jay territory. Despite the conditions – or, rather, because of the conditions – Jay used its power game almost exclusively. The Patriots went 70 yards in 13 plays on its first drive, with Henderson going in from three yards out, for a 7-0 lead.

“That was huge,” Henderson. “I think we came out and took the wind right out of their sails.”

If they didn’t there, the Patriots did in the second half. John Jay received the kick after halftime but flubbed it, and only brought the ball out to their own 11 yard line. Didn’t matter. Once again they went to the well and Henderson – except for a 10-yard screen pass – touched the ball virtually every time, including a 19-yard run to cap the drive and make it 13-0.

The Admirals simply couldn’t move the ball and, after being stopped on downs, found themselves in a three-score hole after Henderson scored again from eight yards out to make it 19-0.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

History in the making !

Marlboro boys, Millbrook girls win first MHAL soccer titles in school history

Iron Dukes upset Rhinebeck

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

MARLBORO – Rhinebeck High School boys’ soccer star Seth McClenahan hopped, skipped, jumped, and even did a little dance right before his penalty kick in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League championship game on Wednesday night, all in an effort to fake out Marlboro goalkeeper Mark Nowak.

One flaw with all the theatrics, however.

McClenahan didn’t realize he was going up against the undisputed King of the Penalty Kicks in the Hudson Valley.

Nowak turned away McClenahan’s second-half PK, and that preserved a stirring 1-0 victory that gave Marlboro its first MHAL boys’ soccer championship in school history.

“I can’t even count how many times he’s done that,” Marlboro coach Jimmy Ventriglia said, “but this was the biggest of all.”

For the record, it’s the seventh time in nine tries dating back the last two seasons that Nowak has stopped a penalty kick, and he didn’t seem flustered in the least by McClenahan’s contorting moves as he approached the ball with just under 20 minutes remaining and the Iron Dukes clinging to the 1-0 lead.

Maybe that’s because Nowak wasn’t even paying attention.

“I don’t look at anything; I just do my own thing and it’s been pretty successful,” Nowak said. “I put one thing in my mind and stick to it the entire time. I pick a side and just go to it. I went one way and I went the other. I think he saw that coming and he tried to go down the middle, but my reaction time was good.”

The only goal of the game came with 7:45 remaining when Danny Cortez took a perfect pass on the ground from Haxhi Verjoni and one-timed a blast into the net for the score.

“I have to give credit to Haxhi,” Cortez said. “He crossed up one of their defenders and passed it to me, and as soon as I saw it coming I knew I had to kick it right away. There was no stopping at all. I just knew where the big box was and to shoot on target.”

It was a phenomenal all-around effort by the Dukes who, admittedly, were an after-thought in the MHAL given the success of Rhinebeck, currently ranked 11th in the state in Class C, and Spackenkill – state-ranked and unbeaten until losing to Rhinebeck on Saturday.

“That’s what we thrive on,” said Ventriglia, who won three of these MHAL titles during his own heyday as a soccer start at nearby Highland High School. “We came out knowing we had to play above and beyond our potential, and we did. Hey, look. Marlboro is a football town. From year to year we don’t know what we’re going to get. But we’re young, we’ve got a great foundation and this team is going to be good next year. But we’re not finished yet this year.”

Stewart's goal, Loussedes' saves lift Millbrook

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

MARLBORO – Call it ESP, cosmic karma, or just the simple fact that they’ve played together so long, but Mallory Peterson and Amanda Stewart have a distinct chemistry.

“I knew she would be there,” Peterson said after her perfect corner kick was headed home by Stewart for the only goal of the giving, giving the Millbrook High School girls’ soccer team a 1-0 win over Red Hook on Wednesday night for the school’s first Mid-Hudson Athletic League championship at Dennis Burkett Field at Marlboro High School.

Both teams now await their seeds when the Section Nine brackets and pairings are announced tonight.

Millbrook’s celebration was excited and muted at the same time, The Blazers were certainly genuinely thrilled to win, but weren’t exactly jumping all over the place.

“This is a first – I don’t think they know how to celebrate,” Millbrook coach Sean McGuigan said with a laugh. “Let’s hope this is a learning experience.”

“Actually,” said Peterson, “we’re a little tired to be jumping around. But this is an amazing experience. This is everything we’ve been working toward.”

Stewart got the only goal of the game with 9:04 remaining in the first half on a beautiful ball off a corner kick from the Penn State-bound Peterson, who lofted it to the far post. Somehow, in a sea of bodies, emerged Stewart to deliver a perfect header.

“She always places it right there and I know exactly where it’s going,” Stewart said. “It’s going through a lot of heads so I had to make sure I didn’t hit anybody in the head and break my nose, but I just tried to get in the corner and down.”

But it wouldn’t have held up if not for Millbrook’s defense and goalie Alexis Loussedes. After her teammates gave her the one-goal lead, Red Hook came storming back and practically lived in Millbrook’s end in the second half.

“The second half couldn’t go by fast enough,” Loussedes said. “Sitting back there, wondering if a ball was going to slip by …. it was nerve-wracking.”

But it was Loussedes who made it stand up, making a terrific save on one final Red Hook rush with under a minute to play when the Raiders’ Sarah Dowling made a beautiful turn on a ball at the top of the box and one-timed a blast at Loussedes. But the senior was able to keep it in front of her on a short-hop save, and then pounced on it before another Raider player could get to it, preserving the championship for Millbrook.

Though Millbrook was clearly playing more defensively, with six players back, the Blazers actually had the better of the first 20 minutes of the game. But it was still Red Hook that had the better chances.

Grace Weisbecker’s blast with 21 minutes remaining in the opening half sailed just over the crossbar, clanging back onto the field after hitting the football goalpost positioned just behind the net. Moments later, after a Millbrook penetration deep into Red Hook’s end, the Raiders broke the other way and Elena Howard fed a beautiful through-ball to Weisbecker. But after a long 45-yard run that resulted in a one-on-one with Loussedes, Weisbecker’s shot went just wide of the goal.

In the second half, Loussedes faced constant pressure from the Raiders.

“I thought it was our best defensive performance, and Alexis’ best game of the year,” McGuigan said.

Bulldogs' only loss of the year knocks them out of the playoffs

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

BEACON – Brian Mahon talked about this on Friday, 24 hours before game time.

He talked about it on Tuesday, four days before the game.

He talked about it last week, and last month, too.

“We always knew that in the back of our mind, because of the schedule and the new (Piner scoring) system, we’d have to almost be perfect,” the Beacon High School football coach said.

But this …. well, this just borders on cruel and unusual.

The Bulldogs lost their first game of the year on Saturday – and with it, lost any chance at the Section One playoffs. Byram Hills snapped a 7-all tie with two late scores for a 16-7 victory, knocking 6-1 Beacon from the postseason.

The wins, all the points, all the shutouts, all the resurgence of the program, and all the community spirit, gone because there was no margin of error between unbeaten and one loss, which put Harrison in as the No. 4 seed from Class B, League I. Harrison will travel to play top-seeded Poughkeepsie on Thursday in the sectional quarterfinals.

When the game ended, nearly ever player was visibly shaken. Senior Alberto Rios threw his helmet down with such ferocity that it left an impression in the soft ground in front of the Beacon bench.

“It’s upsetting,” tailback Marquise Brown said. “We worked so hard all year.”

“Whether we get in or not, there’s still football to play. These guys are troupers. They’ll bounce back,” Mahon said.

Mahon was well-acquainted with the new Section One scoring system and knew exactly what the consequences were. He didn’t draw up the schedule, but Beacon didn’t earn itself any points – literally – with the schedule it played. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 7-6 upset of Our Lady of Lourdes, but didn’t earn any points from the win by playing out of class (and down, for that matter, since Beacon is an A school and OLL is a B).

Then the Bulldogs drew five schools in its final six games, only one of which had a winning record.

Still hurts though – even the way they lost hurts.

This was a 7-7 game late in the fourth quarter after the two teams traded first-half touchdowns – a one-yard run by the Bobcats’ A.J. Kalmancy in the first quarter, and a 24-yard run by Marquise Brown in the second quarter.

Byram Hills didn’t do itself any favors with four turnovers, but the Bulldogs capitalized only the one time. And, ironically, it was a Beacon turnover that turned the game. The Bulldogs fumbled at their own 20 yard line with under seven minutes to play. The Bobcats drove as far as the 2 yard line and Salvatore D’Angelo untied it with a 19-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

Beacon then came roaring back, moving from its own 35 to the Byram Hills 25 and had a second-and-inches. But the Bobcats threw quarterback Tony Romanelli for a loss, and then Romanelli threw two incompletions to turn the ball over on downs with 95 seconds to play. Byram Hills then stunned a devastated Beacon team with a quick hitter up the middle that went for a 70-yard run and score by Connor Morley.

Marlboro, Rhinebeck to meet in MHAL boys' soccer championship

MARLBORO – Home cookin’ was good to the Marlboro High School boys’ soccer team on Saturday.

MHAL BOYS' SOCCER

John Jay wins, likely draws Arlington for playoffs

WICCOPEE – One of the casualties of the newly aligned Section One high school football leagues this season was the loss of some traditional rivalries, one of which was John Jay-East Fishkill vs. Arlington.

Cross that off the list and get ready for a great local showdown.

John Jay wrapped up the regular season on Saturday night with a 27-0 victory over Mahopac, completing a 6-1 campaign that included an unbeaten mark in Section One, Class AA, League I.

And with that, the Patriots will likely play the Admirals in the quarterfinals of the sectional playoffs on Thursday. All matchups for the playoffs will be set on Sunday morning as per the Piner scoring system that was implemented for this season.

“If it’s them, that would be awesome,” Jay coach Tom O’Hare said. “It’s a great rivalry. They’re a great team and we’re going to have to work hard to beat them. Add in a playoff atmosphere and it’s going to be awesome.”

The Patriots took out Mahopac with another great defensive effort and the running of Bobby Henderson, who scored one TD and had 155 all-purpose yards.

“He carried us in the second half,” O’Hare said.

John Jay led 14-0 at the half thanks to a 33-yard scoring strike from Danny Bogucki to Nick Ciocchi on a 4th-and-7 play in the first quarter, and a 10-yard run by Rob Haughton that was created by a great kick-out block by Henderson.

Haughton and Henderson both had touchdown runs in the second half.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Admirals lose but make playoffs; does JJ loom?

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

FREEDOM PLAINS – You can’t explain football.

There’s no correlation, no cause and effect. For instance, Arlington High School’s Parker Howard rushed for 201 yards on Friday night, the third time this season he’s been over the 200-yard mark.

But if you can’t score, you can’t win.

“That’s something we’ve been talking about,” Arlington coach Dominick DeMatteo said after his Admirals could only put nine points in the board and lost to White Plains, 15-9, in a pivotal Section One, Class AA, League II game. “I thought we were able to move the ball very well against them, but we’re having trouble punching it in.”

Now both teams will have to wait until the convoluted Piner System scoring is tallied up and announced on Sunday morning, when playoff matchups in all classes will be revealed.

But, based on early configurations, it appears the Tigers and the Admirals are in. Much depends on what happens with today’s Mount Vernon-Ramapo game. If Mount Vernon wins, the seeds for League II will be North Rockland at No. 1, followed by White Plains, Arlington and Clarkstown North.

But if Ramapo wins, as expected, it’s possible Arlington and Clarkstown North could flip flop. If that happens, and the Admirals are the No. 4 seed in League II, it means they play the No. 1 seed from League I – John Jay.

“I think we did enough, as I understand the way it works, to get in,” White Plains coach Mike Stevens said. “With four straight (league) wins (after an 0-2 start), I think our boys played their way in.”

“I think we’re in,” DeMatteo said. “I think we’ll be a low seed and probably have to start out on the road, but I think we’re in.”

If they both make it, it will be a tale of two different paths. The Admirals will have to wonder what could have been had they hung on to the 9-0 lead on Friday night at home and finished with a higher seed. The Tigers will revel just in getting in after a little bonding exercise on the way up to Dutchess County.

“This was a business trip for us,” Stevens said. “We treated it almost like a college team. We were dressed (in regular clothes), we stopped a restaurant on the way up and had a nice meal and bonded, and we came up here, changed into our uniforms, and got down to business.”

And, for the record, the lucky meal on Stevens’ plate was pasta and chicken.

On a night when the school honored its seniors, Arlington drew first blood when it took the opening kickoff and needed less than three minutes to score. On a second down from White Plains’ 44 yard line, Parker Howard swept left off tackle and, in a spectacular run, broke three tackles – including one with a nifty 360-degree spin move – for the long scoring run and a 6-0 lead.

Howard had 201 yards rushing in the game, but the Admirals just couldn’t punch another one in. In fact, a key turning point came in the third quarter when Howard ripped off an 82-yard run, taking the Admirals out of a hole at their own 12 yard line and giving them a first-and-goal at the White Plains 6. But the Tigers’ defense stiffened, and Arlington had to settle for a 21-yard field goal and a 9-0 lead.

“Key play of the game right there,” Stevens said. “I thought momentum changed with that.”

White Plains quarterback Jeff Avery thought momentum changed moments later when he finally hit on a big play, a 45-yard strike to Khasi Coachman to put the Tigers in position to finish off a drive with Avery’s 1-yard sneak. The ensuing two-point conversion pass made it a 9-8 game with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

“I take all the (blame) for that,” Avery said. “I felt like I was unfocused early on, coming up here and playing in a big game like this. Once we hit that pass I think I was more confident.”

He showed it 2:12 later. After the Tigers stopped the Admirals in five plays on their next drive, Avery fired a perfect bomb down the right sideline to Terrell Meads for a touchdown pass and the go-ahead score.

Marlboro, Spackenkill girls earn MHAL soccer tourney bids

ACCORD – History in the making.

Emily McDonough scored twice, and teammates Andrea Schoonmaker and Lindsay Weissman had a goal each, and the Marlboro High School girls’ soccer team beat Rondout Valley on Friday, 4-0, to win the Mid-Hudson Athletic League’s Division II championship.

GIRLS' SOCCER

“It was a well-played game both offensively and defensively,” Marlboro coach Geoff Paesano said.

Marlboro started the year slowly but picked up steam late to finish the regular season at 5-8-1 overall.

“I’m proud of the girls for not giving up this season,” Paesano said. “They played hard to reach this achievement.”

Spackenkill actually needed an extra game to secure the Division III title. The Spartans beat Onteora, 3-0, in a one-game playoff at neutral Rhinebeck High School to secure the title. Aislinn Speranza had two goals and an assist for the Spartans.

So, in Monday's MHAL semifinals at Marlboro High School – the site was previously chosen – Red Hook plays the Dukes at 5 p.m., followed by Spackenkill and Millbrook at 7 p.m.

Epic comeback fuels Poughkeepsie victory

NYACK – There was much hanging in the balance on Friday night for the Poughkeepsie High School football team.

An undefeated season.

A victory over Nyack for the first time in school history.

Clinching the No. 1 spot in the playoffs.

Of course, when the Pioneers were on the wrong end of a 21-0 score at halftime, none of that seemed possible. That is, until Josh Oliver and Poughkeepsie’s defense and special teams took over.

Oliver scored twice, the ‘D’ had a pick-six for a score, and the Pioneers blocked a punt for a touchdown to roar back for a 31-21 victory over Nyack to clinch the league title and the unbeaten regular season.

As the Section One, Class A, League II champion, Poughkeepsie will play the No. 4 team from League I in a quarterfinal playoff game next week.

Poughkeepsie started its epic comeback by opening the second half with a nine-play, 59-yard drive capped by an Oliver touchdown. Seconds later, Poughkeepsie’s D’Andre Smith intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown, and suddenly it was a 21-14 game, with momentum clearly back on the Pioneers’ side.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Poughkeepsie tied it. Damique Sellers blocked his second punt of the game, and Siddique Haddad picked this one up and ran it in from 10 yards out to tie the game.

Then it was Oliver-Time. The senior quarterback broke through the line and found an opening later in the final period for a 45-yard touchdown run, giving the Pioneers a 28-21 lead it would never relinquish.

“There’s a guy on the sideline who has a gun”

Someone from Somers brought a loaded weapon to the Poughkeepsie-Somers football game on Saturday, but Poughkeepsie administrators and city police calmly, quietly, brilliantly handled the situation

I suppose this is only partly a sports story, because it happened at a local sports venue right before a sports event and this is an online sports newspaper.

In reality, this is a people story, a story about people keeping their wits at a crucial moment in time. A potential incident was averted at Poughkeepsie High School on Saturday because school administrators were both quick-thinking and level-headed, and because a couple of city cops were, well, just doing their plain old, usual awesome job.

Hudson Valley Sports Report learned exclusively this week that two men brought loaded weapons onto the football field at Poughkeepsie when the Pioneers played Somers.

There.

If that statement doesn’t floor you, like it stunned me when I first heard it, I don’t know what will.

Yet what you are about to read is not only factually correct – all of this has been confirmed on the record by Poughkeepsie athletic director Matt Cameron and Somers school district superintendent Dr. Raymond H. Blanch – it is also strangely bizarre.

Just minutes before kickoff on Saturday, the grandfather of one of the Poughkeepsie players approached Cameron, and delivered a message that took his breath away.

“He came up to me and said ‘There’s a guy on the sideline who has a gun,’ ” Cameron told HVSR. “I asked him to help me identify the person as inconspicuously as possible, and the man (with the gun) was standing on the Somers sideline.”

Cameron advised his building principal, Edgar Glascott, and the two waited for the two city of Poughkeepsie police officers assigned to the game to arrive – one of whom was Detective Larry Bartolotti – and the foursome then told Somers athletic director Roman Catalino what was happening.

Together, they approached the man on the sideline. The man admitted he was carrying a handgun, but also advised the police officers that he had the proper permits to carry a concealed weapon.

Still, there were two problems here – one, the man could not bring a weapon onto school grounds; two, and worse, he initially refused to leave the sideline. Now, here’s where the story turns bizarre. The man said he was on the field at the behest of a Somers athletic official who allegedly said he felt threatened and needed to hire armed protection.

I am not naming the Somers official, in part because it is unknown what the official needed protection for. Was it the inner-city environment? If it was, it’s a slap to the face of the city of Poughkeepsie and Poughkeepsie High School. My own personal background tells me that while, yes, there is crime in the city of Poughkeepsie, the city’s reputation is worse than what is actual reality. I went to Our Lady of Lourdes High School when it was still on North Hamilton Street in the city. I’ve been to Poughkeepsie High School probably 200 times – easily – in the last 30 years as both a spectator of games and a sportswriter. Never had a problem.

Was it previous threats to his or her person, or family? Is there some sort of backstory here that has nothing to do with traveling to Poughkeepsie? We don’t know. We just don’t know. Hence the reason for not naming the athletic official.

What’s more important than a name, however, is what ensued. Or, more importantly, what didn’t.

Detective Bartolotti finally convinced the man to leave the sideline. As the group was walking toward the gate to the parking lot, years of experience and brilliant police work convinced Bartlotti to ask the man with the gun a question.

Actually, it wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement of fact.

“Who are you working with?”

Not, Are you working with someone, but Who are you working with and where is he?

“I think his background and experience told him that it probably wasn’t just one person who was there, and that’s why he asked the man with the gun,” Cameron said.

The man with the gun did indeed point out has accomplice, who also had the proper permits to carry a concealed weapon – just not on school grounds. Both men were escorted to their vehicles, and Detective Bartolotti and the city of Poughkeepsie uniformed officer watched the men safely store their guns in their cars. The two men were allowed to return to the game, albeit, of course, without their weapons.

I suppose that Bartolotti, to whom I did not have a chance to speak with for this story, would simply say that he and his colleague were simply doing their jobs. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen in many other places, life is not that simple.

I suppose you could also say that the two men serving as armed protectors were professional and legally licensed to do so, and really, there was no cause for concern. I also suppose that I’d rather err on the side of caution, as Bartolotti, the uniformed officer, Cameron and Glascott did, and take no chances.

There are a lot of things that naturally go together in this world – Abbott and Costello, shoes and socks, pizza and beer, peanut butter and jelly …. loaded handguns at a school sporting event is not one of them, no matter how “professional” the two men might have been.

Big, big kudos to the police officers, Cameron and Glascott for brilliantly handling what could have been a dangerous situation.

In the end, whatever this was, it was a huge error in judgment.

“That’s not a protocol we would follow,” Dr. Blanch said in an exclusive interview with Hudson Valley Sports Report. “We have taken the necessary steps that we needed to. We have had great athletic competitions with Poughkeepsie. Certainly that’s not how we want to maintain our relationship. We have apologized for it.”

For his part, Cameron, Glascott and their own superintendent, Dr. Laval S. Wilson, just want to be more safe than sorry.

“We just want to make sure these types of situations don’t happen again,” Cameron said. “If there was any type of unsafe feeling about anybody coming to our school district, we’d like to be notified.”

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Schoonmaker leads Iron Dukes past New Paltz

MARLBORO – Mike Schoonmaker rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns on Friday night, and the streaking Marlboro High School football team whipped New Paltz, 34-12, in a Section Nine, Class B league game.

Marlboro has won five in a row and will be the No. 2 seed in the sectional playoffs that start next week behind Spackenkill.

The Iron Dukes recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and scored right away, and never looked back. Ryan Cary had a kickoff return for a touchdown, and Mike Tamburri scored on the ground and on a pass reception from Schoonmaker.

SPACKENKILL 49, HIGHLAND 7 – Running back Nick Celestino had a big game with four rushing touchdowns, and the red-hot Spartans finished the league season with a perfect 6-0 mark.

Celestino scored on runs of 5, 4, 4 and 13 yards, finishing with 73 yards on the ground. Wayne Bowden added 126 yards rushing, and quarterback K.J. Williams had a pair of touchdown passes.

“All in the all we played very well on both sides of the ball and it was nice to give a big homecoming crowd a good game,” head coach Clinton DeSouza said. “Now its playoff week – we must have a playoff atmosphere at practice each day.”

WALLKILL 22, ROOSEVELT 0 – “That kid,” Roosevelt coach Brian Bellino said of Wallkill quarterback Eric Wellmon, “is the class of the section.”

Wellmon threw for two touchdowns to lead host Wallkill to the Section Nine, Class A victory. The Panthers secured the top seed in the playoffs next week.

Haldane earns top seed

Blue Devils beat Dover, head to Section One, Class D playoffs

DOVER PLAINS – No. 1, baby.

The Haldane High School football team used 120 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Bryant Dain on Friday night, and the Blue Devils beat Dover, 34-14, in a Section One, Class C-D league game.

Based on early projections, that should be enough to give Haldane the No. 1 seed in the Class D playoffs that start next week. Seedings and matchups will be announced Sunday morning.

OLL rips Nanuet, 45-12

Warriors lock up No. 2 seed in Section One, Class B playoffs

LaGRANGE – Sebastian DeGuisto scored three rushing touchdowns, and Sam Hickey threw for two scores and ran for one, as the Our Lady of Lourdes High School football team walloped Nanuet, 45-12, in a Section One, Class B league game on Friday night.

OLL finishes the regular season at 5-2 overall, 5-1 in the league, and appears to have earned the No. 2 seed in the sectional playoffs that begin next week. Croton-Harmon will be the top seed, a team that OLL barely lost to, 7-6. Irvington has the inside track to the No. 3 seed, meaning it will be Lourdes-Irvington in the semifinals next week if the seeds hold up when the pairings are announced on Sunday morning.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Grogan leads RCK field hockey

WAPPINGERS FALLS – The Roy C. Ketcham High School field hockey team is heading into the sectionals with a full head of steam.

FIELD HOCKEY

Ketcham is now 11-1-2 overall and is unbeaten in league play at 6-0-2.

“It was a well-played game by both teams,” Ketcham coach Erin Mulligan said. “We had a solid passing game that created quite a few scoring opportunities. Arlington's defense held strong and their goalie made some great saves. We continue to play well together as a team.”

Mulligan noted that Amy Flanagan and Jillian Gannon had great defensive games. Emily Kalaka was key to the midfield connections, and Jenna DeRario’s stick work continues to be an asset.

Late goal foils Arlington soccer bid for share of league title

FREEDOM PLAINS – After almost 88 minutes of soccer, Arlington High School could see a share of the league title in its grasp.

But soccer games are 90 minutes.

Yorktown scored the equalizer in the final two minutes of the game on Friday, and the Admirals had to settle for a 1-1 tie.

BOYS' SOCCER

With the Arlington football team scheduled to play on the main field under the lights, the soccer game was played on the regular field and did not go to an overtime period due to darkness.

Arlington finished the regular season at 12-3-1 overall, 7-2-1 in the league with a loss and a tie to Yorktown, and a second loss to Lourdes.

“Now we just have to sit back and wait,” Admirals coach Craig Sanborn said of the Section One seedings meeting, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

JOHN JAY 4, BREWSTER 1 – Senior Ryan Young scored in the fifth min on an assist from Mike Corbi, and the host Patriots were off and running to a victory that clinched the league championship.

Young also scored a second goal late in the half. Kyle Cost and Seth Wood tallied for the Patriots as well.

Friday, October 21, 2011

“There’s a guy on the sideline who has a gun”

Someone from Somers brought a loaded weapon to the Poughkeepsie-Somers football game on Saturday, but Poughkeepsie administrators and city police calmly, quietly, brilliantly handled the situation

I suppose this is only partly a sports story, because it happened at a local sports venue right before a sports event and this is an online sports newspaper.

In reality, this is a people story, a story about people keeping their wits at a crucial moment in time. A potential incident was averted at Poughkeepsie High School on Saturday because school administrators were both quick-thinking and level-headed, and because a couple of city cops were, well, just doing their plain old, usual awesome job.

Hudson Valley Sports Report learned exclusively this week that two men brought loaded weapons onto the football field at Poughkeepsie when the Pioneers played Somers.

There.

If that statement doesn’t floor you, like it stunned me when I first heard it, I don’t know what will.

Yet what you are about to read is not only factually correct – all of this has been confirmed on the record by Poughkeepsie athletic director Matt Cameron and Somers school district superintendent Dr. Raymond H. Blanch – it is also strangely bizarre.

Just minutes before kickoff on Saturday, the grandfather of one of the Poughkeepsie players approached Cameron, and delivered a message that took his breath away.

“He came up to me and said ‘There’s a guy on the sideline who has a gun,’ ” Cameron told HVSR. “I asked him to help me identify the person as inconspicuously as possible, and the man (with the gun) was standing on the Somers sideline.”

Cameron advised his building principal, Edgar Glascott, and the two waited for the two city of Poughkeepsie police officers assigned to the game to arrive – one of whom was Detective Larry Bartolotti – and the foursome then told Somers athletic director Roman Catalino what was happening.

Together, they approached the man on the sideline. The man admitted he was carrying a handgun, but also advised the police officers that he had the proper permits to carry a concealed weapon.

Still, there were two problems here – one, the man could not bring a weapon onto school grounds; two, and worse, he initially refused to leave the sideline. Now, here’s where the story turns bizarre. The man said he was on the field at the behest of a Somers athletic official who allegedly said he felt threatened and needed to hire armed protection.

I am not naming the Somers official, in part because it is unknown what the official needed protection for. Was it the inner-city environment? If it was, it’s a slap to the face of the city of Poughkeepsie and Poughkeepsie High School. My own personal background tells me that while, yes, there is crime in the city of Poughkeepsie, the city’s reputation is worse than what is actual reality. I went to Our Lady of Lourdes High School when it was still on North Hamilton Street in the city. I’ve been to Poughkeepsie High School probably 200 times – easily – in the last 30 years as both a spectator of games and a sportswriter. Never had a problem.

Was it previous threats to his or her person, or family? Is there some sort of backstory here that has nothing to do with traveling to Poughkeepsie? We don’t know. We just don’t know. Hence the reason for not naming the athletic official.

What’s more important than a name, however, is what ensued. Or, more importantly, what didn’t.

Detective Bartolotti finally convinced the man to leave the sideline. As the group was walking toward the gate to the parking lot, years of experience and brilliant police work convinced Bartlotti to ask the man with the gun a question.

Actually, it wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement of fact.

“Who are you working with?”

Not, Are you working with someone, but Who are you working with and where is he?

“I think his background and experience told him that it probably wasn’t just one person who was there, and that’s why he asked the man with the gun,” Cameron said.

The man with the gun did indeed point out has accomplice, who also had the proper permits to carry a concealed weapon – just not on school grounds. Both men were escorted to their vehicles, and Detective Bartolotti and the city of Poughkeepsie uniformed officer watched the men safely store their guns in their cars. The two men were allowed to return to the game, albeit, of course, without their weapons.

I suppose that Bartolotti, to whom I did not have a chance to speak with for this story, would simply say that he and his colleague were simply doing their jobs. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen in many other places, life is not that simple.

I suppose you could also say that the two men serving as armed protectors were professional and legally licensed to do so, and really, there was no cause for concern. I also suppose that I’d rather err on the side of caution, as Bartolotti, the uniformed officer, Cameron and Glascott did, and take no chances.

There are a lot of things that naturally go together in this world – Abbott and Costello, shoes and socks, pizza and beer, peanut butter and jelly …. loaded handguns at a school sporting event is not one of them, no matter how “professional” the two men might have been.

Big, big kudos to the police officers, Cameron and Glascott for brilliantly handling what could have been a dangerous situation.

In the end, whatever this was, it was a huge error in judgment.

“That’s not a protocol we would follow,” Dr. Blanch said in an exclusive interview with Hudson Valley Sports Report. “We have taken the necessary steps that we needed to. We have had great athletic competitions with Poughkeepsie. Certainly that’s not how we want to maintain our relationship. We have apologized for it.”

For his part, Cameron, Glascott and their own superintendent, Dr. Laval S. Wilson, just want to be more safe than sorry.

“We just want to make sure these types of situations don’t happen again,” Cameron said. “If there was any type of unsafe feeling about anybody coming to our school district, we’d like to be notified.”

Spackenkill wins, tunes up for MHAL tourney

Well, one half of the Mid-Hudson Athletic League boys’ and girls’ high school soccer championship tournament is set.

In the boys’ semifinals on Saturday, Wallkill will take on Marlboro at 2 p.m. on Marlboro’s home field – the previously selected neutral site – followed by a showdown between Spackenkill at Rhinebeck at 4 p.m.

The winners meet Wednesday at 7 p.m., back at Marlboro, for the title.

Spackenkill tuned up for the game with a 2-0 win over Arlington ‘B’ on Thursday. Alex Lanza had a goal and an assist for the Spartans, who remain unbeaten at 13-0-1 this season.

“Our game pace was tremendous in the second half,” Spackenkill coach Manny Blanco said. “We moved the ball with constant precision.”

The MHAL girls’ tournament is still up in the air. Onteora and Spackenkill still need to play a one-game playoff for the league’s Division III title. The game is today at neutral Rhinebeck High School. Also today, the Division II title is up for grabs when Marlboro plays at Rondout Valley. A Marlboro wins gives the Dukes the title; a loss means highland takes the division championship.

The MHAL semifinals are now on Monday at Marlboro High School. Division I champion Red Hook plays either Marlboro or Highland at 5 p.m., followed by Millbrook taking on Onteora or Spackenkill at 7 p.m.

Playing for playoffs, position and pride

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

Whatever it is, there’s something to play for this weekend in Hudson Valley high school football.

Some teams are playing for playoff position, having already clinched a postseason berth.

Some teams are playing for a playoff spot, and are hoping just to get in.

And others are playing for pride.

This is the last week of the regular season for both Section One and Section Nine, as playoffs begin next week, so let the final round of regular-season games commence!

ON DECK – Nine games tonight, starting with a big one – White Plains at Arlington, as the Admirals try to clinch a playoff berth. Also tonight are Nanuet at Lourdes (the Warriors go for the playoff victory), Poughkeepsie at Nyack, Roosevelt at Wallkill, Highland at Spackenkill, New Paltz at Marlboro, Millbrook at Tri-Valley, Minisink Valley at Saugerties and Haldane at Dover.

On Saturday, Beacon hosts Byram Hills, Ketcham hosts New Rochelle, Pawling goes to Tuckahoe, Ellenville is home to O’Neill, Pine Plains is at Onteora, Rondout travels to Red Hook, and John Jay hosts Mahopac under the lights.

On the collegiate level, both Army and Marist are away – the former at Vanderbilt, where Jordan Rodgers – younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers – gets the start, and the latter at Butler.

GAME OF THE WEEK – White Plains at Arlington. Do or do time. Win and go home. All that stuff.

Arlington has one league loss, to North Rockland. North Rockland lost to Clarkstown North. Arlington beat Clarkstown North. If all three teams end up with one loss, the Admirals can share the league title and qualify for the playoffs.

A second league loss?

“Honestly? I’m not even sure,” Arlington coach Dominick DeMatteo said. “If we lose, I still think we have a good shot at being in the playoffs but I don’t want to take that chance.”

MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUP – New Paltz at Marlboro. A year ago, these two teams played two epic games. Marlboro won on the road at New Paltz to win the Section Nine, Class B regular season title. The Huguenots returned the favor, beating the Iron Dukes in the Section Nine, Class B championship game.

This year, Marlboro is playing for seed, hoping that a victory over New Paltz clinches the No. 2 spot behind Spackenkill. New Paltz is playing for seed also but hoping not to get that third league loss that could prove troublesome.

KEEP AN EYE ON …. Beacon and Poughkeepsie. The Bulldogs and the Pioneers are the last two local teams left standing without a loss. Both can complete undefeated seasons with victories against Byram Hills and Nyack, respectively.

“Byram has a good team with a lot of speed. We just can't give up the big play which they are very capable of,” Beacon coach Brian Mahon said. “Offensively, we just need to do a better job blocking. This is a must win for us. A victory will probably give us a home playoff game and a loss will almost certainly knock us out of the playoffs. Our message has been that this is a playoff game.”

ON THE SPOT – Millbrook. The Blazers are also in a do-or-die situation. Win and it’s on to the playoffs. Lose, and the defending Section Nine, Class C champions are on the outside looking in.

“We're playing a very physical, well-coached team in Tri-Valley,” Millbrook coach Sean Keenan said. “We have to be able to run the ball effectively to eat up some clock. We have been playing better lately but if we don't bring our A game, we will be in trouble.”

BY THE NUMBERS – Wallkill, Beacon and Poughkeepsie each have the longest winning streaks in the area at six in a row. Beacon and Poughkeepsie are still unbeaten; the Panthers lost their first game of the year and that’s been it …. Beacon had its streak of four consecutive shutouts snapped in last week’s 15-12 win. The Bulldogs have given up just 18 points all year, by far the lowest in the area …. By contrast, Poughkeepsie has scored 220 points this season, an average of 36.6 per game …. Hey, imagine if they meet in the Section One, Class A playoffs?!?!?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Young's two goals pace Jay past Mahopac

BOYS' SOCCER

MAHOPAC – Ryan Young scored twice in the first half to stake John Jay High School to the lead, and the Patriots shut out Mahopac, 4-0, in a boys’ soccer game on Wednesday afternoon.

Jay is now 11-2-2 heading into Friday’s game at home against Brewster.

Arlington boys slip past OLL

FREEDOM PLAINS – The Our Lady of Lourdes High School boys’ soccer team might be just 7-5-2 this year, but the Warriors always seem to give mighty Arlington fits.

BOYS' SOCCER

This time, though, the Admirals’ Mike Nittolo and Jeff Greblick made sure ‘fits’ didn’t necessarily equal ‘loss.’

Nittolo scored the game-tying goal with seven minutes left and Greblick scored the game-winner seven minutes into the second overtime, and Arlington rallied for a 2-1 victory over Lourdes on Wednesday.

Arlington is now 12-3 overall.

“They gave us all we can handle,” Arlington coach Craig Sanborn said. “Their kids play hard, they get pumped for us, and there are times when we just don’t match their intensity when we should.”

Lourdes’ Timothy Costigan gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes into the game on a free kick, and it took the Admirals more than an hour to catch up. And when it happened, it was a case of right place, right time. Ryan Miller’s low, hard shot rebounded off the OLL keeper to Nittolo, who slid it off the post, off another OLL player, and into the net.

In the second OT, Greblick took a feed from Stephen Jennings and fired a hard shot from the 18 that found the back of the net for the victory.

That sets up a huge match on Friday as Arlington hosts league leader Yorktown for a share of the league title.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Patriots earn victory, head coach earns honor

Jay tops Fox Lane; O'Hare named NY Giants Coach of the Week

FOX LANE – On the same day that John Jay High School football coach Tom O’Hare found out he had been named the New York Giants Coach of the Week, the Patriots went out and ran away from Fox Lane in the second half of a 34-24 victory in a Section One, Class AA, League I game on Thursday.

Jay, which leaped into the state rankings at No. 10 after last week’s stunning shutout of then-No. 4 New Rochelle, is now 5-0 on the season.

“Fox Lane was a team that ended up giving us fits,” O’Hare said. “Their quarterback was very good but, as we’ve done all season, our coaching staff made some great halftime adjustments.”

Tied at 14-all in the second half, the Patriots exploded on the hosts in the second half as Bobby Henderson and Rob Haughton each had two touchdowns in the game. It was Jay's third game in 11 days.

O’Hare officially got the confirmation email from the Giants on Thursday prior to boarding the bus for Fox Lane. Both of New York’s professional football teams honor area high school coaches for their efforts. O’Hare joins Roosevelt’s Brian Bellino and former Jay mentor-turned-Lourdes coach Brian Walsh earned the honor two years ago. The Jets and Giants also cut a check for $250 to every school whose coach it honors.

“I’m blessed to have the kids I work with and the staff,” O’Hare said. “I share all the credit with them. The kids execute the gameplan we give them and the staff is amazing. Their work ethic, their attention to detail, it inspires me. They push me to get better.”

Cuomo's 5 TDs pace Millbrook

MILLBROOK – The Blazers are back.

After a slow start to the season in which it started 1-3, the Millbrook High School football won its second straight game on Thursday, knocking off Pine Plains 47-20 in a Section Nine, Class C, Division II game.

Kyle Cuomo had an amazing effort for Millbrook, scoring five touchdowns by rushing for 124 yards and two scores, and catching three balls for 70 yards and three TDs.

“He runs incredibly hard, and he’s a great receiver,” Millbrook coach Sean Keenan said. “He’s a great high school football player. He’s a five-year starter and I’m really glad his hard work is paying off for us.”

Henry Cardinal rushed six times for 103 yards and two touchdowns for the Blazers, while Lucas Lemkuhl had 72 yards on the ground.

“I thought we played very well offensively,” Keenan said. “Defensively, it took us a little while to get used to playing against the double wing. The kids played hard.”

Millbrook is home to Liberty next weekend in a key matchup.”

FDR loses a heartbreaker

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

HYDE PARK – Walking across both sides of the football field, past the school and through to the parking lot, there was one common refrain late Thursday night echoed by players, coaches and fans of the Warwick Valley and Franklin D. Roosevelt high school football programs.

“That,” they said, almost word-for-word, “was a heck of a football game.”

That it was.

Warwick’s Nick Calacanis intercepted a pass deep in Roosevelt territory with 50 seconds remaining and returned it to the 2 yard line, and the Wildcats scored the game-winning touchdown moments later to beat the Presidents, 26-20, in a Section Nine, Class AA, Division II.

FDR is now 2-1 in the division, and the Wildcats are 2-0.

“I told the kids before the game, you only get so many high school football games to play in your life. To be a part of this is special,” Warwick coach James Sciarra said. “The back and forth, the great plays … this was a great high school football game. You have to give Roosevelt credit for making adjustments and coming back at us.”

FDR fought back all night, fighting off an early 13-0 deficit to the tie the score at 13-all in the third quarter, then coming back again from a 20-13 deficit to tie it again midway through the fourth.

The Presidents actually had an amazing goal-line stand late in the game, stopping the Wildcats four times inside the 5 yard line with less than two minutes to play. They took over on their own 4 yard line with exactly a minute to go. A running play knocked them back a yard, and Warwick called timeout.

That’s when FDR coach Brian Bellino decided to go for it. He had quarterback Joe Soltysiak drop back to throw out of his own endzone. Calacanis stepped in front of the intended receiver at the 18 and returned it to the 2 yard line, setting up quarterback John Garcia’s game-winning sneak.

“It’s only a good call if it works,” a frustrated Bellino said. “I probably should have played for overtime. We’ve been aggressive in a bunch of games this year and I wonder if it’s hurting us more. I have to re-evalute what I’m doing in making those calls.”

“We thought we were going to pick up the ‘W’ there,” Roosevelt running back Mike Alicea said. “It wasn’t a bad call; it was a great call. Sometimes, the defensive back is just in the right spot at the right time.”

Oliver dominates, Poughkeepsie rolls

POUGHKEEPSIE – Can anybody stop the Poughkeepsie High School football machine?

The state’s second-ranked Class A team rolled to another win on Thursday afternoon, allowing only a safety in a 33-2 victory over Brewster in a Section One, Class A, League I game.

The Pioneers are a sterling 5-0 and haven’t had a game closer than 13 points all season.

“They are a much improved team and we’re happy with the win,” Poughkeepsie coach Ken Barger said.

Josh Oliver had yet another monster game for the Pioneers. The quarterback threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns, including a 58-yard scoring pass to Sid Haddad and 30 yards Kwayne Hayle, he returned a punt 90 yards for a score, and also scored two TDs on the ground. All in all, the senior accounted for all five Poughkeepsie scores.

“He might be the best kid with his hands on the ball that we ever had here,” Barger said. “He’s special.

Lawrence Featherstone had 18 tackles for Poughkeepsie.

“It’s a great win for us, and now we have to look forward to playing Somers in what is quickly becoming a great rivalry for us,” Barger said.

Nicolich scores twice, Pine Plains wins

PINE PLAINS – Jenny Nicolich scored both goals in the second half, and the Pine Plains High School field hockey team knocked off Taconic Hills, 2-0, in a non-league game on Thursday afternoon.

FIELD HOCKEY

“The game was extremely fast and skilled,” Bombers coach Dick Meilinger said. “Most of the first half was played between the 25's. In the second half we put a lot of pressure in the circle and both goals were pushed past the goalie.”

Pine Plains is now 7-2-1 overall.

Three games, three wins for Onteora

BOICEVILLE – Onteora High School won its third game in three days on Thursday when the Indians defeated Liberty, 2-0, in a non-league girls’ soccer game.

Onteora is now 6-2 overall.

GIRLS' SOCCER

The Indians tallied their first goal in the 11th minute when Avery Serfis's shot dropped just below the cross bar on a direct kick from 20 yards out. The second goal was scored just before half time when Serfis crossed the ball to the far post and Isabelle La Motte finished with a one-touch, literally seconds before the horn sounded.

Onteora's Rene Giuditta made three saves to keep Liberty scoreless and earn the shutout.

Friday, October 7 2011

Williams, Riley spark Spartans past Rondout

KYSERIKE – Spackenkill High School football coach Clinton DeSouza took a gamble on Thursday, sitting quarterback K.J. Williams and tight end/linebacker/backup QB Josh Riley for the first half against Rondout.

The plan was to let them rest from various bumps and bruises suffered the week before – Williams was knocked out of the game in the second half, Riley came on to pull double duty at quarterback.

That experiment lasted 24 minutes.

“We needed to put them in and it definitely energized our team,” DeSouza said after the Spartans beat Rondout Valley, 28-20, to remain unbeaten in Section Nine, Class B play.

Spackenkill is 5-1 overall heading into next weekend’s showdown against New Paltz, where it can virtually lock up a regular-season league crown.

Spackenkill started out hot as backup QB Evan Loughran scored on a 32-yard run and Wayne Bowden punched one in from three yards out to take a 14-0 lead.

“Then the wheels came off the bus,” DeSouza said.

RV blocked a punt in the end zone and recovered it for a touchdown, and the Spartans then fumbled in the end zone and it was pounced on by the Ganders, and suddenly it was a 14-12 game at halftime.

“But at that point, I thought our defense had played very well,” DeSouza said, a point emphasized when Tommy Fink picked off a pass in the third quarter and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to give the Spartans a little breathing room.

When, with both Williams and Riley in the game, they two hooked up on a 28-yard scoring pass to put Spackenkill out front 28-12.

Deguisto has another big night as OLL wins

POUGHKEEPSIE – Yup, Sebastian Deguisto is feeling just fine.

Injured in a game two weeks ago, the Our Lady of Lourdes High School running back made sure everybody knew he was healed just fine on Thursday. Deguisto ran for 222 yards and four touchdowns, and the Warriors walloped Pleasantivlle, 47-7, in a Section One, Class B league game.

OLL is now 3-2 overall after its second straight win.

Tyler Windheim added 134 yards rushing for Lourdes.

“They’re a pretty good 1-2 punch,” Lourdes coach Brian Walsh said of his two running backs. “Our offensive line did a great job.”

OLL had a slow first quarter before putting it together in the second quarter, sparked by a 78-yard touchdown run from Windheim that gave the Warriors a 15-0 lead. Deguisto, who scored the opening TD from five yards out, scored three consecutive touchdowns on runs from 52, 35 and 72 yards as the Warriors blew it open.

“Tyler’s run was big for us,” Walsh said. “They started putting a lot of people in the box, like a lot of people do against us, and we were able to break one with a little trap there.”

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Beacon pitches 4th straight shutout in 46-0 blowout

BEACON – Late in the fourth quarter of its season-opening game on Sept. 9 against Our Lady of Lourdes, the Beacon High School football allowed a touchdown in its 7-6 win against the Warriors.

That was the last time anybody has seen the end zone against the Bulldogs’ defense.

Beacon pitched its fourth consecutive shutout on Thursday afternoon, blasting Saunders, 46-0, in a Section One, Class A, League II game.

The Bulldogs are now 5-0 on the season and have outscored their last four opponents 159-0.

“Our defense was exceptional,” Beacon coach Brian Mahon said of his team, which allowed, well, nothing. Saunders had negative five yards of offense.

Marquis Brown had 54 yards and a score, brother Jarrell Brown had 42 yards and a score, Elijah Wilds had 63 yards and a score, and Tony Romanelli threw a 32-yard touchdown pass.

“We really spread the ball around tonight,” Mahon said. “I like what we did on offense. We know we haven’t won anything yet. We still have two big games left and those will determine the playoffs, so we have to continue to prepare as hard as we can.”

Marlboro, Red Hook, Haldane all victorious

MARLBORO – The Marlboro High School football team finally came home after three straight weeks on the road, and the Iron Dukes gave the hometown fans something to cheer about.

Actually, a lot to cheer about.

Marlboro rolled to a 35-7 halftime lead and the Iron Dukes crushed Goshen, 56-10, in a Section Nine, Class B game on Thursday night.

Marlboro is now 5-1 overall heading into next weekend’s game against Red Hook.

Quarterback Mike Schoonmaker rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries to lead Marlboro. Devin Pierre added 114 yards and two scores, Cornelius Williams had 60 yards on the ground and two TDs, and Ryan Cary caught three balls for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Cary and Neil Porcelli both blocked a punt in the game.

RED HOOK 45, ONTEORA 24 – The Raiders exploded for a 26-point second quarter en route to a 33-6 halftime lead as quarterback Lucas Brochetti dominated the game.

Brochetti threw a pair of touchdown passes – one to Jake Moir and one to Kirby Roeder – and also rushed for two short touchdown runs.

Tim Shultis of Onteora threw two long TD passes, one of 67 yards and one of 45 yards, to keep the winless Indians in the game.

SCARSDALE 39, KETCHAM 36 – In a wild one in Wappingers Falls, Scarsdale outlasted the Indians in this Section One, Class AA, League I game.

Sophomore quarterback Kevin Duke was 20-for-27 for 279 yards and two touchdowns, one of them to Matt Droese, who also rushed for two TDs.

“I was pleased with our offensive performance but we have not been able to put together a solid performance on both sides of the ball in the same game,” Ketcham coach Pat Keevins said. “This week our offense stepped up and we were outscored. We will need to put it together in the coming weeks to improve.”

HALDANE 46, VALHALLA 0 – The Blue Devils got the complete game coach Jeff Sniffen was looking for with a Section One, Class C-D victory that bolstered their record to 4-1.

Haldane has scored 90 points in its last two games.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

It's a good day at John Jay

Boys' soccer shuts out Carmel, sets up Arlington rematch

CARMEL – Chalk up another shutout for the John Jay High School boys’ soccer team.

BOYS' SOCCER

John Jay is now 8-1-1 overall heading into Friday’s showdown with Arlington, while the Rams dropped to 2-6-2.

Junior Ryan Kaplan started the scoring in the 36th minute off of an assist from Ryan Young and CJ Pourakis. Young then scored the second goal in the 42nd minute off of an assist from Brian Vigorita and Kyle Cost. Cost closed out the scoring in the 56th minute on an assist from Young.

Patriots football storms into the state rankings at No. 10

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

The John Jay High School football team didn’t just leap into the state rankings this week. The Patriots stormed into them with a fury.

That’s what a 14-0 domination of the state’s No. 4-ranked Class AA team will do for you.

By virtue of its win over then-No. 4 New Rochelle, John Jay – to paraphrase the immortal words of Nuke LaLoosh in “Bull Durham” – announced its presence with authority. The Patriots went from unranked to the No. 10 team in the state this week when the New York State Sportswriters Association polls were released on Wednesday.

All rankings for all sports are updated on our NYS High School Rankings Page.

Also joining the poll party? Spackenkill. The Spartans are in the Class B rankings at No. 17 after knocking off previously unbeaten and then-No. 12 Red Hook last week. New Paltz, which Spackenkill will play next week, is ranked No. 15 this week.

Poughkeepsie maintained its hold on the No. 2 ranking in Class A heading into today’s game against Brewster, while Wallkill moved up to No. 15.

In boys’ soccer, Arlington jumped back into the rankings after a week’s absence with the No. 19 spot in Class AA, though the Admirals have since lost a second game. Wallkill is ranked 13th in Class A, Spackenkill is 15th in Class B and Rhinebeck is 13th in Class C.

In girls’ soccer, Arlington is also ranked No. 19 in Class AA. Red Hook is No. 19 in Class A, and Spackenkill is No. 16 in Class B.

Arlington has the second-ranked boys’ cross country team in the state in Class A, while Rhinebeck is No. 4 in Class C and Pawling is fifth. In the girls’ cross country poll, Arlington is No. 16 in Class A, and Rhinebeck is 14th in Class C.

Arlington bounces back, shuts out Walter Panas

FREEDOM PLAINS – Arlington High School boys’ soccer coach Craig Sanborn called it a good bounce-back game.

After suffering its first two losses of the year, the Admirals scored three times in the second half on Wednesda

BOYS' SOCCER

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Short turnaround makes for an interesting week

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

Crazy week for high school football as virtually every team in the area except Arlington and Highland have a short turnaround.

Due to the Jewish holiday, 20 of our 22 high school programs are in action today, giving them just five days since their previous game.

Then again, some of these clubs are certainly riding a high. John Jay upset the state’s previous No. 4 team in Class AA, New Rochelle, and now the Patriots have leaped into the rankings at No. 10. Pawling beat Dover for the 14th consecutive year, and Beacon remains undefeated, as does Poughkeepsie.

Whether or not the short week affects any of these teams remains to be seen, so let’s get right to it.

ON DECK – The bulk of the games are this afternoon and tonight. Beacon hosts Saunders, Dover goes to Blind Brook, Haldane is at Valhalla, John Jay visits Fox Lane, Ketcham is home to Scarsdale, Lourdes hosts Pleasantville, Pawling goes to Dobbs Ferry, Poughkeepsie is home to Brewster, Ellenville hosts Livingston Manor, Roosevelt is home to Warwick, Marlboro gets Goshen at home, Millbrook hosts Pine Plains, New Paltz hosts Monticello, Onteora goes to Red Hook, Spackenkill is at Rondout and Wallkill is at Saugerties.

On Saturday, Highland plays a non-league game against Ravena.

On Sunday, Arlington has a home game with Clarkstown North.

On the collegiate level, both Army and Marist are away – the former at Miami (Ohio), the latter at Davidson.

GAMES OF THE WEEK – Warwick at Roosevelt. The Presidents are looking good in Section Nine, Class AA, Division II, where they are 2-0 in league play and 3-2 overall. This is a key game at home, as Warwick comes in unbeaten and the winner will take the driver’s seat for the division title.

“We are in a good position at this point and would be in a great position to win our league again with a win, but it is not going to be easy,” FDR Coach Brian Bellino said. “Warwick returns most of their team from last year and are probably the most explosive offense in Section Nine at this point. We have to try to limit their pass game. If we can do that I think we will be OK.”

Clarkstown North at Arlington. Simply put, the Admirals are in a must-win situation to make sure they keep pace in Section One, Class AA, League II after last week’s 21-0 loss to North Rockland.

MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUP – Haldane at Valhalla. The Blue Devils continue to surprise with their 3-1 mark, and though the Section One, Class C-D league matchup ultimately won’t decide their fate – Haldane plays in the Class D state playoffs – it’s still an interesting game.

“Vahalla is much better than their record indicates. They appear young but are getting better with each and every snap, which is all you can ask for as a coach,” Haldane coach Jeff Sniffen said. “They appear to be very aggressive in the interior, have good team speed. With that being said, I have been very proud of my team's physicality. We take great pride in wearing down teams and hope to do the same (tonight).”

Sniffen said the Blue Devils’ offensive line vs. Vahalla's defensive front will be a key.

“If our guys can get the north-south push we've been successful in doing in the previous games, we should be successful,” he said.

KEEP AN EYE ON …. Beacon. Are the Bulldogs really looking at a 5-0 mark if they win against Saunders? You bet.

“Saunders runs a veer option that we have been working hard on containing. We expect our ends to step up and have a big day for us,” Beacon coach Brian Mahon said. “Also, we have had 95 yards in penalties in the past two games which we have been working on fixing. We can't afford to constantly be making mental mistakes, especially against the competition that is ahead of us.”

ON THE SPOT – Let’s go with Spackenkill here this week. Yes, the Spartans are 4-1 after last week’s huge win over Red Hook, and they’re unbeaten in Section Nine, Class B – and need to stay that way.

“It’s another league game,” Spackenkill coach Clinton DeSouza said of his team’s matchup with Rondout. “Our keys are running the football more consistently and continuing to improve our tackling.”

BY THE NUMBERS – Unbeaten teams from the Hudson Valley are Poughkeepsie, John Jay and Beacon. That’s it …. Teams still desperate for that first win are Ellenville and Onteora …. Speaking of Beacon, the Bulldogs are working on a streak of three straight shutouts and 12 consecutive quarters without giving up a score. Beacon hasn’t been scored on since Lourdes punched one in during the fourth quarter of the season opener .... Dover had given up just 20 points all season until allowing 32 to Pawling in the first half alone of last week’s loss to the Tigers …. John Jay’s defense might be the cream of the crop in the area – the Patriots have given up just 20 points in four games …. Poughkeepsie is averaging 41 points per game.

LAST WEEK – Ugh. Are you familiar with the saying ‘it’ll get worse before it gets better?” That’s me. 12-6 last week, 41-18 for the season, and the percentage drops from .707 to .694.

Spackenkill tennis stays unbeaten with victory over Highland

POUGHKEEPSIE – Spackenkill High School’s three singles player didn’t drop a game on Wednesday, and the Spartans remained undefeated in girls’ tennis with a 5-0 win over Highland in a Mid-Hudson Athletic League match.

GIRLS' TENNIS

Sophie He defeated Gabrielle Lichtenstein at No. 1 singles, Vanessa Lam-Tran beat Kathryn Bender at No. 2 and Sarah Bruley defeated Nicole Bellacicco at third singles, all by the score of 6-0, 6-0.

“The girls played good, steady matches today,” Spackenkill coach Jackie Klein said. “They were totally focused throughout the match.”

Late flurry lifts Indians over Liberty

BOICEVILLE – Onteora High School broke away from a tight one-goal game with a flurry of three scores in a seven-minute span on Wednesday, and the Indians beat Liberty, 6-2, in a non-league boys’ soccer game.

BOYS' SOCCER

Onteora led 3-2 when Jacob Combe scored at the 62-minute mark, followed by Jordan Bock’s third goal of the game at 67:40 and another tally by Tomasso Casella at 69:36 to put away Liberty.

“We were able to survive their early shots and weather the storm to gain our composure and play the game that we wanted to play,” Onteora coach Eric Pezzello said. “They have some very skilled, athletic kids but my guys held it together as a team and really played some of the best soccer they have ever played. Our keeper, Charlie Fina, kept us in the game by stopping several early shots and distributing nicely to our defense. Our midfield really turned it on in the second half and took the pressure off our defense.”

Fina made 15 saves for the Indians.

POUGHKEEPSIE 5, PAWLING 1 – Juan Carlos Gutierrez scored three times and the host Pioneers won this Section One, Conference I, League C game.

Ezequiel Castellanos and Daniel Aidoo also scored for Poughkeepsie, which improved to 4-4 by scoring all five of its goals in the first half.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Dover applies to Section Nine

School wants out of Section One; is Lourdes next?

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

Dover High School has applied for membership to Section Nine, Hudson Valley Sports Report has learned, and presented its case at a meeting of Section Nine athletic officials on Tuesday morning.

“We have applied,” Dover athletic director Bob Esposito said. “We made our pitch and we hopefully answered all the questions they had.”

Esposito and Dover School District Superintendent Michael Tierney appeared at the Section Nine meeting at Wallkill High School. The two men asked to be placed in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League for all sports except football, which has its own leagues.

“Obviously that’s where we want to be but they can’t guarantee that,” Esposito said. “I don’t think it makes sense for us otherwise if we’re not in the MHAL.”

The deadline for applications is Nov. 30, and this has become something of a yearly ritual for Dutchess County’s Section One schools. Dover applied – and was rejected – for Section Nine membership in 2008. Beacon flirted with leaving Section One for Section Nine in 2009 but ultimately withdrew its application. Last year, superintendents and athletic directors from seven Hudson Valley schools banded together to discuss membership in Section Nine en masse – Dover, Beacon, Pawling, Lourdes, Arlington, John Jay and Ketcham – but ultimately decided to remain in Section One.

A combination of competitiveness and travel costs are driving the potential moves, but several roadblocks exist.

For one, there is a hardcore block of Section Nine schools that do not want to expand, most of them based in Orange County. Section Nine has become quite political and somewhat akin to Section One. Where the Westchester County schools tend to rule the roost in Section One, there is a similar scenario on the west side of the Hudson River. Of the 44 schools in Section Nine, 28 are in Orange County.

Second, Section Nine officials can’t guarantee that a Dutchess County school will necessarily be placed in the MHAL.

Third, if the MHAL does expand, it wants an even number of newcomers. The league currently has 16 members; Dover would be the 17th.

That, however, has led to another interesting scenario – HVSR has also learned that Our Lady of Lourdes High School is interested in moving to Section Nine. OLL athletic director Brad Westrick could not be reached for comment Tuesday but sources in the school said that while the Warriors have not yet applied – the deadline is Nov. 30 – OLL is actively exploring its options. Second-year football coach Brian Walsh has been a vocal proponent of moving OLL to Section Nine, and that would give the MHAL the second team it needs, in addition to Dover, to expand with an even number.

Section One Executive Director Jennifer Simmons could not be reached for comment Tuesday night but sources also told HVSR that she has actively been trying to keep schools from defecting – to the point where, Esposito said, if some of the Hudson Valley schools that actually left Section One for Section Nine several years ago were to return to Section One, Simmons would help set up new conferences that would keep those teams together.

Spartans win again, clinch unbeaten golf regular season

ELLENVILLE – Spackenkill High School will head into Thursday’s Mid-Hudson Athletic League golf championships with a perfect regular-season mark.

Ian Wilson led Spackenkill with a 38, helping the Spartans to a 158-179 division win over Ellenville at the Shawangunk Golf Course.

Spackenkill is now 12-0 overall, 10-0 in MHAl play.

Wilson’s round included a birdie and four pars. Greg Allen and Stanley Garrant each shot 39. Timmy Gugumuck and Jeff Bell each shot 42s, and Ryan O’Connell fired a 44.

Ellenville’s Walter Roosa earned medalist honors on his home course by shooting a 37.

Just following 'The System'

Ball control offense keeps Spackenkill boys' soccer undefeated

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

POUGHKEEPSIE – Before any of his Spackenkill High School boys’ soccer teammates left the pitch on Tuessday, senior captain Sean Lanza wanted to make sure he had his say.

“Let’s stay focused guys,” Lanza said. “The system is working. We just have to follow the system.”

The system – a short, crisp passing game that emphasizes ball control and time of possession – is working just fine as the Spartans beat Pine Plains, 6-0, in a Mid-Hudson Athletic League game at Don DeLorenzo Field.

With the victory, Spackenkill is now 8-0-1 and is the highest-ranked Hudson Valley boys’ soccer team in the state. The Spartans are ranked 10th.

Lanza had two goals in the game, as did Gabe Karp. Justin Hart and Niky Reynolds scored the other goals, and Reynolds had a pair of assists in the game.

“We basically kind of possess around the other team,” Lanza said of the system. “The more we have the ball the less opportunities they have to score. If we have the ball for 80 percent of the game, chances are we’re going to create a few opportunities and at the same time keep our opponent from scoring. We had some trouble with it in the early part of the season but I think everybody has bought into it now.”

The Spartans had no problems with a struggling Pine Plains program. Hart and Karp scored two minutes apart in the first nine minutes of the game, and Lanza scored both of his goals 10 minutes apart just before the intermission for a 4-0 halftime lead.

Spackenkill looked sharp and stuck to the plan, with plenty of ball movement – to the point where the Spartans looked as if they were making blind passes but, in reality, seemed to have a sixth sense about where teammates would be.

“I’d say 95 percent of these kids have played on the Town (of Poughkeepsie) teams for eight, nine years,” said Spartans coach Manny Blanco, who coached many of them as assistant to Sean Lanza’s father, Mike Lanza – who is now Blanco’s assistant on the Spartans. “The chemistry is definitely there.”

Spackenkill played more ball control in the second half, and Spartans goalie Blake Kawalski needed to make just one save as his teammates tacked on two more for the final score.

“We have a good team. If things stay the way they are right now and we stay healthy, we should have a long postseason,” Blanco said.

Klercker, Cochrane goals pace Onteora girls' win

BOICEVILLE – Katie Klercker and Jemimah Cochrane both scored on Tuesday, as the Onteora High School girls’ soccer team knocked off Spackenkill, 2-0, in a Mid-Hudson Athletic League game.

The Indians improved to 4-2 overall while the Spartans dropped to 6-3.

Klercker;s goal came in the 28th minute when she took a pass from Avery Serfis and one-touched a shot from the 18 that just went over the top of Spackenkill keeper Beesanne Kurzum.

The score remained the same until the 66th minute when Cochrane made a run from the midfield and was able to score unassisted.

Rene Giuditta made seven saves to compliment the strong defensive play of Addison Muller, Emma De Lisio, Tess Howard and Kaitlyn King to preserve the shutout.

Kurzum made eigh saves during the game.

CROSS COUNTRY

Sunday, October 2, 2011

John Jay stuns New-Ro

Patriots upset state's fourth-ranked team with 14-0 shutout

NEW ROCHELLE – For posterity’s sake, there are about 35-40 players on the John Jay High School football roster, about six coaches, a couple of trainers, a couple of managers.

That’s the breakdown to know because that total of around 50 people was about all that believed the Patriots could beat powerful New Rochelle.

“Nobody outside our locker room thought we could do this,” Jay coach Tom O’Hare said after the Patriots stunned the No. 4 team in the state, 14-0, on Saturday afternoon in a Section One, Class AA, League I game. “We told the kids that they could win, but but here’s everything you have to do. It was like a checklist. It was difficult but we did it. We can’t turn the ball over even once, and we didn’t have any. We need to force at least one turnover, we got two. We told them no special teams mistakes, there were none. We told them we needed to pick up first downs, and when they loaded the box at the end of the game, we still did that.”

It was a spectacular performance for John Jay, coming off a short week in which it defeated archrival Roy C. Ketcham on Monday. Jay is now 4-0 and a huge leg up on New-Ro in the league.

The Patriots scored both touchdowns in the first half as Danny Bogucki threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Tom Hagan, and Bobby Henderson punched one in from two yards out.

After that, it was all defense.

“Jim Cancellari is my coordinator and he’s just unbelievable at putting together defensive packages,” O’Hare said. “He knew they were going to try to take the edge on us and use their speed on the outside. He pounded the kids all week of playing assignment football. We preached discipline, assignment football. He has a binder every week of every play the other team runs. Our defense knew what was coming before it happened.”

Bogucki, who plays both ways, had two interceptions for Jay.

“It’s a great win for our program,” O’Hare said. “To shut out a team like New Rochelle is incredible.”

Poughkeepsie marches on, rips Tappan Zee 46-6

POUGHKEEPSIE – For now, Poughkeepsie High School football coach Ken Barger is just going to let the Pioneer machine roll on.

“We’re trying to get to the point where it doesn’t matter who we play. We just want to play to our best, no matter who we play,” Barger said after the Pioneers, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class A, ripped Tappan Zee, 46-6, in a Section One, Class A, League I game on Saturday.

It took about a minute for that to happen. Tappan Zee won the toss and elected to receive. On the first play from scrimmage Poughkeepsie stripped the ball for a turnover. Less than 60 seconds later, the Pioneers had a 7-0 lead.

“We knew going in that Brewster had put up 34 points against them the week before and we run a similar style, so we knew schematically we’d be OK,” Barger said. “But Tappan Zee likes to grind it out so that that opening series was critical.”

Poughkeepsie swarmed to the ball all day on defense and, in fact, TZ’s only score came after seven shots from the 2 yard line thanks to penalties.

Pawling beats Dover -- again

Tigers win 14th consecutive game against archrivals in rout

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

DOVER PLAINS – Death, taxes, and Pawling High School football.

In Dover right now, those are the unfortunate certainties of life.

In one of the most remarkable team vs. team streaks in Section One – and certainly made even more astounding by the fact that these are archrivals who share Route 22 in eastern Dutchess County – Pawling owned Dover again.

The Tigers scored early and often, taking advantage of four Dragon fumbles, and Pawling beat Dover for the 14th consecutive season, 47-8, in the Harlem Valley Cup game on Saturday afternoon.

In the last 26 years of this rivalry, Pawling is 23-3.

“This game,” said Pawling running back Cameron Thomas, “is bigger than bowl games. Bigger than the playoffs. There’s a lot of pressure to keep that streak going.”

For Dover, it was a dose of reality after getting off to a 3-0 start.

“We’ve lived a bit of a charmed life the first three weeks playing against programs that were young or struggling,” said Dover coach Chris Lounsbury. “Those (Pawling) kids spend 12 months of the year preparing for football season; only some of my kids do. Unless you hit the weight room, you can do everything perfect but if you’re not strong than the guy in front of you you’re not going to make it happen.”

And that’s where the game was won. The Tigers simply overpowered and out-muscled the Dragons, running the ball inside almost at will. Even when a hole didn’t materialize, the surge by the Pawling offensive line was so tremendous that it blew the Dover defense off the ball and backward for five, six yards at a clip.

Thomas, Oliver Mold and Matthew Bellucci each rushed for between 95 and 110 yards as the Tigers rolled up more than 300 yards on the ground.

“We worked hard working on the weights,” Pawling coach Carl Ferraro said. “Our kids are really strong and it really showed.”

Pawling took the opening kickoff and marched 67 yards for a score, every single one of them a running play, to take an early 8-0 lead with a two-point conversion. Then the Dragons started turning the ball over and making it easy for the Tigers.

Pawling had scoring drives of 35, 51 and 24 yards in the first half – all following turnovers – and before the Dragons knew what hit them it was 32-0 at the half.

“We just got a great push up front,” Mold said. “These guys know what they’re doing. … We have some tough games coming up, but if we play like this I think we’ll have no problem.”

Williams, Riley lead Spackenkill past Red Hook

POUGHKEEPSIE – The showdown was everything it was supposed to be.

Unbeaten Red Hook High School came into Saturday night’s game at Spackenkill with a surprising 4-0 mark and a No. 12 ranking in the state in Class B. But it was the host Spartans who took control of Section Nine, Class B league play.

K.J. Williams owned the first half before getting hurt, and Josh Riley came on to do a terrific job at quarterback in the second half, and Spackenkill knocked off the Raiders, 34-21.

Spackenkill is now 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the league, the only unbeaten team in Section Nine, Class B. Red Hook is 4-1 and 3-1.

Williams, Spackenkill’s star quarterback, scored on a 4-yard run and threw a 26-yard TD pass to Tommy Fink has the Spartans built a 21-0 halftime lead. But Williams turned an ankle late in the first half and did not return.

And as Red Hook cut the lead to 21-14 in the second half, here comes the big tight end, No. 47, to volunteer to play QB.

“Josh Riley is one of the best football players, one of the best athletes, I’ve ever been around,” Spackenkill coach Clinton DeSouza said. “When he came over I thought about it and said ‘OK, let’s do it.’ And our offense started clicking again.”

Of course, it’s not like Riley hasn’t done this before. After all, he was the quarterback on an undefeated jayvee team two years ago but voluntarily stepped aside for the dynamic Williams.

But on this night, Riley led two second-half touchdown drives that ended with scores from Wayne Bowden and Nick Celestino, as the Spartans held off the Raiders.

“It’s funny because Josh would come over to the sideline for the play, and after I gave it to him he’d look at K.J. and say ‘OK, what do I do?’” DeSouza said with a laugh. “And K.J. helped him, gave him some advice, and it all worked out.”

Riley also had a monster game on defense with 14 tackles and two fourth-quarter interceptions.

“I told him after the game that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations,” DeSouza said, “and he certainly did that.”

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Air Millbrook grounds Ellenville, 25-14

Bulldogs make it a 4-0 start

BEACON – If Beacon High School football coach didn’t know last week how long it had been since the program started a season 3-0, he’s definitely still in the dark about a 4-0 record.

But that’s where the Bulldogs stand after a 44-0 win over Roosevelt-Yonkers on Saturday in a Section One, Class AA, League II game.

“It was just another good team effort,” Beacon coach Brian Mahon said. “I thought we executed really well.”

Marquis Brown led Beacon with 86 yards rushing in two quarters of action, adding three touchdowns as well including one on a punt return. His brother, Jarrell Brown, had a 7-yard score. D’Andre Pierce added a 9-yard run for a score and Chris Wolf chipped in with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Lourdes roughs up JFK behind Deguisto, Windheim run game

SOMERS – It’s clear through the first four games of the season that it’s feast or famine for the Our Lady of Lourdes High School football team.

The Warriors are 2-2 – a pair of 7-6 losses, a 35-19 win that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates and, now, a 49-0 win on Saturday over John F. Kennedy in a Section One, Class B league game.

Tyler Windheim started the scoring frenzy for OLL on the second play of the game when he went 58 yards on a handoff for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead before the contest was a minute old.

“It’s not a real good Kennedy team this year, but we came out and did what we had to do,” Lourdes coach Brian Walsh said. “I thought we did some good things on offense, and our defense was really solid.”

Windheim rushed for 103 yards on six carries and two touchdowns. Sebastian Deguisto had 150 yards on seven carries and a TD. Nick Cuccia caught a Sam hickey pass for a touchdown, and returned a punt 45 yards for a score.

Nick Wynne kicked all seven extra points for the Warriors.

Haldane bounces back, blasts Blind Brook

COLD SPRING – Haldane High School rolled up almost 400 yards of offense on Saturday, and the Blue Devils bounced back from their first loss last week to rough up Blind Brook, 44-13, in a Section One, Class C-D league game.

Haldane is now 3-1 overall.

The Blue Devils mixed up their offensive schemes well, as Elias Lopez had 84 yards rushing and a touchdown, James Moss had 70 yards and a score and Bryant Dain rushed for 63 yards and two TDs.

Lopez from 6-for-11 for 145 yards and a touchdown via the pass.

“We needed a big game from everyone after the debacle last weekend,” Haldane coach Jeff Sniffen said, referring to last week’s 34-6 loss to Woodlands. “We were looking to return to the same physical play that helped us win the first two games of the season and I feel we accomplished that.”

Henry Heintzman had a big all-around game for the Blue Devils with four receptions for 70 yards, eight tackles on defense, six extra point kicks and a safety.

NEW PALTZ 26, SAUGERTIES 20 – At Saugerties, Kharif LaBoy and Darryl Clark each rushed for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Huguenots to the Section Nine, Class A victory.

New Paltz is now 4-1.

RONDOUT 16, ONTEORA 14 – Jordan Gwynn scored with six minutes left and Thomas Reardon ran in the two-point conversion, as the visiting Ganders won this Section Nine, Class B contest. Rondout trailed 14-0 before rallying.

Wellmon lifts Wallkill

WALLKILL – Shane Jackson did absolutely everything he could to keep his Monticello High School football team in the game Friday night – but so did Wallkill’s Eric Wellmon.

The senior quarterback had a part in all four of the Panthers’ touchdowns, including a 61-yard run with just over a minute to play, lifting Wallkill to a 28-21 win over Monticello in a Section Nine, Class A game.

The Panthers are now 4-1 overall and 3-0 in league play, while Monticello dropped to 2-3 and 1-2.

Wellmon scored twice on a ground, and also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Steve Fofler and Josh Villafane. And Wallkill needed every one of them to hold off Jackson, who had two TD passes of his own and a scintillating 65-yard punt return.

Roosevelt pounds Valley Central

Alicea scores three TDs to fuel Presidents' 45-7 victory

HYDE PARK – Homecoming in Hyde Park was a success.

Mike Alicea had a big night with three rushing touchdowns, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School football team whipped Valley Central, 45-7, in a Section Nine, Class AA, Division II game.

FDR is now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in division play.

It was a nice bounce-back win for the Presidents, who suffered a 48-7 defeat to Newburgh Free Academy last week.

Alicea rushed for 193 yards on 22 carries, scoring on runs of 17, 1 and 69 yards, respectively. Quarterback Joe Soltysiak rushed for 94 yards on eight carries, including a 21-yard scoring run. And backup quarterback Matt Dupilka rushed for 82 yards, including a 36-yard TD.

Nick Fanitzi added a rushing touchdown for the Presidents, and Benny Taylor had a pair of interceptions on defense for FDR.

VC scored with 20 seconds left in the game to ruin the shutout bid.

Miracle Pine Plains rally falls short vs. Liberty

PINE PLAINS – The Pine Plains High School football team nearly pulled off a miracle comeback Friday night.

Nearly.

Trailing 20-0 at the half, the Bombers put four scores on the board after the intermission but it wasn’t enough, and Pine Plains lost to Liberty, 35-28 in a Section Nine, Class C crossover game.

Pine Plains is now 1-4 overall while surprising Liberty is 4-1.

Trevor Amato, Austin Miller and Andrew Sharac all scored on the ground for the Bombers, and Bryant Rosato threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Rob LaMont during the comeback.

Pine Plains travels to Millbrook next week to face the Blazers.