Maybe I’m old. But for some reason, I just don’t like Halloween.

I can’t ever remember enjoying the day after I got through middle school. It was more about shaving cream and eggs than costumes and candy. I’m not much of a vandal, so I never got into the day.

Since I’m off today, I’m going to get dressed up as a golfer and go play 36 holes. I’ll ask people for candy while I’m out on the course.

To get you started for the weekend, we have plenty of playoff coverage in today’s Journal News and on the Varsity Kickoff page.

I wrote a story about how Mahopac has pulled even closer together after its dramatic upset win over Ramapo, and the frightening injury to lineman Stephen Giannetta. The Indians travel to New Rochelle tomorrow.

I also had a story today on Dominic Leonard, the Nyack running back who missed almost all of last year with a severely broken ankle. Leonard needed three surgeries but has come back and had a productive senior season. He’s a key tomorrow night.

Despite a season full of injuries, Stepinac is in position to grab as high as a No. 5 seed in the CHSFL AAA Division playoffs when it travels to Xaverian in Sunday. That’s assuming, of course, the Crusaders can maneuver through New York City Marathon traffic to get out to Brooklyn in time.

Rockland reporter Harold Gutmann took a look back at the top moments of the season in the county’s football. Only Nyack and Nanuet are still alive for a sectional title.

We have an extended look at the Game of the Week: Nyack at Somers in the Class A semifinals. We also have some other news and notes, our weekly staff poll, and game by game capsules for the entire weekend.

Enjoy the day and night. Please be safe. If you’re going to vandalize anything, let it be the comments section of this blog, like usual.

Below is tonight’s Varsity Central Live show. Nick Mainiero of Croton-Harmon was our special guest and did a fantastic job.

We’re inching closer to Championship Weekend in Section 1. First, here’s who I think will get there and how:

Section 1 Playoffs
Class AA
New Rochelle 20, Mahopac 14: This game could really go in any direction. I’ve touted New Rochelle since the preseason, but it just hasn’t quite had that breakout game yet I’ve been waiting for. Mahopac is coming off an emotional upset of Ramapo. But it’s so hard to win on the road two weeks in a row.
John Jay-EF 14, Carmel 13: Carmel looks rejuvinated since dropping consecutive games, and completely dominated North Rockland last week. My gut tells me to go with the upset here but I just can’t do it. John Jay hasn’t given me a reason to think it will falter, and I don’t see how the Rams will stop Mike Belluzzi.

Class A
Ossining 34, Yorktown 20: The performance Ossining showed me on Friday was among the best I’ve seen from this team in three years. So efficient and so diverse, the O scored almost at will on Fox Lane. Although Yorktown has improved throughout the year, Ossining won’t be denied a shot at another championship.
Somers 28, Nyack 14: The game will be far closer than the score. I see this one being tight through the fourth quarter before Somers’ depth and physicality allows it to pull away. As good as Nyack’s backs are, there’s too much speed and too many playmakers on this Tuskers defense.

Class B
Rye 31, Nanuet 7: The Garnets were very concerned about Nanuet’s physical style when they hosted them in Week 2. But this ain’t Week 2. Rye has kicked it up a notch for the playoffs, the way they always do, and aren’t going to get tripped up.
Byram Hills 21, Pleasantville 17: Ugh, this was a tough one to predict. I’ve been hyping Byram Hills as the top contender to Rye for over a month. But actually predicting Pleasantville to lose was tougher than I imagined. I’ll do this based on history. The Panthers have lost at home in the semifinals three straight years. Otherwise, this one is too even to feel confident about.

Class C
Dobbs Ferry 28, Croton-Harmon 13: Finally, I think we’re going to see the real Dobbs Ferry. Back healthy and motivated, the Eagles are methodically pick apart Croton and advance to the final for the eighth straight year.
Rye Neck 14, Westlake 7: Rarely do the team’s that win these types of meetings win by a bigger score in the rematch. Rye Neck’s 17-0 win over the Wildcats in Week 5 was a pretty thourough beating. Westlake has rebounded well with 107 points in thre games. Still, with the Panthers defense, it might not be enough.

Non-playoff games
Class AA
Ramapo 27, White Plains 14
Ketcham 28, Mount Vernon 21
Clarkstown South 20, Roosevelt 14
Horace Greeley 14, Sleepy Hollow 7
Scarsdale 21, Suffern 7
Arlington 35, Gorton 14
Clarkstown North 28, Lincoln 7
North Rockland 27, Mamaroneck 17
Arlington 34, Lourdes 26

Class A
Lakeland 32, John Jay 28
Panas 27, Spring Valley 21
Beacon 20, Tappan Zee 7
Pearl River 13, Port Chester 8
Brewster 25, Fox Lane 23
Eastchester 27, Hen Hud 23
Harrison 31, Poughkeepsie 21

Class B
Irvington 27, Pawling 22
Briarcliff 28, Ardsley 14
Edgemont 20, Kennedy 7

Class C
Hastings 35, Albertus Magnus 20
Bronxville 24, Lincoln Hall 20

Catholic/Private
Fordham Prep 27, Holy Trinity 18
Xaverian 28, Stepinac 20
St. Anthony’s 28, Mount St. Michael 7
Iona Prep 34, St. Francis Prep 14
Fieldston 31, Harvey 13
Riverdale Country Day 20, Hackley 14
RCDS 23, Kingswood-Oxford 17

Here are the final three Game Balls before I announce the Player and Coach of the Week on tomorrow’s Varsity Central Live show, which airs on Lohud.com at 7:30 p.m. Nick Mainiero of Croton-Harmon will be our special guest.

4. Jonny McGhee, New Rochelle: When you’re a veteran quarterback who’s been to the state tournament, you’re supposed to have games like this. McGhee was awesome in New Rochelle’s 21-7 win over White Plains in a AA quarterfinal on Saturday, taking over the game just before the half with his team down 7-0. The junior rushed for a touchdown to make it 7-6, then threw a 50-yard score to Tremayne Williams on the opening drive of the third, and put it out of reach with a touchdown run in the fourth. McGhee finished the day with 10 carries for 70 yards and 109 yards passing, completing 7 of 13 throws.

3. Sean Carter, Nanuet: While the Golden Knights defense turned away Edgemont when it mattered, the talented senior running back provided more than enough offense. Carter rushed for a career-high 233 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns — on runs of 72, 90 and 28 yards as Nanuet knocked off the Panthers, 35-0, in a Class B quarterfinal. Carter outshined and a Nanuet defense that made three goal-line stands and forced four turnovers to earn a spot in the semifinals against Rye.

2. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels, Iona Prep: The area’s leading passer outfoxed the CHSFL’s perennial powers with both his arm and his legs. Woodson-Samuels, one week after getting knocked out following a blow to the head, picked apart St. Anthony’s in the Gaels’ monumental 41-21 win, rushing for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, while completing 6 of 11 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Amazingly his 111 yards passing was by far his season low. It’s not all about numbers.

If you’ve followed the Game Balls throughout the week, you’ve probably noticed one name is absent. Yup, he’s the player of the week. But the Coach of the Week is still up in the air.

This was a fun feature last week, so I figured we could keep it going through the postseason.

Obviously, Iona Prep isn’t in the CHSFL playoffs just yet (season finale vs. St. Francis Prep at home on Sunday). But I felt it would be great for us to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Gaels two days after their momentous win over St. Anthony’s.

I’ve enlisted Nick Biagioni, one of the only two-way starters for Iona, to provide that exposure. Nick, by the way, had two sacks on the defensive line and powered an offensive line that plowed through St. Anthony’s for 459 total yards.

As you’ll see below, Nick is a very powerful writer. I’m very impressed with the passion that oozes his words. And his line: “We’re not perfect, we’re just undefeated” is brilliant. Starting making t-shirts right now.
————————————————-

By Nick Biagioni, Iona Prep

One Team. That’s the way we break down our huddle. People accuse us of not being a team of heart. They say we all come from different areas and it’s not like when you play for your hometown and play with the kids you grow up with. Wrong. Diversity is our key to success. We reside from every city in Westchester, as well as Greenwich and the Bronx. We represent Pop Warner leagues like the Eastchester Blue Devils (represent), Mount Vernon Razorbacks, New Rochelle Pop Warner, White Plains Bernie’s, Yonkers Colts, and much more. Every public school team represents the town they reside in. We represent Westchester.

We have kids from every town, race, nationality, style of clothing, but at school we all wear a shirt, tie, and jacket. We all like different music but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way we dress. We all hang out in school, we eat lunch together, we go to Chicken Joes, and we have fun. When we get on that field we all wear the same Iona Prep practice Jersey. We are a family.

We hit hard and go full speed for the two hours we practice for. We practice at a tempo incomparable to most High School teams. Coach Vic loves to preach “tempo.” We have kids like Greg Gadson, Beau DiSimone, Steven Foy, and Morris Hilton who fight for the notorious award of Scout Team Player of the Week, which comes with a pretty cool T-Shirt that I’ve never won. The award winners vary between starters and non-starters. This is what contributes to our undefeated record. The papers like to say we are perfect, but every one knows we are nowhere near perfect. Perfect is scoring on every drive and never getting scored on. Perfect is playing mistake free football. But let’s face the facts here, every team makes mistakes.

We are not perfect, we are just undefeated.

St Anthony’s though, that’s a whole different animal. St Anthony’s is a dynasty. They’re like the Packers of the 60’s, the Steelers of the 70’s, the 49ers of the 80’s, the Cowboys of the 90’s, and the Patriots of the present day. Every team strives to beat them. It’s circled on every schedule of every team in our league. Most teams would be happy if they went 1-9 and beat St. Anthony’s. They are a skilled and a well-coached team. If they take a player out, the backup is just as good as the starter. Seven Championships in a row is no joke. In the last two years I was 0-3 (which was nothing compared to Darlos James’ 0-6 since his freshman year) against St Anthony’s, not counting the time we beat their Freshman “B” team. Our game plan was to be faster. Speed is the name of the game. St. Anthony’s had never seen the fast-paced no huddle offense that we possess. We practiced what we preached and we played the way we practiced. We played with as little mistakes as we possibly could and did it with a fan base that is larger than I’ve ever seen. The fans and alumni kept us in the game. We did as much as we could up front to dominate them.
Size doesn’t win games. We have three offensive linemen under 6 feet. Every play is like a battle upfront, you look to the left and you look to the right on the line and you know both of those kids will give everything they’ve got with you to win that battle upfront. Coach Petrillo makes sure we know what we are doing, and that even though we don’t get any credit, we are just as important as every one else. We watch film over and over again until we know every play. We won as a team. We beat them but we all know once isn’t enough.

The whole week we circled around this one idea, this one holiday. October 25th is St. Crispin’s day. On St. Crispin’s day, an outnumbered English Army defeated a superior British Army in the Battle of Agincourt. Therefore, the Church named St. Crispin’s day the day of the underdog. Saturday was October 25th. The last time we beat them 11 years ago it was on this same day, October 25th. You can call it ironic, you can call it destiny, but it was just one thing we stressed on, from both Coach Nap (the Bronxville head coach who coached the last team to beat them) and Brother Gaffney in our pregame Chapel ritual.

Coming into school the next day was like coming in when the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl (even though I’m a Jets fan). As we walked into school we it was like we were a bunch of Pros. There wasn’t a teacher who didn’t congratulate us or a kid who wasn’t talking about the game. There wasn’t a student who didn’t read the newspaper and see all the names and pictures printed. There were hours and hours of talk about each play and each collision. It was one of the best days in my life and it felt better then anything. Personally, the feeling was better the next day. It took me a while to grasp what we did. It still hasn’t sunk in and probably won’t until we do it one more time. It was the greatest game of my high school career. I can speak for my whole team when I say it was the greatest feeling we ever had on a football field. I just hope every one on my team can have that feeling one more time.

If you want to win the Championship, you know you’re going to play St. Anthony’s that is twice as prepared and 10 times hungrier. We all understand our real season hasn’t started yet and that it doesn’t matter if you go undefeated in the regular season, it only matters that you go undefeated in the playoffs and that’s our goal as a team. One game at a time, that’s the way we look at things.

The next three Game Balls go to…

7. Rob Lombardo, Somers: If you touched the ball for Somers on Friday night, you deserve a share of this one. But I’ll give this one to Lombardo since he did the most damage in the Tuskers’ eye-popping 62-12 win over Poughkeepsie in their Class A quarterfinal. Lombardo opened and closed the scoring in Somers’ 34-point third quarter, catching a touchdown pass from Erik Zmuidins and later returning a fumble 77 yards for a score. Lombardo had 149 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries, caught four passes for 59 yards and a score and made six tackles. Zmuidins threw for 158 yards and four touchdowns, and Matt Deiana had 109 yards combined and two scores.

6. Nick Mainiero, Croton-Harmon: There were plenty out there who doubted the Tigers could beat Bronxville. But, when Mainiero plays the way he did, not many teams can beat them. The senior quarterback completed 3 of 4 passes for 102 yards and two scores, and rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries as Croton denied Bronxville’s upset bid in Class C with a 35-20 victory. Mainiero also had seven tackles and a sack on defense.

5. Tyler Thomas, Pleasantville: He’s not the flashiest. But if you’re going to make a list of the steadiest and most consistent quarterbacks in the area, Thomas should definitely be on it. The senior was efficient as ever in Friday’s Class B quarterfinal win over Ardsley, completing 5 of 6 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns, all to Jack Bramswig, in the 43-7 rout for the top-seeded Panthers. In the past five games, Thomas has completed 74-percent of his passes and averaged 116.8 yards. He has thrown eight touchdowns in that span, and the interception he threw against Briarcliff two weeks ago was his only pick of the season.

The next three Game Balls will be handed out tomorrow night (around the same time), and the Player and Coach of the Week will be announced on Wednesday’s Varsity Central Live at 7:30 p.m. 

Please take a moment and click over to the Gameday Central blog and vote on the latest Gameface of the Week.

We haven’t had great success in voting the football players/fans/mascots as the winners each week. Let’s try to finish strong. There’s two football candidates this week, including running back wonder Jeff Mack of Iona Prep.

As you know, our Gameday blog is where you can get all the latest scores on Friday nights and Saturdays. You should bookmark it, if you haven’t already.

(Please note the updated time for Somers and John Jay-EF)

No playoff games are scheduled for Friday night because of Halloween. Here’s what I’ve been able to gather on the Section 1 football schedule so far. These times are all tentative and are subject to change:

Section 1 Semifinals
Saturday
Class AA
Carmel at John Jay-EF, 3 p.m.
Mahopac at New Rochelle, 2 p.m.

Class A
Yorktown at Ossining, 6 p.m.
Nyack at Somers, 6 p.m.

Class B
Nanuet at Rye, 2 p.m.
Byram Hills at Pleasantville, 2 p.m.

Class C
Croton-Harmon at Dobbs Ferry, 1:30 p.m.
Rye Neck at Westlake, 1:30 p.m.

I received an email this week sent jointly by White Plains High School and Archbishop Stepinac in regards to their annual Thanksgiving Day “Turkey Bowl” game. Here it is:

 Press Release:

The 38th annual White Plains vs Stepinac Turkey bowl on Nov 27 th, will take place at Glenn D. Loucks Stadium at White Plains HS this year at 10:30 am. It will be first time the game will be played at a different location since the game started 38 years ago at Highlands stadium. The game has been moved to accommodate the large crowd that attends the game to the new state of the art facility at White Plains HS.. Both schools had input on decision & agreed that game should be moved.

So there you have it, the game will no longer be at Parker Stadium and it’s been decided by both schools to make the switch. I think it’s a good idea, if even for a year.

The more pressing question I have is if whether this game will even be played.

The state prohibits teams from playing more than 10 games. White Plains is 6-2 and didn’t take a bye in the regular season. The teams that lost in the first round of the Class AA playoffs last year were placed in a consolation bracket for a DeMatteo Bowl and could play two more games (like Yorktown and Mount Vernon last year, which lost in the quarters, won their next games and faced each other in a Bowl). White Plains will have a match-up game this week and, if it wins, could be locked into a 10th game. I’ll try to see if I can have this answered today.

Some interesting quotes from the over the weekend. Here’s a few to chew on:

“This team was good. They were 3-3 but they played like they were 5-2.”
—Nyack senior Anthony Davis on beating Harrison

“So, hey, bring on Rye. I think we can take them.”
—Nanuet nose guard Kevin Willison

“They beat us by one point, and we felt like we dominated the game but didn’t finish. Then the whole Chris (Watkins) thing kind of brought extra motivation for us. But, yeah, we wanted to play them. We wanted some redemption.”
—Carmel quarterback Ryan Shilling on beating North Rockland

“We can enjoy it, but we have to remember that it’s a regular-season win.”
—Iona Prep coach Vic Quirolo on beating St. Anthony’s

“You can make me sound smart, and say we had an empty backfield. But we only had 10 guys on the field on that play.”
—New Rochelle coach Lou DiRienzo on the play where the Huguenots scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter to defeat White Plains

“He made smart decisions. Obviously putting the ball in Autera’s hands is always a smart decision.”
—Mahopac coach Tom Donahoe on allowing quarterback Tim Taps to call plays at the line of scrimmage

When I scour through the boxscores and stories in the paper each Sunday to make this list of Game Balls, I usually have a tough time deciding which 10 players. This week was a little easier. My list included 11 clear-cut guys, so I’m going to use them all.

Below is the first installment. I’ll announce the Player and Coach of the Week on Wednesday’s Varsity Central Live show, which is broadcast on Lohud.com/vclive beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Top 10 Performances
10a. Matt DeSilva, Hen Hud: I hesitated whether I should include players who didn’t participate in Section 1 playoff games. But this (and 10b) were too hard to ignore. DeSilva could go down as the area’s Most Underappreciated Player of the 2008 season. The star running back moved to quarterback last week to fill a hole and has turned into two outstanding efforts. This week he carried the Sailors past John Jay, leading them on two scoring drives in the final minutes as they stunned the Indians, 19-14. I’ve seen both of these teams and the talent John Jay has is far superior. But DeSilva is simply a gamer. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 20 times for 183 yards and two scores, including the game-winner. If this were a regular season game, it might be No. 1 or 2 on most lists.
10b. Derek O’Dell, Haldane: Another non-playoff game that shouldn’t go unnoticed. If Haldane has hopes of knocking off Tuckahoe (which I’m sure few will predict) and retain the Class D title, it will need a performance from O’Dell like this: 27 carries, 241 yards and four touchdowns, plus three 2-point conversion runs in a 48-26 win over Blind Brook. O’Dell also made six tackles and intercepted a pass as the Blue Devils got back into the win column.
9. Jesse DeBiase, Westlake: The senior running back spearheaded a dominant effort for the top-seeded Wildcats as they beat Albertus Magnus, 49-8 in Class C. DeBiase rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. When DeBiase runs like that, it opens up everything else; Will Carter had 88 yards and a touchdown (and nine tackles on defense); Carl Dottore added 87 yards and a score, and Anthony Calcagni caught a 60-yard touchdown.
8. Joe Collins, Stepinac: Sure, Maurice Easterling scored the tying and winning touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lift the Crusaders to an impressive 27-20 comeback win over Monsignor Farrell. But without Collins, they would have never been in that position. The senior quarterback completed 16 of 21 passes for a season-high 238 yards and two touchdowns. The first was a 60-yard strike to Josh Powell in the first quarter after Farrell took an early lead; the next came in the third, a 45-yard to Connor Power, after Farrell staked a 20-6 lead at the half. The win all but assures Stepinac a spot in the AAA playoffs. Could a first-round date with Iona Prep in its future?

Remember, I’ll unveil Nos. 7-5 tomorrow night; 4-2 on Tuesday and then the Player of the Week on Wednesday. I’d love to hear some nominees.

St. Anthony’s has been widely regarded as the best team in New York for the better part of a decade. It’s won seven straight CHSFL championships and has been nestled at, or near, the top of the state rankings throughout. MSG’s Mike Quick even said earlier this season that this might be the best St. Anthony’s team he’s ever seen.

And Iona Prep disposed of the Friars yesterday with relative ease.

In what could be one of the more shocking scorelines we’ll see, the Gaels rolled to a 41-21 victory at home yesterday to remain unbeaten and state their case as the best team in New York State. Alex Myers has the story.

The New York State Class AA Rankings entering the weekend were as follows:
1. Orchard Park-6
2. Williams Floyd-11
3. St. Anthony’s-CHSFL
4. Monroe-Woodbury-9
5. Curtis-PSAL
6. Iona Prep-CHSFL

It’s difficult to compare a team from Buffalo with a public school on Long Island, or a public school in Orange County to a couple of private schools near the city. But the fact that Iona Prep can even be in this conversation is impressive enough.

Before yesterday, that was impossible. St. Anthony’s was perched atop the CHSFL and, if you weren’t the best team in your own league, how could you stake your claim as the best in the state?

Surely, the loss of Atiq Lucas, St. Anthony’s best player, was a factor. A major factor. But Lucas is a running back. It was St. Anthony’s defense that decided this game.

Tyrae Woodson-Samuels made his claim as the area’s top player by rushing for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and throwing for 111 yards and a score. Jeff Mack added 157 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Both players are juniors, by the way.

Whether Iona Prep is actually the best team in the state is quite inconsequential. Now the Gaels face the daunting task of beating St. Anthony’s again. Iona will likely get the No. 1 seed and be opposite St. Anthony’s in the bracket. They wouldn’t meet until the final, assuming they advance.

In the CHSFL, as most of you know, there are no guarantees. Mount St. Michael beat St. Anthony’s in the regular season last year and lost to the Friars in the final. Iona Prep won convincingly yesterday, like most of its games, except one. The Gaels beat Monsignor Farrell 10-0 two weeks ago. Farrell is 1-6.

Iona Prep should use yesterday’s win as a confidence booster and nothing more. Because there’s only one thing harder than beating St. Anthony’s… beating them again.

We’ve reached the final four in each of the top four conferences in Section 1 after an active weekend of quarterfinal games.

I was up at Carmel yesterday as it paid North Rockland back for 12 months of heartache. The Rams avenged a regular season loss, and a beating in last year’s Class AA playoffs, and strolled to a 20-0 win at home. It didn’t shock me that Carmel won, especially not since it was playing at home. It was how the defense shut down the Red Raiders after not being able to stop Mahopac all that much last week.

Journal News columnist Rick Carpiniello was also at the game and wrote about how Carmel was fortified by the loss of Chris Watkins, who was injured when they played North Rockland earlier this month.

New Rochelle got a huge scare from White Plains yesterday, trailing by a point at the half before Jonny McGhee carried the Huguenots to a 21-7 win in a AA quarterfinal.

Harold Gutmann was in Harrison for Nyack’s 20-7 win over the Huskies in a Class A quarterfinal. Not a total shocker. Harrison hung around this game, trailing 14-7 into the fourth quarter, before the Indians pulled away late.

Top-seeded John Jay-EF had no trouble getting past Mamaroneck to remain unbeaten, as Poughkeepsie Journal writer Sean T. McMann explains.

In Class B, Sean Carter had a career afternoon and lifted Nanuet to a shockingly easy 35-0 win over Edgemont. Brian Heyman was there.

Byram Hills advanced with a 19-0 win over Briarcliff. It will get its date with Pleasantville in the semifinals.

In Class C, Westlake will get a rematch with Rye Neck in the semifinals after knocking off Albertus Magnus yesterday.

Rye Neck staved off a fourth-quarter comeback and beat Lincoln Hall, 28-14, which Jeff Gold was there for.

Dobbs Ferry inched closer to an eighth straight sectional championship, beating Hastings, 19-6.

And Croton-Harmon put up an impressive effort and knocked off Bronxville as Nick Mainiero ran for two touchdowns and threw for two in the victory.

There were six quarterfinal playoff games last night in Section. Take away the Mahopac-Ramapo thriller, and the other five were decided by an average of 36 points.

There weren’t many nail-biters last night, but there were certainly some notable performances. Here’s a quick look back:

Mahopac 28, Ramapo 27: When I got to make a list of my Top 10 Games of the season, Mahopac could be in the top two spots.

Last night’s game was a classic, both because of the drama of the game and frightening final minute, where Mahopac lineman Stephen Giannetta was motionless. Harold Gutmann, our reporter at the game, wrote an excellent game story, which you can read here. Harold also tracked down the Mahopac coaches and players at the hospital, and provided a story on Giannetta’s injury. Fortunately, he’s going to be fine.

As for the game, this one had a little of everything. There were several lead changes, highlight-reel plays, defensive stands and last-minute heroics, adding up to a one-point upset victory for a Mahopac team most gave little chance to win.

How did Mahopac stop Ramapo? I watched the game on Mogulus last night and it took me until the fourth quarter to really figure it out. Mahopac did it with discipline, quickness and about 10-12 miraculous tackles throughout the night that prevented a 6-yard gain from becoming a 60-yarder. One extra juke by one of Ramapo’s track stars and they could have been gone. Mahopac, though, was always in the right position. And they almost always made the tackle.

Justin Autera was phenomenal. He rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner on a controversial call in the fourth quarter, on 40 carries. Yes, 40. He also had an interception early that led to a score, and made a jarring hit that knocked Ramapo’s quarterback out of the game momentarily. If you were a Ramapo back last night, the last thing you wanted was No. 25 coming after you. Autera had one of those career-defining games and it couldn’t have been a more important situation.

Mahopac quarterback Tim Taps had close to one of those performances, as well. He did it all by calling the offense at the line of scrimmage. Taps, based on the few conversations I’ve had with him, strikes me as the most intellectual player in Section 1. I covered Army football for a few years. Talking to Taps is identical to speaking with a West Point cadet. Very impressive.

What was most amazing, and this was pointed out to me by somebody who watched the game live, was how well Mahopac’s defensive line played after Giannetta was carted off. If you don’t think those guys were inspired by what occurred moments earlier. They pushed Ramapo back on three consecutive plays in the final minute and ultimately won the game.

All the credit in the world goes to Mahopac. Of any game I’ve witnessed this season, this might have been the best “team effort” I’ve seen. There were tears on the Indians sideline after the game as Giannetta was in their hearts and prayers. An incredible effort.

Ossining 52, Fox Lane 13: This is where I was last night. Not quite as much drama.

The ‘O’ scored 42 first-half points and had its starters on the bench with 1:10 left in the first half. James Brundage had three touchdowns, Justin Kreamer threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jesse Drinks, and Matt Laccetti had a breakout effort, gaining 86 yards and a touchdown, and intercepting two passes on defense.

Ramell Ridenhour also intercepted two passes, giving Ossining 19 interceptions on the year, which is the most in the section and, according to MaxPreps, the state (which I don’t totally believe since not every team uses the site). Still, it’s a staggering number, especially when you consider Kreamer has only thrown one interception all year and Brundage almost never fumbles. Their turnover ratio is probably the best around.

Fox Lane had trouble moving the ball early and found itself in a 42-0 hole just 20 minutes in. The Foxes’ inability to run the ball caught up with them again. Still, they deserve credit for getting to the postseason.

Somers 62, Poughkeepsie 12: The Tuskers got three touchdowns from Rob Lombardo and now have 358 points on the year, which is by far the most in Section 1. Josh Thomson has the story.

Many of discussed whether Somers “ran it up” on Poughkeepsie last night. It’s hard to say that. This was actually a tight game through part of the first half before a Poughkeepsie turnover allowed Somers to take a 21-6 lead.

I think the style of football Poughkeepsie plays lends itself to high scores. The Pioneers don’t have many long drives. And, if you give Somers too many possessions, they’re going to score touchdowns.

As for the starters being in through the third quarter, I don’t have a problem with it because it’s the playoffs. Somers is trying to win a championship and needs for its players to know what it’s like being out there for more than 24 minutes. They haven’t needed to do that much at all this year. They will next week against either Harrison or Nyack, and certainly will if they reach the final. I’m not making excuses for Somers, either. I said this many times in the past. In the playoffs, almost all bets are off.

I wasn’t at the game, so it’s unfair for me, or anyone else not in attendance, to say this definitively. I’ll let the Poughkeepsie folks let me know what they believe.

Yorktown 27, Brewster 6: The ‘Huskers got a little bit of a late start, needing a second-quarter punt return for a touchdown by Matt Fedro opened the scoring. Yorktown pulled away in the second half, upsetting Brewster on the road and earning a date with Ossining in the semifinals. John Fennessy had 108 yards rushing on eight carries, and intercepted a pass on defense. Tim Falcone had 11 tackles, and Mike Nasti added nine tackles and a fumble recovery for Yorktown.
Pleasantville 43, Ardsley 7: Not much of a game here, not with Ardsley turning the ball over four times in the first half and Pleasantville capitalizing on each one. Jack Bramswig caught three touchdown passes from Tyler Thomas, and Joe D’Apice scored three times as the Panthers advance in Class B easily.
Rye 48, Kennedy 14: Talk about elevating your game for the playoffs. The defending Class B state champs returned two kickoffs for touchdowns (John Santoro and Jack O’Callaghan) and got a 75-yard run early by Cole McCormack to eliminate any shot at an unlikely upset. A very complete and efficient effort by the Garnets.

Other scores from last night:
Hen Hud 18, John Jay 14
Lourdes 40, Panas 7
Putnam Valley 31, Pelham 6

As most of you know by now, Mahopac star lineman Stephen Giannetta needed to be taken off the field by ambulance in the final minute of last night’s stunning upset of Ramapo. Giannetta was face-down motionless on the turf after losing consciousness under a pile of players.

I got this email this morning from Stephen’s father, Steve Sr.:

Kevin,
I just wanted you to know of the fantastic concern extended to me and my family from your readers and bloggers. As you are aware, Stephen Giannetta was injured last night. He lied motionless for about a half hour and we just got home at 4:30AM. The medical people at Good Samaritan Hospital and Westchester Medical were fabulous. Also thanks to not only the entire Mahopac coaching staff but also the Ramapo coaches.
Please pass on the news to your readers that Stephen is alert, and has full use of all extremities. He is home and resting.
Keep up the excellent work.
Respectfully,
Steve Giannetta
Father of Steve

Watching your son in that situation, or suffering any injury, is horrifying for a parent. It will probably take more time for a parent to get past an incident like that than the player.

I appreciate Mr. Giannetta letting us know Stephen is doing well. I’d also like to thank the bloggers for their outpouring of support. So often this blog gets flooded with the negative and there’s almost a stigma to it. This was one of the bright spots.