Where will you be?
-
- July
- 12
Exactly two months from today is the first Saturday of the high school football season. We all know what’s going on on Opening Night with Rye hosting Ossining and Iona Prep playing Bergen Catholic at Giants Stadium.
Well, I decided this morning to take a gander at the entire Week 1 schedule. Normally, I don’t peek at it until a few weeks before but I couldn’t resist. I realized that Week 1 could potentially turn out to be one of the most important of the regular season.
Here’s why:
Friday
Edgemont at Pleasantville, 7 p.m.: With Rye out of Class B, the championship is very much up for grabs. The consensus is that Sleepy Hollow will assume the top spot moving down from Class A. Personally, I like Pleasantivlle. But I’ve heard very good things about Edgemont, which was very sharp at Mamaroneck’s Tiger Camp.
Pearl River at Nyack, 7 p.m.: It probably won’t be that great of a game. But it will be interesting to see how the reigning Class A champs replace all those players around Ray Nichols.
Lakeland at Somers, 7 p.m.: Remember when Lakeland got off to that hot start last season? Well, the schedule isn’t quite as kind this year. Still, a potentially good game.
Harrison at Yorktown, 7 p.m.: We’ll learn a lot about both teams right out of the gates. Harrison is so young and Yorktown has so many spots to fill.
John Jay-EF vs. John Jay, 7 p.m.: John Jay is back in Class AA and will get tested immediately.
Saturday
Hastings at Croton-Harmon, 1:30 p.m.: Croton, the reigning Class C state finalists, face a team that could be a major sleeper this season.
New Rochelle at Mount Vernon, 1:30 p.m.: As good as they always are in November, New Rochelle usually starts slow. Mount Vernon could make this interesting.
White Plains at Gorton, 1:30 p.m.: Gorton is poised to rebound after last season while the Tigers are eager to build off a solid year.
Ardsley at Roosevelt, 1:30 p.m.: When was the last time these teams ever played? If ever.
Horace Greeley at Poughkeepsie, 2:30 p.m.: The Pioneers, with four potential Division I and I-AA players, will be one of the most closely watched teams in September.
Dobbs Ferry at Rye Neck, 1:30 p.m.: Many believed these teams were going to play for the Class C title last season and both lost in the semifinals. Dobbs will be a team on a mission.
Fox Lane at Byram Hills, 1:30 p.m.: Given how it finished last season, Fox Lane is my sleeper team in Class A. Byram Hills is always tough. Will be very competitive.
Port Chester at Spring Valley, 1:30 p.m.: A non-league league game for Port Chester.
We’ll know a lot after Week 1, as always. All of these games will be tough to call.
Did I leave anything important out? Where will you?
This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 12th, 2009 at 11:27 am by Kevin Devaney Jr..
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Iona Prep-Bergen Catholic at the Meadowlands is a classic game
Iona is the defending CHSFL AAA Champs and Bergen Catholic made it to the Group 4 Championship losing to Don Bosco.
In reality this game is in a class by itself- When was the last time any team from this area played a NJ power like Bergen- The only one I could think of was Greenwich last year getting hammered by St. Joseph of Monvale and Newburgh also getting hammered by St. Joseph.
what about TZ vs. Peekskill on Sat?
im voting for Pleasantville vs Edgemont as game of the week I think it is going to be a battle. Im picking Pleasantville to win 14-7 because I think pleasantvilles defense is too strong for edgemonts offense. Edge mont is very weak on offensive backs too.
RYE Vs. O’town is the matchup of the week no doubt about it.
peekskill will shock the world and make the playoffs, book it.
the iona-bergen game is holds so much weight. if iona wins, it really does pushes ny into legitimacy and shows everyone that kids from ny can play too. if they lose, or worse get smashed, ny football will be once again looked at as soft and with not nearly as much talent as the jersey non publics. as a new yorker, no matter how much you hate iona prep, you should be rooting for them to do well because they are representing each and every program from ny. i think this is even more important than the st.anthonys-bosco games from the past because iona is looked at as the favorite..at least according to mike quick. it just doesnt get any more exciting!!
New Ro and Mt. Vernon is always the hardest hitting game of the year. This could be Mt Vernons chance to upset New Ro. I also agree with roughing the passer. All NY football players and fans, no matter of what team you root for, should hope that Iona wins. It could lead to more college opportunities for the kids as NY football could be looked at as a state on the rise.
10960
Rye – ossining is a great match up but how can you say that it is the game of the week. Most observers of football in this region would say that a game between a nj power and a top ranked team from ny in a game televised by msg played in the meadowlands is the game of the week.
I guess you still have not expanded your football outside of section 1.
The mt vernon- nr game is another great game in which I am looking forward to watching
Sloppy joe and roughing the passer
I agree with you guys about the importance of this game for ny. Nj did not even think ny was worthy of playing anymore in their all star game. History is not on iona’s side as st anthony lost in years past to don bosco and st joseph of montvale. St anthony did beat delbarton last year.
Iona will have to play the game of its life to beat bergen in my opinion. The qb from bergen already has been offered by rutgers and is only a jr. They have rb/lb that has been offered by the majors. Bergen I was told had a lot of young talent that played as sophomores. I do think iona may have the speed advantage. Mike quick certainly did not help iona by saying they are the favorite.
I like Rye over Ossining in a Class A upset.
The winner of the Pville Edgemont game will be the team to face SH for the Class B championship, my guess is Pville squeaks out a close one.
Looking for a Bergen blowout so we can stop hearing about Iona’s greatness before they even played a game.
iona power
just to elaborate on the two players you mentioned, the quarterbacks name is tanner mcevoy and he played wide reciever for the crusaders this past year. he has yet to really prove himself at quarterback and is very tall and lanky. however, if hes starting for bc and has already been offered by rutgers, hes good enough for me. (rivals listed him at 6’ 5” 200 but it wasnt verified so these numbers could be at tad inflated). the other player they have is named doug rigg and will play weakside linebacker next year with some running back mixed in. he has been offered by multiple schools such as iowa louisville wisconsin west virginia and maryland so he must be one helluva player. bottom line, iona has their work cut out for them. but can you imagine if they pull this one out? it will be pandemonium in new rochelle! but i think the boys can do it!
roughing the passer is a myth
Bergen has a few other younger players already listed on Scouts.com- Very hard game for Iona – Bergen Catholic is in the same category as St. Anthony so that in itself is a tough road.
Class B
I would expect small time turds like yourself to pull for Bergen Catholic. But thats ok because even if Iona gets blown out at least they would know what it would take to get to the level of the NJ power programs. At the end of day you will be in your little Class B bubble.
Class B
You are a real genius saying that you are looking for a Bergen blowout- You sound like a real jackoff! I would like to hear who from Class B or even anyone from Section 1 that would beat a team the caliber of Bergen Catholic.
I think rye out of B makes it fair game to anyone. I am also pumped to see the outcome of Croton and Hastings!
i want to know wut everyone thinks the score of the rye vs. ossining game is gonna be because i cant really say
IonaPower
Rye Vs. Ossining is going to be the game of that week. Especially on Devaney’s Blog. You and I both know that 90 percent of bloggers on here during the season are section 1 Followers. Outside of the blog and from an overall football point of view…..Iona/Bergen is without question the game of the week but on this Blog, different story. Keep in mind that Iona is on the network due to Journal news coverage, what Iona does simply doesn’t really effect 99% of the other teams followed. Rye Vs. Ossining has a heavy impact.
to everyone else including Devaney
there’s a new league thats underway. It’s for ages 18 to 24. It’s called the Collegiate Developmental Football League (CDFL). Former area football players actually play in this league. There was just 2 back to back games tonight.
here’s a link http://www.playcdfl.com/
No team in section 1 is structured to beat a Jersey power. Section 1 teams get whatever the school district lines allow.
CHSFL teams have no boundries. Players come from multiple neighborhoods. These teams are structured the same way as the Jersey schools so ofcourse they should make for better match ups. Nothing short of a common sense thought.
Also Note That Don Bosco prep and St. Joseph Montvale draw their best players from a New york town called Spring Valley, stripping Spring Valley High School and Ramapo High school whom already share a talent pool out of some major talent.
Hello,
I feel Iona Prep will have a great showing against Bergen, and New York needs it. My son played in the all star against NJ and played well. And felt he was snumbed of Div1 scholarship because he didnt run a 4.4 forty. But he ran a 4.5, recently Jeff Mack didn’t run a 4.4, so you mean to tell me he is not good enough for div1. Mack is a really good rb and should get a div1a offer. Ray Rice ran a 4.59 at nike camp at penn state, I was there. Ray is not good enough? I think he showed he is. And Mack is just as good , thought they have different styles of running.
The Iona prep, Bergen game is important if you know or have kids playing hs football in new york. Remember Ray Rice was one of the greatest hs football players in new york and only had two known offers. So if we are smart we should route for Iona Prep on Sept 11th. And a message to Iona Prep kids, the best of luck and work hard during the off-season also this is a new year!
i was told by one of the iona players that the iona coacg punked out of the don bosco game.and i pick the rye 21-14 over the”O”
i wouldnt say jeff mac is as good as ray rice. i think were getting a little carried away but he is the best back since ray rice in this area but i wouldnt compare them.
Rye wins a close one (17-14) and is due to three reasons
1. Dino Garr
2. Rye will make one less mistake. Whether that is Ossining jumping offsides inside the red zone, stupid penalty, fumble, etc.
3. See Reason #1
Iona Group,
I know you guys hate the fact that youn don’t get enough press, I mean you play in the tough CHSFL league but most people don’t care. The reason is there are no ties in the CHSFL to westchester kids. Look if Harvey became a powerhouse in any sports the same would apply. I think when there is talk of Section 1 football in any class we should not include CHSFL chatter. Kevin should set up a separate blog for IONA football. Most of us are looking for some banter from one town to the next (Rye vs Harrison, JJ vs Yorktown Ossining vs Nyack etc)
What I meant to say is after IONA/Fordham prep there are no ties to westchester kids in the CHSFL and that is why most loose interest.
10960
Well Said- Good Luck to Nyack this year- That was some year they had and with Nicholls back at QB and the talented Constant they will be a factor.
I hope you find it in your heart to root for Iona against Bergen LOL
Fordham Prep will be hosting Stepinac @ Fordham University Friday Sept 11 at 7 pm
nyacks workouts start tonight at six
CHSFL,
Iona vs. Bergen is the hottest ticket to most and will definitely make some noise in the North East, especially to serious NCAA scouts in the region. I really hope it turns out to be very good. Rutgers University Scouts will drool over this one for sure. Yes! I prefer that Iona wins because that would favor the LoHud Valley region.
10960
Looking forward to another great year of football. While sometimes we do not always agree on some points (I do get mad when you leave Iona out of your top 10 rankings LOL) I do enjoy the dialogue that transpires.
The point you made about the first week is very fair. Section 1 is a larger league as compared to the CHSFL. Section 1 probably has over 10 divisions while the CHSFL has 3 divisions. In this immediate area section 1 certainly will have a bigger following. I myself follow section 1 and will be going to several games this year. I do agree that it is important for Iona to win this game for NY football. NJ wants this game because it will allow them to continue to promote themselves to the Rockland kids who are thinking about attending the North Jersey CAtholic programs. I do think Iona will need to play a near perfect game to win as Bergen Catholic is probably above the level of a St. Anthony.
Just a Fan.
I do not believe Iona Prep is lacking in media coverage as they receive coverage by the Journal News, NY Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, MSG and Fiveborosports. You have to remember the CHSFL covers a wide territory in the metropolitan area. After last years championship game all tose media outlets covered the game with ESPN radio providing a simulcast over the internet. Also Iona Prep has a roster filled with Westchester kids as does Stepinac and Fordhams Prep.
stae
Iona was either going to play St. Peters Prep from Jersey City or Bergen Catholic. The coaches at Iona had to be realistic about playing Bosco. Bosco is a program that is on a National level. They are playing the likes of St. Xavier ftom Ohio, Hoover from Alabama, and DeLasale from CA. Bergen Catholic and St. Peters Prep are regional programs which is where Iona hopes to be in the future.
Game of the week in Section 1 is Rye-Ossining.
I know that bothers Iona folks, but it is the reality for most of us on this blog and most Section 1 fans.
Good luck to Iona. I am sure they will represent NY very well. I will look forward to reading about the game. I am sure it will have a separate entry on this blog for us to follow.
Kevin, I am not sure yet whether I will go see Nyack or take a trip to Rye for their match up with Ossining. I will probably go to the Nyack game because I have a feeling that Rye and Ossining will meet again later in the year.
The Rye-Otown game is a similar circumstance to Nyack-Harrison the first year Harrison came into Class A. Nyack’s speed overwhelmed them in the first game, but Harrison came close to beating Nyack in the Section 1 finals. I am sure some Harrison fans are still thinking about the missed extra point and that onsides kick that it looked like they recovered.
It will be interesting to see how Rye responds to Otown’s speed.
Should be a good one.
Will LoHud webcast this game?
COACH DARLOS:
SO NOW WE ARE COMPARING RAY RICE TO JEFF MACK….HERE WE GOOOOO WITH THE CRAZINESS….
Since the Rye – Ossining game is listed as a Non- league Game will it still have an impact where both teams are seeded come playoff time?
I think seeding will have a big role in the Class A Champion. If you are Rye you do not want to face a scenario where you play a potential Quartfinal against a team like Nyack and then have to come back the next week against an Ossining.
Bergen Catholic is not what it used to be. Since Brian Cushing left. Don Bosco has 1st choice and St. Joes and BC get the rest. The drop off is at a point that some kids who can’t make the Bosco team stay in public school. This has allowed Ridgewood to build it’s program up a bit. I think Mahwah is improving as well. I think this gives NY a much better chance.
kevin, u should check out the 7 on 7 league at byram hills on wednesday nights there should be some good teams there
Imagine Jonny Mcghee suits up for mount vernon opening day agaisnt his former team.That would be something to see
I would love to see a mighty chess match between Dino Garr and John Castellano. The most winningest class A and B coaches colliding. I wonder if they know each other LOL. Just a thought.
Rye has not met an opponent as strong as Ossining early in the season.Rye really starts to roll towards the playoffs.If there was ever a time when an opponent had a good shot to beat Rye,it would be this years opener…..
Rye will be focused and ready for Ossining. Depth will be the key later in the year as the pounding could take a toll on a smaller roster I look for ball control offense, just enough defense, and a close 28-21 Rye victory.
Wow, Rye versus Ossining. Thats great to see Rye start playing some tough teams, being from HHS. But, My question is, Is Ossining as strong as an all around team as they were last year? It seemed Ossining played a tough Somers team and won , then lost to an unexpecting spectacular young Nyack team. Will Ossining be ready for Rye’s hype.. This should be a great game, and being from Harrison ( Ive jumped in both Lakes, HAha) Go Indians!!!!!
Kevin, Thank you for the early hype. I was just saying to my father (aka Big Joe), We cannot wait till football season and start traveling and having dinner and watching games.. My father and I have been traveling together to all the games for 14 years. He (Big Joe) also a Cornell Grad, hasnt missed a Harrison Football game in 35 years. We went to Syracuse and Dietz Stadium for the games rooting on all Section 1 teams, and of course Harrison. Good story Kevin, huh? Go Huskies!!!!!
92 Husky that is great you have jumped in both lakes because nobody has since your team in 1992.
football,
Who r the teams and what time do they play on Wednesday?
Poughkeepsie always has at least 4 Division 1-AA players on their squad. Will they finally live up to their potential? Will Barger finally take them to the promised land which Nyack blocked for the earlier half of the decade- that remains to be seen. I wish them and the rest of Section 1 luck. Should be an interesting year with all the realignments. We won’t really see who the big boys are until playoff time though, Scrimmages should be a decent litmus test this year too.
92 Husky
Nyack was not a young team at all. They just graduated 22 seniors. They will be young this year, but do have their QB returning.
i predict that streak rye has ends this year. 7-2 will be there overall record at the end of the year. with loses to ossining both time.
This game reminds me of when Harrison played the three time NYS Champion Edgemont,when they moved up from C to B.They were on something like a 35+ game winning streak.The move to B and the loss to Harrison twice,was the beginning of their demise.Rye’s first test and welcome party to A will be against one of the best teams in A.If Rye can beat Ossining,now that’s making a statement…..
Rye will eventually lose to someone in Section 1 whether it’s in Class A or B if they don’t drop back down in the next year or two, which is possible. Nothing lasts forever, but they will be very good this year and have a great chance to sweep through Section 1 competition. Rye has not lost to a Section 1 team since 2002…quite an accomplishment. Just like several of the top B teams they have defeated during this streak like Harrison, Nanuet, Eastchester and Sleepy Hollow…they will be challenged by Ossining, Nyack, Yorktown and some of the other former B’s that are now in A. Regardless, Rye in the 2000-2009 era will go down in Section 1 history as one of the most dominant teams of all time. If they do lose to someone this year it won’t be the end of the world (except if it is to Harrison!)and I fully expect Rye to have more great teams over the next 4-5 years.
Who are the key Ossining players now??
Fellow Bloggers,
Don’t get caught up with the ossining name. Just because it’s Ossining doesn’t mean automatic juggernaut. Ossining is carried by solid coaching but most of all, Standout Players! Rye wins games as a Unit and great coaching.
I really couldn’t tell you who was so amazing at Rye last season besides Connor Eck but Ossining had James Brundage, Jesse Drinks, Justin Kreamer, Dakota Degree and Matt Lacetti!!!!
Without an Ossining Unit like last season, all bets are off!! Rye may win this game.
I will point out that Ossining should get back Matt Lacetti right?? That kid created major problems for Nyack during the section Championship last season. Degree creates Havoc in the trenches as well, possibly the best down lineman in the section. Ossining reloads well so look out for new stars.
Ossining will be going up against a Rye sqaud that has 20 plus players who already have a state chip ring or rings!!! Now thats confidence in Ryes favor.
Also Bloggers…. Bloggers, Bloggers, Bloggers….... I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Rye may be a small school but they bring out players. The teams depth is just as good if not better then any other in class A even double AA. Last season they suited almost 50 players!!!
Even Nyack only suited 36. Minus the injuries and we were probably down to the 20’s!!! Pearl River I think only had 17 players!! LOL. So guys don’t talk about team depth and being banged up by seasons end because Rye will probably have the largest class A roster this year. They’ll probably only have 1 hard game during the season so they’ll be very healthy and a major post season favorite.
10960
Besides Ossining, Eastchester is loaded and Rye will have a very tough match-up with them. The Eagles are a hungry team that has won a lot of games lately, but have won nothing and may have their best team and shot at the “Big time” this season. Also, regardless of the final score, Harrison is always a tough physical game for Rye. I don’t know if the Huskies will be able to put up enough points to beat the Garnets this year, but they will give them a game, and if they can hang in there…are fully capable of winning a low scoring affair.
just a fan,
idk yet but the comp should be real good
The edgemont pville game is going to be a battle both schools have a lot of bad blood between them. The key ito pville sucess is if they can throw it up to their big wide receivers and own edgemont in the passing game like they did last game.
Nyack losses alot but alot of those guys who followed the 1st stringers all season in practice and in games learned alot and gained things throughout a playoff season that began with the 1st round being marked as the most possible upset in the section to going to somers predicted to loose by 2 TD’s and destroying them in all aspects then going to the Sect Champ. and winning there and then to 2 more nailbitters these back ups and subs on nyack have learned alot from their graduated elders and will progress through the season into the playoffs as their mentors did this past season
From looking at Rye at the Iona Camp the depth of their roster will not be a problem- They should have a roster in the high 40’s.
As with most teams in this area it always comes down to injuries- If rye stays healthy they should at the least be one of the final 4 teams in the Class A playoffs-
The one adjustment they might have to make is dealing with the speed factor. I would believe that Ossining and Nyack will throw some runners on the field that bould present a speed problem for most teams including Rye.
Husky92-
I cannot believe that your dad “big joe” went to cornell???!!!!
his posts are usually laced with grammar and spelling errors, that was absolutely hilarious. how did you guys get in there?
Sal Sulla, North Rockland
IS best player entering the 2009 football season
10960 great post. Good to see you back for another football season! Having Coach Cas and a seasoned QB leads me to believe they are going to be very solid. Thoughts?
Nyack is not going to be a solid team this year, average at best. They had hardly any underclassman play last year. Most of the Nyack team went both ways. Don’t you think Cas would have played a lot of the underclassman last year if he had any faith in them and give his two way players some rest? Nyack has lost the majority of there weapons and the pipeline is getting thin. They are still a playoff team, but this is like a Nyack team of 2 -3 seasons ago. They will beat the weak sisters (of which there are many) and lose to the big dogs in class A. Why don’t you think 10960 is boasting about them already, he knows the real deal with this team this year.
Well… 3 yards you do make some great points(especially the last one) Nichols is going to wind up running the ball every play!
22 seniors Graduated from Nyack. Most of these seniors were starters. Last years Nyack seniors were together for almost a decade. I had good reason to hype that Nyack team up.
One thing I learned from this blog is that most blogger predictions are influenced by the previous year. At this point last year, most bloggers gave Nyack no chance. This year, Nyack is a factor? Yet last year Nyack wasn’t a factor but had 22 experienced seniors? The reason for this is because in 2007, Nyack wasn’t playing Nyack ball so the expectations were low for 2008. In 2008, Nyack became section champions so now all of a sudden Nyack is predicted to be a factor in 2009. That makes no sense considering that 3 quarters of the talent vanished.
We’ll have to see how the summer goes to give a more accurate analysis of the Nyack football season. I can’t make a prediction now but I can gaurentee playoffs LOL.
Let me also add that Raymond Nichols is an excellent Athlete but not an excellent Qaurterback. He manages the offense well and can take off with the ball but his arm isn’t going to carry Nyack, No arm has ever since 2000’s Ron King.
Elijah Sorel is going to be a Key player in the trenches and he’ll bring alot of leadership and experience.
Jerry wisdom coffie is another returner from last years sqaud who should stimulate the Nyack secondary and special teams.
Kivar Thurman is one of the key players last season who suffered injury but is a major, major factor returning to Nyacks backfield.
Venson Constant will be next seasons “X-Factor”. Constant may be the premier back for Nyack 2009.
Replacing a fullback like Anthony Davis isn’t easy. I believe Nyack may have found a solid one. That remains to be seen.
10960
I have heard a lot of great things about Venson Constant since he was a freshman.
Also a lot of people do not realize that the majority of last years Nyack team when they were youngsters had made it to the Pop Warner Championship game for the state of New York losing to Orchard Park Pop Warner.
With the QB and RB and the very good coach they have I couls see Nyack getting to the semifinals of Class A. The big factor with Class A will be playoff positioning.
Your guys are really funny. Im so happy blogging is back. I have a feeling Port Chester will be tough as well. I know there coaching staff well, and they are very competitve. Hey WOW, Big Joe is 78 years old. I would like to you spell at that age jerk!
A-South has to be the Black and Blue Division this year. You have Rye-which hasnt lost to a Section 1 team since 02’ , Eastchester- you guys say they are strong team this year, Harrison- which is young, but with Artie as coach, those kids will play there hearts out, Fox Lane- Thats Kevin D sleeper team! Port Chester- will play dirty, LMAO! Last , I heard Rooservelt was moved down in that Division??? These teams are all strong football programs. Who do you guys think the favorite is in all of Class A. I thought Nyack was, but I was corrected, they Grad 22 players. Poughkeepsie still in A?? Are they the team to beat, with all those great players?
Nyack in my opinion are like the Defending Champs of their Divisions they had an incredible run last season I know they will Make play offs And once there they can win because, Lets Not Forget they have the Best Coaches in Section 1, like the Red Raiders,New Ro they all play with mickey mouse team in their own divisions and no matter what players these coach have they win!!!
P.S. SULA 4 Super 11.
you got to love what Iona is doing playing Bergen. I dont want to get you section 1 guys upset but they have already claimed best team around in the area if not the state. They could easily sit back and destroy the difficult CHSFL schedule they have. But no. Their going for more there putting everything on the line this game and if they win they will make this season even harder because everyone will want a piece of the team that beat Bergen. If they win they will turn into a football powerhouse for years to come not bad for a team that was in AA 4 years ago.
ossining will never win a game with that big whale they call DAKOTA.lol
Franco-cuts , you are so confident about coaching staff and players. Thats a pretty wise statement, but the best coaching staff? I have to defer that statement! Being from Harrison and this I have to swallow but, I think Dino Garr is a great coach, and what about the coach from Dobbs Ferry?? I remember in 92, when Coach Cas had Jermaine Harris, he was in our locker room begging us to beat Rye for a three way tie for first. To me , thats a weasel who wanted revenge on Rye, because Rye kick Nyacks ass!!!
Franco-cuts, I apologize for saying that.. Coach Cas is a great coach and he IS one of the top coaches, with the best of them in Section 1. You were just supporting your team and I knocked you.. I shouldnt say this but Artie Troilo wouldnt be in the top 10 best coaches in Section 1. I would rather have Coach Cas LOL..
WHO ARE THE TOP 5 Coaches SECTION 1
WHO R DA BOTTOM 5
Coach Tony Dematteo
Coach John Castellano
Coach Dino Garr
Coach Joe Casserella
Coach Lou DiRienzo
Coach Art Troilo Jr.
No specific order but these are the obvious names to think about.
The best coaches
1. Tony Dematteo
2Dino Garr
3 Joe Casserella
4.Lou Direnzo
5. Rob Cappelli
Worst Coaches
1. Ken Barger
2.Tom Polvar
3. Anthony Fata
4. Rich Hennesy
5. Dan Ricci
U better watch out for Somers there out for blood for what happened to them against Nyack. Lakeland will be there first victim.
20-0 Somers against Lakeland
i know that is ross wiener now. kid stay off the blogs or ill tell your coach
X
I like the fact that Iona is playing Bergen Catholic but fro you to say that they are going to roll through the CHSFL AAA is premature. The league is again strong with several; teams having igh level Division i commits. Xaverian has a DB already committed to Syracuse, Holy Cross has a lineman committed to Virginia- St. Anthony today had a lineman commit to Syracuse. Iona has a brutal league schedule as they have the number 1 seed.
Best Coaches in Section 1
1. Lou Direnzo
2. Dino Garr
3. Tony Dematteo
I also think the coach in Eastchester Dicarlo has done a good job in building that program.
Coaches who I think could be on the hot seat would be Skip Stevens at White Plains- White Plains at one time was a section 1 pwoer- They have a new facility- big school and should have some good athletes. I also think the Harrison coach needs to have a good year and also beat Rye very soon. I heard they have some good young talent at the sophomore and Junior level.
Is Brian Mara kid on Iona Prep this year? How are they playing at Giant Stadium?
The word on the street is they got size.Do they got talent? I don’t know.Do they have heart? That’s the key,because if you don’t have heart,the other two don’t matter…......
Agree with your assessment of nichols. Hopefully he worked on his release and decision making. What’s going on with anthony and dominic? Any college?
who is the top ten best players in class A??
QB John McGhee from New Ro if he returns
QB Connor Eck from Rye
QB Ryan Schilling from Carmel
All thousand plus yard passing Qb’s
RB Cole McKormack from Rye
RB Sal Sulla from North Rockland
RB Matt Deianna from Somers
RB Devonte Brailsford from Dobbs
RB Matt Lacetti from O’town
These are the ball carriers
LB Lou DiRienzo from New Ro
DL/OL Dakota Degree from O’Town
Defense rarely gets shine so give these guys extra credit.
BIG JOE IS BACK, WITH A COMMENT FOR WOW, MY SPELLING IS PERFECT ITS YOUR DIS-FUNCTIONAL MIND THAT CAUSES YOU TO READ BACKWARDS- I HEARD THAT HARRISON GAVE TOP NOTCH NEWRO. A HARD TIME LAST WEEK, CLASS A IS GOING TO BE GREAT THIS YEAR AND THE TEAM THAT WINS IT , SHOULD WIN THE STATE BIG JOE
Tony Becerra Pleasantville has had an incredible record since taking over the team 5 or 6 years ago
I’m not going to call Nyack the clear cut # 1 but they will be very dangerous. A lot of speed this year
Terell Burnett is playing in that new CDFL league, he returned a kick for a TD at Torne Valley on Saturday night
Somers,
Ken Barger worst coach in Section 1? Do you think that’s a little harsh. Yes Pok has some talent now, but they are no where near as talented as they have been in their unacheiving past. There are no more Steven Whitlows, Shonda Faulkners or Matt Featherstons in that school
If Nyack can their HUGE line into place they will be a problem this coming season with a potent backfield and many options… expect to see something new and surprising
TRU JAX
Only Competition in SECTION 1 A WEST for Nyack is
SING SING!!! The Rematch this year should be Good 1
P.S.Does anyone know if the H.S. Football Season going to be shorten by a game or two
Might be interesting to take a look at the early state rankings to get a better (not best) feel for who might be dealing with the most challenging schedule for ‘09.
My guess is that Iona will be up there if not #1. Safe guess that Anthony’s (NY) and BC (NJ) will be in the top 25 (Big School) in their respective states. Only question being how many more CHSFL teams find their way into that catagory.
10707
Last Year during the early part of the season the CHSFL AAA had about 4-5 teams in the top 25- With the balance of the league and the teams beating each other you will see probably only 2-3 teams from this division in the top 25. The NYS Sportswriter really just go by records and not strength.
10960
You better put Bobby Small RB and John Bucci QB from Sleepy Hollow in te mix. They are going to shock the section this year.
Guys there are plenty of kids out there who are very good if not better then who’s on my list, Devaney’s list or anyone else who makes a list. We should only list by what we know has been done and not what we anticipate will be done.
Some guys who have not proven anything are predicted to be super 11 simply because they were on a great team. As we all know, alot of politics involved.
IonaPower
You are most likely accurate in your descrition of how the state picks their top 25. As I said probably not the best way to arrive at your number. But if you’re correct in your assumption of how many might appear it would seem that half of Iona’s regular season schedule is potentially against ranked teams in two states. Pretty aggressive.
10707
Iona has a very tough schedule- I have stated on a few different occasions that I believe Iona will have 1-2 losses in the league before the playoffs start- I would not be surprised if the CHSFL AAA champion has 2-3 losses by the end of the year.
10960
Can you elaborate on what you mean by politics being involved in the Devaney Super 11???
x:
JUST TAKE ONE SEASON AT A TIME AND RELAX A LITTLE WITH USING THE WORD “POWERHOUSE”
Husky92 & Big Joe-
You both write like ignorant losers. You are btoh ANNOYING!
Big Joe
Who replaces Dillio at QB for harrison and their entire
backfield with Burnett and Segal gone. Looks like hard times for the harrison faithful. If they should lose to YTOWN opening day watch the wheels fall off real quick!
Iona Power,
well Devaney doesn’t single handedly make the super 11. Funny because it probably would be more accurate if he did!
Politics would be the issue of popular demand and being fair to other schools.
Iona Power, what if only two schools literally had all the best players at every position? Do you think the journal news would only list players from those two schools?....Politics in being fair.
Even a Nyack player is considered super 11 but didn’t even come in the top 40 in passing yards and he’s surely not a running back…...politics in popular demand.
If anyone understands the logic I know it’s you. Probably before I even answered you. I’m assuming you wanted me to make it clear for everyone else.
10960
I knew fully well but with some of the newcomers on this blog I felt it was necessary for a veteran like you to further explain-
By the way last night Iona Prep, New Caneen CT )Defending State CT Champ and Roosevelt from Yonkers had 7-7 workouts.
I can tell you that they might be a decent team in Class A. They looked to have several good athletes with speed – Whether they have the depth to compete for the Class A title remains to be seen.
Somers
What make you an expert on HS football coaches. I agree w/ the top coaches but the worst——please! Get some facts about each one then maybe I will listen. This blog gets worse daily…but strangely I keep coming back…......
that Dakota kid is terrible. he shouldnt be on anyones list
Thank you 10960!!! It would take someone from Rockland to bring some common sense back to the blog without tearing people down and bashing teams.
The politics of Super 11 are that if your team did well last year you get a player. Another trend I have noticed over the years is that North Rockland and Nyack seem to get the automatic bids from Rockland because they get the most coverage from the JN.
To pick 11 players from the JN coverage area is a difficult task for a few reporters. I am sure to show my age here, but as a Rockland guy the coverage was fantastic in the late 80s-90s. Each Rockland team had a reporter at the game and there was a full article on each game Sunday morning. The likes of Steve Drummond, Dick Yerg, John Kyger, & Kevin Metcalf had the pulse of Rockland football.
How about a Rockland and a Westchester Super 11? Time to do some homework.
Nyack’s workouts are Mon-Wed starting at 6pm. Devaney you should stop by!
shutup hollow fan bobby smalls and same with Bucci both are terrible players sleepys not even going to make the playoffs this year
whats your predictions on the “O” and rye game???
fbal…whatever that means
You must be one of those players from Pleasantville who got smacked by bucci and smalls at the white plains shoot-out. Smalls is going to one of the top 5 RBs in the section, and bucci throws for AT LEAST 700 yds. this year.
NO NEED TO TALK SMACK IN THE BLOGS….BRING IT TO THE FIELD!!!
no im from last years ossining team that totally demolished your whole team
when does Super 11 come out?
10960
about your previous comment on the fullback situation…..
i think the team has another special one
TO INFO you are correct, this section of unusual great talent can go any way , i expect many upsets and great thrillers,i dont think the BOSS KEVIN can call it right yet, good luck to all teams , Where are my ossining buddies, who are the sausage KINGS in westcheter BIG JOE
Champion camp at New Rochelle starts August 3rd, with Iona Prep not being able to go this camp we lose some of its luster! Harrison vs Iona was must see and Iona vs New Rochelle was exciting to. Maybe we can get TUCKAHOE VS EASTCHESTER to scrimmage each other and let the kids in the commuinty who are friends mix it up a little bit!
Big Joe,
What should we look for this year with your beloved huskies
can they compete in their league! Rumor has it, that this years team is lacking talent and Artie will have to do his best job of coaching to even be competitive?
There are 3-4 real good players with talent who don’t know it.Harrison will compete…...
FBAL
How’s the job search going? Must be slim pickings ever since burger king shut down.
fbal
what is your name cause i know most of the ossining and sleepy players
fbal
I am sure your coach would not find it appropriate to denigrate the Sleepy Hollow program. Respecting your opponent will go a long way in building the character of your own Ossining Program.
I think it would be appropriate that at the end of the season, Kevin picks his all blogging team. The prize would be lunch on him for the lucky 11 bloggers chosen.
You could have categories:
Most annoying blogger
Most astute blogger
Funniest blogger
Self Promoter
Most rabid fan
Most clueless blogger
My prelim list would be:
10960 (Most astute)
Coach Darlos (Self Promoter)
Most Rabid (Chief Wild Eagle)
Most Clueless (Franco Cuts)
Funniest (A wide open field)
Annoying (Another wide open field)
3 Yards,
Thanks for the compliment.
I will be honest to say that I learn alot from fellow bloggers as well so without me there’s still alot of intelligence on here.
RileyGirl
Wing T Guy
Chief wild
Ionapower
Jax
John Malone aka Section1Guy
and plenty others including yourself
As we get closer to the season….. Information will start pouring in as always and you’ll find that even the most annoying bloggers are pretty informative!!!
I have to agree with you Kevin. New Ro does start off very slow in the beginning of the season. And last years New Rochelle- Mount Vernon game was way to close to comfort. 14-6 I believe the score was, and that was near the end of the season, So I am a little worried for week 1s opening game.
Its a shame McGee wont be playing anymore. He was quite the athlete. From what I heard though, Lewis Edney is a stud himself so time will only tell.
Lets get more AA talk going on here !
Speaking of AA
I wonder how John Jay CR is going to do. If I’m not mistaken, they did move back up to double AA.
This is where things become interesting!
Fellow Bloggers, here’s something to think about.
In 2005 JJCR went undefeated at an impressive 9-0 before falling to North Rockland at the section championship.
In 2006 JJCR went 7-1 before being eliminated by New Rochelle.
In 2007 JJCR went 8-1 before they were defeated in the section championship by New Rochelle.
In 3 years, JJCR went 24-2 before elimination and seen 2 section finals only to move down to class A in 2008 and get handed a 4-5 record.
What thoughts come into your mind when a class double AA giant headed by coach Jimmy Clark moves down and gets spanked? Not even by Nyack,Ossining,East Chester or Somers.
What thoughts would come in your mind if they do well this year now that they’re back in class Double AA?
After I read some opinions I’ll give you mine.
10960
This year John Jay Cross River will be alligned in the toughest Class AA division with the likes of Carmel,Mahopac, John Jay East Fishkill. That is a very balanced league-They will ahve to play very well to get out of that division with a playoff berth. Also from 2005 through 2007 they had some of their best teams with the WR who went to Syracuse and the stud RB. They suffered some graduation hits.
I think the big difference with the overall comaprison between Class AA and Class A is that Section Class AA is top heavey usually with big time teams like New Rochelle and North Rockland where Section 1 Class A is very balanced with up to 6-8 teams that may with the sectional championship. You might have some good teams that miss the Class A playoffs. Section Class AA will have some bottom feeding teams that offer limited competition to a New Rochelle of North Rockland. When you look at the schedule for New Rochelle you see very few strong teams. I do believe that you will see White Plains come back to prominence as they do have good young talent. That would strengthen Class AA.
10960,
Last year jj lost ALOT. The 2006 team had bolander in his 5th year on varsity, with a line that was 250 plus across the board and a bunch of d1 lax athletes. The following year, almost that entire line returned, with a d1aa reciever in JK Filauro (bryant), d1aa lineman in zoppo (brown), d1 lax qb bocklet (virginia)and overall a mostly senior laden team. They graduated so much last year, which was the reason they struggled in A. The 2006 or 2007 John Jay would have competed for the section in A.
THis comment is for NEED INFO’s above comment. I understand your thoughts on Eastchester scrimmaging Tuckahoe for a fun matchup, but Tuckahoe is NO match for eastchester. Eastchester is a program that has been on the rise and they look very impressive at rye 7 on 7 and during their workouts at eastchester. They are a physically strong team that just needs to prove how mentally strong they are. If they prove that they can definetly make a lot of noise in class a this season.
10801 and Ionapower,
I agree. I especially agree with Ionapowers comment in which said, “I think the big difference with the overall comaprison between Class AA and Class A is that Section Class AA is top heavey”. That is dead on my belief as well.
But even with all the graduates…... 4-5??
come on 4-5??
Not really excusable for a John Jay team that consisted of about 17 seniors and 17 Juniors.
4-5 against a combine opponent record of 24-22?? With a consistent Junior/Senior team??
A 17 senior JJCR team with losses to Hendrick Hudson, Lakeland, Poughkeepsie, Greeley and Brewster!!!!
Sure they may have had no major stud on their team but they should’ve had the advantage against their opponents with no major studs right??
There are plenty of teams that would crave a schedule like they had. Not only did they move down a class but they didn’t have the hardest schedule either.
No Nyack or Ossining or Yorktown or Somers or Harrison or Eastchester on their schedule…..and still…..4-5??
Anybody care to comment??
LETTTTTSSSSSSS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! O-TOWN ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!!!
who is this vick guy what school do you go to. it better not be ossining lol. but the ossining faithful are back in full affect
10960 what the hell is your point. If JJCR had played the season in AA last year they might not have won a game. Who wins, Hendrick Hudson, Lakeland, Poughkeepsie, Greeley and Brewster or Carmel, Mahopac, JJEF, RC Ketcham and Arlington. Every one of those AA teams beats every one of those A teams. JJCR sucked last year, I don’t care how many seniors they had. Just being a Senior doesn’t make you good. JJCR is gonna suck this year too because they have no talent. Cupboard is bare up at JJCR. Look at the Lacrosse team, they blew this year too.
3 YARDS,
What have I promoted? Thats funnys. Your cute.
I saw Harrison scrimmage New Ro last week with just helmets and shoulder pads on. I saw New Ro running right threw Harrison. I said to the New Ro fans, Its good to see New Ro run right threw HHS. HHS has been lacking run defense. Maybe Artie will get it together. They said what, thats the second team. Your first team was pretty good in stopping the run. Then, I saw the Offense. HHS quarterback was alittle shaky with the spread offense. But the running backs looked pretty good! Im not a fan of the spread offense. I miss the I-formation which HHS dominated for years using it. Only NAVY can run that offense. You need the most athletic player at quarterback!
I am really tired of all these people repping their teams with what theyve done in the past. If your current team has many returners from last season or last two seasons than you can use those facts, but if not then you cant use past seasons or your teams history to rep your current team. What happened in the past at a certain school has no bearing on what happens now if you dont have the talent or playmakers on the field.
My prediction Harrison 4-3 , beating Rye and knocking them out of the playoffs. Eastchester and Fox Lane in. That happened in 91. HHS won and Rye out of the bowl game.
Class A Fan. Also hope there are no injuries. Im not hoping that on anyone, But if you lose your star, your season can be over!
BigJoe
The spread offense is a thing of beauty- All you need to do is just watch Iona Prep run that offense. All you need is a Tyrae Woodson at QB and Jeff Mack RB.
Very true injuries can truly hurt, especially if you have little depth. But yes iona prep does a great ob at the spread offense. And the reason is tyrae is one of if not the best athlete on the field. But another team that has truly perfected a form of offense is Eastchester with the option. They were the first true option team around and now you see more and more of it used by teams such as Harrison and Somers. I think Iona Prep has had most success with the spread than eastchester has had with the option only because iona won a championship, but it is very close.
Class A
Is it true that Harrison is going to switch from the Triple Option to the spread- I just do not see them having the personnel to run the spread. Last year they had a player in Claudio Delacarpini that was underutilized as a receiver so in my mind they are a year too late in switching.
Also the spread is the type of offense that requires so much timing. With a new QB and probably new running backs and receivers it will be a difficult adjustment. I hope Harrison is successful as it is an exciting brand of football and it may revitalize their program.
I cant see harrison being succesful with the spread. I am not sure if they are making a total switch but will use it. Their QB was not a playmaker, which is what you need to run the spread and very true that delli carpini is gone. Harrison needs to find an identity within the next year or two or they will totally fall off in class a because over the past two seasons they havent had a true identity. But harrison wasnt even succesful with the triple option. If you wanted to see the option running great you had to take a trip to eastchester to watch them run it.
class A fan
Its true that EHS has done a great job with the triple, but it mainly b/c of Larocca at qb. He was one of the smartest and toughest hs qb around. The problem with the triple is that if teams stack the box, and you cant throw, you can beat the weak but the true teams will be tough. EHS needs to get past the first round of the playoffs to be considered one of the elite teams around.
10960
If you think about it, I am sure JJCR coach did not want to drop down to A but really had no choice when he looked at what was graduating and what was coming up through JV. You look at some of the power houses in AA, New Ro the year after Rice left struggled against a not very good White Plains team. The last couple of years North Rock has had trouble with Clarkstown North. Down years happen. And the power houses when they are down are decent, everyone else in a down year sucks. Last year JJCR sucked. They will be back because they always have all around good athletes and good coaching.
But overall you can not compare A with AA. That’s like a kid brother trying to hang out with the older brother. Case in point Ossining. Barely decent in AA and once they lost a couple of players they ran back to A.
Harrison’s success in the past was based on strong running backs,that would wear down defenses.Running a spread offense,I can’t see it without athleticism.But maybe it’s time to try something new….....
Eagles, yes that is very true and yes larocca was very good with the triple option. But the good thing about Eastchester this year is they have a QB who can throw the ball downfield. Even though the emphasis is on the option for the eastchester offense, the option to throw the ball is now a realistic option and teams have to respect that. I truly believe we will see eastchester past the first round this year. They have 3 returning offensive lineman, all three linebackers returning, and basically the same secondary. Eastchester should be a very physically tough team this year, but they have to have to be mentally strong in order to make noise against the tough teams.
sleepys going to have a terrible season they have no line and no quarterback and smalls is terrible
u dont choose what class your in its based on population
does anyone know who is going to be the QB for ossining next year since justin kreamer graduated this year?
92 HUSKY
I see you have made your annual “Harrison will beat Rye” prediction. I believe last year during pre season you predicted a Harrison blow out. Please tell me how Harrison will lose to three teams on their schedule, and still beat Rye. I guess if you keep making that prediction…sooner or later…we’ll have to say Husky 92 called it when it does happen.
How can one ask what point am I trying to make at the same time assuming what point I’m trying to make??
No way can anyone compare class A central to class Double AA North last year. The assumption made is not my intent.
The issue is whether or not that program is carried by athletes or coaching. I’m not comparing class A to class double AA.
I don’t beat around the bush as many bloggers know. If anyone dares me to compare class A to double AA then I’ll simply tell you….I think Class A is more competitive.
Spring Valley used to win games…even a section championship when they were in Double AA…... they came down to A and did nothing.
Horace Greeley came up to Double AA and won their league title the first year.
JJCR comes down to class A after being a class Double AA power for almost a decade and well we discussed what happened to them.
Double AA North all of a sudden has been tough as nails for the last 3 years. That league is elite in class double AA top to bottom yet no team out of that league has won a section championship in 10 years! They’d have lack of a presence if not for JJCR and recently Carmel.
Class Double AA is simply top heavy. It’s always been Carmel/JJCR from the north Ramapo/North Rock from the west and simply New Rochelle from the south.
Any given year a team like Mahopac or JJEF or Gorton/Mt. Vernon or White Plains even a clarkstown South can rise to the occasion and be competitive but that doesn’t negate the consistancy of the class double AA top tier programs.
17 seniors at Nyack would not allow what happened to JJCR happen. 17 Seniors at Ossining wouldn’t allow it. Harrison or East chester wouldn’t stand for that crap. Even if the talent was down. Now that Rye is in Class A you can include them into the overall competitive nature of the class.
Who’s to say the top of Double AA is stronger then the top of A?? It’s all speculation but I guess we’ll never really know.
I’ll bet last years Ossining and Nyack could’ve done better then 4-5 in any Double AA division infact, I think they would’ve done a better job against New Ro then Carmel did in the final.
we’ll never know and You don’t have to agree.
The class double AA faithful probably won’t.
infact, some may get offended!!! LOL But thats what I love about this blog. The die hard fans!!
10960
Class A is much more balanced and competitive than Class AA. The one additional point is that over the last few years there was not a clear favorite to win Class A which is great. Most would agree when you think of Class AA it is New Rochelle and everyone else. I will say that the Class AA North division is very balanced and will be a good race. I think New Rochelle come playoff time has sucha big advantage against the North division is because New Rochelle is coasting through the Lincolns etc while Carmel was butting heads with Mahopac and john Jay East Fishkill which takes its toll physically. That is a major point for any North team that wants to get out of section 1. I see it with the CHSFL AAA come playoff time in the past when Iona with their 50 man roster is playing St. Anthony who has 70-80 kids that includes a roster that last year had over 25 kids weighing above 230 pounds.
Jim- your right! I might get lucky one of these day. LOL! Did Rooservelt move down to A? I heard they are in A-South.
How deep did Iona Prep have to go into their roster to beat St. Anthony’s last year? Not to deep.
The only played 23 kids. Iona Prep had more talent and was better prepared then St. Anthony.
St. Anthony’s got out coached in both games. I loved it.
st. anthony’s got out-coached
haha.. here we go again…. i thought we all agreed that ionapower was the only one to speak on iona’s behalfwhy are you still around?shouldn’t you be doing your summer reading for the honors program…
If I had the big front line Harrison seems to have, I would go to the I and pound the ball. If they have a QB that could throw a little to keep teams from loading the box, That would make them very tough. The spread and triple are good for teams with great skilled players or teams with young or small lines.
ionaprep crazed
Iona used more than 23 players in the championship games- They were rotating players on the defensive side of the ball-
I think you are off base about the St. Anthony coaches- Rich Reichert is one of the best coaches in the state-You have to respect the championships that they have won the long term winning that they have sustained in arguably the toughest division in the State.
If you look at the first game Tyrae completely dominated whle Mack had his normal type of game- They also took Alfano and Darlos out of the game. If you remember the previous year Alfano killed them in the playoffs.
In the championship St. Anthony adjusted and did not allow Tyrae to run for over 150 yards like he did in the previous game. This allowed Mack to have a monster game. A coach can only make so many adjustmenst. Both Mack and Tyrae are so dominant and will make it hard for coaches to adjust. I expect teams will ahve the same trouble this year with Iona.
Class A leagues:
West: Ossining, Nyack, Port Chester, Spring Valley, Pearl River, Tappan Zee
East: Fox Lane, Pougkeespsie, Greely, Brewster, Byram Hills, Beacon
South: Eastchester, Harrison, Rye, Roosevelt, Saunders
Central: Hen Hud, Peekskill, Yorktown, Panas, Lakeland, Somers
Are these correct? Fox Lane moves East, PC moves West.
Who makes the Playoffs in each league? My guess
Ossining, Nyack
Fox Lane, Poughkeepsie
Eastchester, Rye
Yorktown, Somers
Dark Horse: Roosevelt.
In response to WOW I find Big Joe rather entertaining. He may be 78 (dosen’t look it) but WOW you should watch who you play with.He may be 78 but he’s a tough guy. Big Joe knows the game and is a rabid fan.
I’d sit with him anytime, any game and talk.
As far as this year’s Huskies are concerned I don’t agree with the comments. The offensive and defensive line looks good, and our new quarterback may turn a few heads.The backfield is quick with a fleet of new players coming up (Jr’s) from J.V. who are entering their third year of H.S.
Duke Alvora is the heart and soul, the leader and Knox has gotten big. Really big. Runs the ball quite well.I like Rinaldi at end as well.
I think the offense is better than the defense at this point.
Navajos, Throggs Neck
The Huskies need to find a formation that works for them.The I used to be the bread & butter offense.That’s when you had players that would run people over.Harrison has not had that kind of ammunition in recent times.Artie will find a way….
Go Eagles,
You must remember that IONA is not going to champion camp this year, just leaving NEW RO, HARRISON and ROOSEVELT in class A or better. Eastchester plays both Roosevelt and Harrison, and Eastchester has NEVER scrimmaged Harrison since they were put into the same league thus what will happen come August! Now you have Roosevelt in their league as well will the same rule apply. Eastchester has alot of talent but will need to get as many reps as possible to prepare for Sept 11 game. As stated earlier the defense lead by John Martin and Dillon Archer at LBS should be the best in the league both are three year starters. D line with
three year starters also are Orlando, Nader, Kehoe and DeLeggie will be tough to move around. Entire secondary comes back with more experince.
Offense look for the Coaches nephew to take over the qb role which he has watched for three years behind LaRocca
and for Section 1 Combine running back MVP Kevin Bronner to rush for 1300 yards and Justin Reina to have a break out year with John Martin returning at FB. This could be the eagles last chance at the dance!
SPREAD OFFENSE AT HARRISON CAN SOMEONE SAY TRANSFER!
Why this year and not last year with all that talent. Artie don’t give into the BOO BIRDS in the community. Stick with what you do best and deviate off of that.
CAN YOU SAY SPREAD OFFENSE AT HARRISON
WHO TRANSFERED INTO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT!
What’s the Story,
I don’t think the absence of Iona at Champion’s Camp will greatly impact anyones season.
New Ro will be a test, Briarcliff and Ardsley will provide enough competition.
Class A is wide open this year. Ossining still has to be considered the favorite with both size and speed. But the next 5 or 6 teams will be close behind. Can’t wait to see how Rye does in A. They will be good, but how good?
Eastchester has a passing QB, but who will he throw to? Nyack, Yorktown and Somers will need to replace a lot, but somehow always do. Po-town has some very good players and so does Roosevelt. Both big A schools should make some noise.
Go eagles,
Your right about Iona’s absence not effecting anyones season, my take was that better competition is a true test of were you stand and what you might need to work on. The Martin kid is well rested but hasn’t run the ball much the past few years he needs alot of reps as does backfield and qb. As far as playmakers look for Bronner at RB, DiPippo at WR and Bastone two Sr’s to make big plays this year.Both were spot starters last year on O but started on defense
Eastchester will have many options on O this year. Remember if it’s not broke no need to fix it. But it’s nice to have other options available when you need them. Look for eastchester to continue to pound the ball down your throat
and catch you off guard when need be. So if you dare to stack the box watch out!
This is eastchesters last hurra, they have nothing in the pipe line after this year compared to the run they just had. Also they dont have the entire secondary coming back, they lost gouler and perugini in the secondary thats 50%. The 0 and d line is going to be great…some really big and tough kids.
The mai reason in my opinion why Class A is more competative the Class AA is because of the school size, they are all relatively close in size for Class A. While in Class AA, you have New Ro and North Rockland with over 2,300 students each and then you have a Clarkstown North and South with 1,300 students each. So you mean to tell me that with an advantage of over 1,000 students that you are not going to be able to find 10 good additional football players for your team. Why do you think Monroe Woodbury is so good. They play schools with half the student body population that they have. The only time when they have a problem is sometimes with Newburgh, which by the way is close in student size to them. I guess what I am trying to say is that size does matter in Class AA. The stats do not lie.
smalls is a horse
A will be very competitive now that Rye’s in the mix.However,the cake walk days are over.The caliper of the better teams in A can’t compare with B schools.They will be tested early and often this season…..
Carmel n jjcr might come down to champion on scrimmage day
Helloooooo, People, Hellooooo, Knock, Knock, anyone in there?????? Wow you guys are horrendous at reading comprehension and interpretation. Big Joe Obviously thinks the “spread offense” is double slot two wide triple option offense, not shotgun and one or two back offense. Read and comprehend what he said, then interpret it. He said about the Harrison offense:
“HHS quarterback was alittle shaky with the spread offense. But the running backs looked pretty good! Im not a fan of the spread offense. I miss the I-formation which HHS dominated for years using it. Only NAVY can run that offense. You need the most athletic player at quarterback!”
IM NOT A FAN OF THE SPREAD OFFENSE…ONLY NAVY CAN RUN THAT OFFENSE….Duh, obviously he thinks Navy runs the spread the offense, which we know they do not, they run the triple, which is what Harrison has run, and will be running in ‘09. Sheesh people, cmon pay attention will ya!!!
When Harrison won the class B state championship….what offense did they run??
eagles,
Gouler didn’t play one down of defense for eastchester last year what games were u watching. I’ll give you periganni however, Bastone, DiPippo, Bronner and Dicarlo started with the last two having started as a soph and freshman. So along with the big boys up front look for the eagles defense to be ahead of the Offense early on in the season!
From watching some of the Class A teams during their workouts, I have noticed a few things:
Rye: is going to putting together a good team that is up for the challenge in class A and will win a decent amount of games.
Eastchester: THIS IS THEIR LAST CHANCE! I see all these seniors out there playing and battling for positions, but the only underclassmen i see out their for eastchester is DiCarlo. Besides DiCarlo their is truly no underclassmen that is better than an average player at most.
Somers: Needs to fill a huge hole with lombardos absence. They will be a good team, but nothing like the past two seasons. Still have Deiana.
Harrison: I dont see an identity with this team. I havent seen an identity in two years now. They have no consistency on either side of the ball and can get overpowered now which is uncommon for harrison teams.
Roosevelt: Nothing impressive that i’ve seen there. Need to pick it up to even be competitive in Class A.
EDdgemont contender in B? Ask Edgemont what happened when they played nanuet the last two years and Nanuet has alot of returners back this year
Edgemont was a powerhouse program in C.They move up to B,the party’s over.Let’s see what happens to Rye….....
10960 Harrison in 99 won with the I-formation. 02 with the triple option with Rudy Arcara! Big Joe is 78, so give him a break. He just loves section 1 football, like the rest of us! I ran into Artie, and said whats up with the spread offense. He said, he was experimenting with an Ace Formation! Not spread!
I cant wait till the season starts. I cant wait to get the updates on hot dogs, sausage, and meatballs! By Big Joe..Lmao!
In 02 Harrison won with the triple option. How about when they won the class A section Championship was it triple option then too??
I’m just wondering why Class A fan says,
“But harrison wasnt even succesful with the triple option. If you wanted to see the option running great you had to take a trip to eastchester to watch them run it.”
Harrison was very successful running the triple most of this decade.It works when you have the right players to execute it.Before they used the triple,it was basically the I.They would ball pound you into oblivion.But the best offensive formation was “give it to Sammy”.Now that’s something no one was able to stop…..
10960
I know you love Nyack but just look at Ossining’s record when they were in AA to know A can not compare with the big dogs of AA. Ossining probably had one of their best teams during that time and were mediocre as I previously stated. I am not a fan of Katonah but you are only lying to yourself if you think JJCR are not as tough as your beloved Nyack kids. With that said AA has been watered down some what over the last couple of years and that might be the question you really need to ask.
10960, We had a very very athletic star named Jay Ciraco running the triple – option when HHS went to the semi’s. Since then , the QB havnt been able to get the reads and timing down. Huskies Forever, remember the Off line and Maraglino as fullback for Sammy. That was one hell of a team and BIG! I remember Lakawanna going after Sammy in the State Championship. They were out to hurt him. Bastards! I wonder if Sammy did play every game 4 quarters, how many more yards he wouldve had! True story about Sammy, I was friends with his older brothers, and we would play tackle football in 10th grade. Sammy would play as a 5th grader and he ran his heart out. I think he ran me over LOL. The guy had it in him as a baby!
Dan Sheeran and Ryder Bohlander are the best JJCR had to offer this decade.
Nigel Morris over Sheeran by far. Alonzo Powell Over Bohlander…..I can be unfair and throw in fullbacks Judin Pierre and Jason Alcin…....Pepper it up with Terry Baltimore and perhaps last years Anthony Davis and Dominic Leonard.
Nyack has had far better talent then JJCR. My oppinion….you don’t have to agree. I mean thats what makes Nyack, Nyack…. Ya know 2 of 3 state championships and 7 section championships. The Pipeline is rich with talent.
Besides New Rochelle and North Rockland….....what other double AA team could’ve had such similar success as Nyack throughout the span of 9 years not even 10.
Ossining went 5-2 in double AA even defeating Ramapo….then they were eliminated by the team that beat everyone which was north rockland. North Rockland shut out JJCR in the sectional finals but they couldn’t shut out Ossining that year.
In 2 meetings ossining put up 35 points against the North Rockland defense. they ultimatly ended up being 6-4 with 2 losses from NR.
This wasn’t even with the likes of Rod Osborne, James Brundage, Justin Kreamer and so forth.
You questoned toughness of JJCR and when confronted you bring up talent. Nyack has had better football talent than JJCR, that is not being questioned. But again you specifically mentioned toughness which I believe to be unfair. And I wonder about your underlying intentions when you say this.
I forget the players that year 2005, but Ossining had very good talent that year and could not beat any good teams. I forget who their other two losses were from, which were conveniently left out of your post. You might want to let everyone know who Ossining’s other 4 wins were against as well. Here are my guesses: Clarkstown North, Scarsdale, Mamroneck, Suffern (who belong in A). No to mention that was a just above average Ramapo team, compared to what Ramapo is used to.
Nyack in any year would not have been able to win class AA. A tough pill for you to probably swallow, but none the less a fact!
10960, as always youre prepared. Sheeran and Morris are a tough debate. Sheeran was a great weapon at AA, had their great staff utilized them more against NRoc, JJCR wins that chip. Morris was a great high school and college player at a Mid Major conference. Had Sheeran stuck it out at Cuse Im sure he would have started at least two years, his career is hopefully not over.
As far as high school career I would say that Davis was better than the other FBs you mentioned however, Bohlander is a kid because of his combination of size and speed could have played D1 football. You also forgot to mention Anderson in the conversation of the past 10 years for Nyack.
Whats Powell up to?
Hello,
“Nyack in any year would not have been able to win class AA. A tough pill for you to probably swallow, but none the less a fact!”
hmmmm I wouldn’t call it a fact unless it was actually a fact.
I threw in talent over toughness because I never talk about toughness. You’re the one saying I mentioned toughness when infact…a real fact…. I never did. How can you measure the toughness of a kid? How can you know??
There are a few Nyack Sqauds that were capable of winning double AA. You may not agree but alot of people on here do. Infact I seen alot of polls done on here suggesting that behind the Ray Rice New Rochelle Sqauds…. 2000 Nyack comes next.
Again you don’t have to agree.
I may have left out some information on Ossinings 2005 year but there’s still enough facts showing the amount of damage that even a not so great class A caliber sqaud can do in Double AA. Ossining just started to get their “MoJo” back under fairly New Coach Ricci.
Does it make you feel better if I told you that the year before that they only had 2 wins??
I used to be an advocate for Double AA too. Time and experience and research will tell anyone that a 17 year old is a 17 year old…. a 200 pounder is a 200 pounder, No matter what class your in.
RileyGirl,
Powell broke his neck ending his college career. He’s okay though, just cant play ball.
Nigel Morris was the real deal. He was the premier Cornerback at Toledo. Top 5 DB in the Mac 10. Injury got’em. Nigel led Nyack to 2 State championship Games winning 1.
I think Neil Anderson was 1999….Great fullback and ya know what your right…. It’s 2009 right now so yea he falls in that 10 year span.
I will not debate how tough a player is because How can we know?? But talent leaves a trail of evidence.
Talent doesn’t always win. Behind the Ray Rice New Ro sqauds…The most talented Double AA team I’ve ever heard of was Ramapo 1999. 3 division 1 players 7 division 2 players…. Not prospects…. Players!!! That team lost to Carmel in the section Championship. They even lost to Clarkstown South during the season!!!
somewhere along the line your going to need good coaching
I think Ciraco was the best triple option QB Harrison has ever had. He was such a rare talent, with some serious burners. The other guy was good to in 04’. I think his name was Jeremy Burton, he took it to Nyack in the sectional final
According to Kevin Devaney here was his list of the best teams in the decade. He submitted this list after Iona beat St. Anthony in the CHSFL AAA championship last November. This is obviously one man’s opinion.
The following is an excerpt from a Kevin Devaney blo entry:
“I’ll always say that the New Rochelle of 2004 was the best I’ve seen — yes, even though it lost and the 2003 team won it all. In my opinion, here’s the short list of the best teams of the decade:
1. New Rochelle 2004
2. New Rochelle 2003
3. Nyack 2000
4. Iona Prep 2008
5. Mount St. Michael 2006
6. Nyack 2003
7. Iona Prep 2005
8. Edgemont 2000
9. New Rochelle 2000
10. Harrison 2002
Thoughts?
ShareThis”
Iona Power, youre right! The best thing about it, that Kevin didnt include any Rye teams. LMAO!
Why is it the Spring Valley Schools get overlooked-Spring Valley and Ramapo? Granted both have had some ugly years and problems getting the right coaches but they have both won and had tons of talent. SV won the Section Championship in 97 in AA and Ramapo followed it up with the Runner up in the Section the following year. Last year Ramapo won their league under a first year coach who has them headed in the right direction and SV is starting fresh with a new coach in Andrew Delva. Give credit where credit is due you always have a fight on your hand when you play these two (please spare me the humorous comments when I say fight with these two schools lol)
10960
this was your statement “17 seniors at Nyack would not allow what happened to JJCR happen. 17 Seniors at Ossining wouldn’t allow it. Harrison or East chester wouldn’t stand for that crap. Even if the talent was down. Now that Rye is in Class A you can include them into the overall competitive nature of the class.” After reading this it seems to me your questioning JJCR toughness, but you are right you did not specifically claim this. I think this blog needs to be policed by us all in some regards and I do not think it is fair to attack any kids toughness. Since you said that was not your intent, that we are done.
In regards to AA vs. A we will never be done but that is ok too. Not to keep this going but in 2005 the win Ossining had against Ramapo was at Ossining and the Ossining RB ( really talented kid) made one of the best catches I have ever seen a high school kid make. I forget what the score ended up being but the play was certainly a game changer. If you have the website where you can get old stats please share. Because as I remember it 2005 Ossining team had a very talendted RB and a very good QB and another RB that was very good. So that is three talented players at the skill positions. That to me qualifies as a talented HS team and I am sure in 2005 they would have given the best of A a run for thier money. But like you, just my opinion.
Don’t forget about the excellent Pok teams early this decade. That 7-6 Pok Nyack Overtime Semifinal Game is still a classic
I think if I remember correctly, League “AA” North had 3 teams in the semi-finals last year. Mahopac,JJEF, and Carmel.
Mahopac scored the most points on New Rochelle throughtout their sectional and state run. What does Mahopac have coming back this year? They had a solid season last year, and their J.V. was 7-1-1 losing to New Rochelle on the last play of the game. If I recall, there was no mention of them last year and the went on to have a great season.
Iona Power,
I completely agree. All those teams deserve to be on the list. However, the New Rochelle teams of o3, and o4 are far above the rest. Not taking anything away from the other teams on the list. 03, 04 of New Rochelle were just far superior.
And I also agree that the New Ro team of 04 should be placed in front of 03 as well. Yes, 03 win the state championship and 04 came up 6 points short, but c’mon. New Ro played almost the entire second half without Ray Rice. And, I dont have to tell you where Ray Rice is today.
Your right about that…. CBA caught a lucky break. They couldn’t stop Rice.
10960,
I do agree. CBA without a doubt got a break. And your right, Rice was having a hell of a game. No huge 70 year bursts but he was putting on a show. However the CBA team was stacked with tremendous athletes. Despite the loss, it was one hell of a game.
70 yard * correction
How bout this.
TOP TEN RUNNING BACKS OF THE DECADE.
what do you guys think ?
This is based on “High School” careers….I named 22 great ones….. “No specific order”...”No specific order”....Total Bias to class A and double AA I admit.
1.Sam Maldonado – Harrison
2.Ray Rice – New Rochelle
3.Redrick Alceus – North Rockland
4.Terry Baltimore – Nyack
5.Ryder Bohlander – JJCR
6.Aaron Johnson – Spring Valley
7.Rod Osborne – Ossining
8.Obi Ezemma – Ramapo
9.Alonzo Powell – Nyack
10.Greg Shuster – Clarkstown North
11.Anthony Davis – Nyack
12.Rob Lombardo – Somers
13.Jason Alcin – Nyack
14.Hence Purdue – Suffern
15.Howard Ward – Ramapo
16.Kariel Aponte – Clarkstown South
17.Nigel Morris – Nyack
18.James Brundage – Ossining
19.Neil Anderson – Nyack
20.Anthony McCoy – North Rockland
21.Morgan Hall – Ramapo
22.Joey Touzin – Ramapo
23.Ike Nduka – White Plains
24.Justin Autera – Mahopac
25.Mike Belluzi – JJEF
Some great running backs this decade….. Thats 25.
Exit 14, the schools that you mention get overlooked because they are rarely consistent. Ramapo has historically started off great, they lose to NRoc and then they end up losing 4 in a row. Also, tons of their players from the area end up at all of the great Bergen Catholic power houses. A stud from Ramapo and multiyear starter just got thrown off Temple.
I just wanna point out that Sam Maldonado is 4th all time in New York State History regardless of class or league behind number 3 Mike Hart.
Aaron Johnson was good but he couldn’t hold Emmanuel Marc’s jock! Emmanuel Marc is in the top 5 of that list or right outside it. Ran for 1500 plus yards as a junior and over 1000 as a senior.
I think Ray Rice should be 1. Listen Ray Rice was an outstanding running back, and not only that but he also made his teammmates better as well. Hes a class act and a big team player.
LetsGoNewRo
I would have liked to see the Iona Prep team from last year go against New Rochelle from 03 or 04- It is pure speculation of course on how the game would result but last year the Iona offense put up some serious points against great competition. I mean wohen you score over 40 points twice against a team like St. Anthony that has to be factored into any equation. I also acknowledge that stopping Ray Rice and Geoff McDermott would have been a huge task.
I know you guys did not include the CHSFL in your list but I would be interested to see where you guys would rank Jeffrey Mack considering he is coming off a monster Junior year where he scored 7 touchdowns in the CHSFL AAA chamoionship game against St. Anthony.
Iona last year was good.. New Ro teams were sick
New Ro by alot
Steven Whitlow- Poughkeepsie. Irv Williams- Poughkeepsie
I would like to see 1 Pok kid on the tail end of that list. Steven Whitlow or Irv Williams.
Emmanual Mark….Damn I missed that one…LOL
He was great…. damn I can’t believe I missed that one
IonaPower,
Well I dont know very much about Iona’s team from last year that well so I cant really say how the game would turn out. However I’m not sure Iona faced a defense as quick and as physical as the New Rochelle teams of 2003 and 2004. There really wasn’t a weak spot on that team.
But as you said the outcome is pure speculation.
The game I would love to see is Iona prep – New Rochelle.
Not as a turkeybowl game. As a non-league regular game. Instead of New Rochelle playing St.Anthonys September 5th, have it be Iona Prep. End the Speculation !
Sammy was an unbelievable talent…also great on defense too. Florida State recruited him for defense. Sammy had everything come easy to him. Too bad he had knee injuries (in the NY/NJ all-star game & at Maryland his jr yr) & some tough breaks at OSU with the coaching change. He did average about 6yds a carry at Maryland. If not for the injuries and also not having the best work ethic, who knows what would have happened.
Edgemont is awful. Keep an eye on Nanuet whos only losses were to Rye and smacked Edgemont 35-0 in the playoffs, they also return their whole defense
As an iona prep man i could say that New Rochelle 03 and 04 would have dominated iona. We all talk about Jeff Mack and Tyrae. I love Iona Prep but Jeff and Tyrae could not beat down New Ro’s D of 03 and 04. Iona on the other hand got lit up by some teams last year and was a little overrated. I would say if u compared the teams it would be NEW RO 52 IONA 34. New Ro had more playmakers like Fred Campbell and Courtney Greene, Glen Lee, Jason Douglas, and Geoff and Ray were great defenders as well. New Ro would win easy
I would root for Iona but New Ro Definetely was better
Toughts?
Iona’s Defense got lit up*
10960,
no matt bernstein? your out of your mind
No shot
I would have to agree with you completely. New Rochelle those years was stacked at almost every position. In 04 I believe New Rochelle shut out 4 or 5 different teams. Their defense was phenomenal and their offense was equally as great.
Im not taking away from Ionas achievements last year and saying they didn’t face any tough opponents. All i’m saying is that you really cant compare any team to that of New Rochelle of 03 and 04
Trevor Dimmy ( not sure how his last name is spelled) played for sleepy hallow back when Maldonado played. He was great half back as well . Im not sure if hes in the top ten but i would think in my opinion hed be in the top 25. Or at the very least an honorable mention.
Let’s go New Ro
The new rochelle-st anthony game is a scrimmage under live conditions. On the same day iona-greenwich plays each other.
As far as the teams meeting in the regular season it seems to be a section 1 issue as the limited number of games allowed prevents New Rochelle from playing any non section 1 tean.
As far as comparisons between the 03-04 New Rochelle and last years Iona team I think it would be a great game with a lot of scoring. Also the core of the Iona team from 08 is back this year and if they ever pull off an undefeated run that would include wins over Bergen Catholic and St anthony then you have a case for them being the best. I do think it will be a long shot to go undefeated with that schedule.
Lets go New Ro,
Considering Trevor broke all of Hofstras rushing records as a freshman and had over 2000 yds his junior year at sleepy hollow, maybe we can find a spot for him. You may want to consider Harold Gaydon as well. Over 2k his senior year at the Hollow, 476yrds and 7 td”s in the bowl game with Lourdes, NY state player of the year and full ride to Syracuse where they offered him the No 44 jersey.
My List:Players I remember;Sammy Maldonado 7000+ yds,99 tds,one of the greatest High School running backs of all time.Ray Rice,one of the greatest and most successful running backs,High School/College/Pro as a player and as a person,class act all the way.Terry Baltimore,fastest man on a football field.Trevor D.,totally motivating team player,most heart ever seen.Peter Kohlasch,best kicker under pressure in a State Championship Game.Won 2002 NYS Championship against Forks with 1 sec left on the clock…....
Just for the heck of it, the below caption was from a piece done about Trevor in 2000. It appeared in the NY Daily news. For the full story you can google trevors name. It’s a nice story
A devout Christian who sings in the choir and plays the drums in his church, Dimmie is as humble as he is muscular. In his last two years at Sleepy Hollow HS, he gained more than 3,000 yards and scored 53 touchdowns, and was a two-time All-State selection. Half of his mother’s living room wall is occupied by his honors and awards. Nothing has changed him, according to those closest to him.
I think we can find room somewhere in the top 25. LOL
Iona Power,
Yea thats right the St.Anthonys game is under live conditions I forgot. And I’m not sure what the big deal is with having a game not in the section 1. New Rochelle played Newburgh Free Academy in 2005 and that turned out fine. ( only problem was New Ro lost 19-0) And If New Rochelle and Iona have crummy seasons ( Which won’t happen) they would play each other on Thanksgiving day. So what’s the big deal. It would be a hell of a ball game ! If anyone knows more about why section 1 seems to be against scheduling a game outside the section or league i’d be very interested to know more.
The Donald,
If im not mistaken, didn’t Trevor have a knee injury that ended is football career at Hofstra?
who are the best lineman of the decade??
Was able to attend Maldonado vs Dimmie at Memorial field for the sectional championship. It was a slug fest with each guy trading exciting runs and plays but in the end HHS wore down sleepy. But was a great watch with these two guys
on the field together.
Played against Gayden was a great talent, what about John Grier and BJ Surhoff from Rye.
Saw IT,
I was at that game too. Both Maldonado and Dimmie had great games. In fact I took a notebook with me that game and recorded each run by both players. Wish I had kept it.
Harrison was just the better overall team. Maldonado had a better supporting cast.
Does anyone remember Harrisons Rivalry with Brewster during the Maldonado era.
Brewster had that great QB Synder. Those games were great to watch
You Forgot -Matt Murray in the top 10 in NY history with only 3 years on the varsity
To add to what statesman said, I’d include Poughkeepsie’s Wayne Neal Jr. to 10960’s list. He’s already one of the top running backs in Division III (having started as a freshman)...
Re “Somers”’s ridiculous post regarding Section 1’s “best” and “worst” coaches: I would like to mention that in 2004, Ken Barger’s Lourdes team came from behind to beat Somers
on its home turf. Also, Barger led PK to the playoffs as a Class AA back in 2006 and came very close to knocking off top seeded New Rochelleagain, on New Ro’s home turf. True, Barger hasn’t won as much as the likes of DeMatteo and Castellano, but he also hasn’t been coaching nearly as long as they have. Also, I’d strongly suggest that “Somers” not read too much into what happened when PK and Somers met last year. That was then; this is now…Oh yeah, Kevin, to answer your question: I’ll be watching the emerging Poughkeepsie vs. Greeley rivalry game opening week. But you’d probably guessed that already…
P.S. Any reason why part of my previous post had its text set to “strike through”?
Jeff P.
Pok and Greeley have played tight games since around ‘99. The spread always seems to be under 7 points either way. They even went up to AA together and played a hell of a game in the bowl game in 2007 and came back down to A and played some more great ones.
10960,
From closer to 10 years ago, Trevor Dimmie and Matt Bernstein should definitely be on your heavily Rockland-biased list. From recent classes, I think Maurice Easterling, Jeff Mack and Rashaad Slowley should also probably be in the Top 10. Great names though
Sammy and td did not play in this decade but if you wanta go back to the 90s. We can peter koa edagemont was the state leading rusher befor sammy. There was also a guy pet careralo from yorktown who was a man amugusnst boys and started on two nashanul chamionshiops at umass
Can’t wait until Sept for this Ossining vs Rye game. What a battle of two solid coaches and programs. Not that Dino has anything to prove but you know how bad he wants to win and make a statement to everybody in Class A. On the otherside of the field will be Coach Ricci. He probably more than any coach in Section 1 would love to snap that winning streak, especially in Rye. If he does win it will be interesting to see how he reacts. My guess is this could be Rye’s next biggest rival after Harrison. I think two weeks prior to this game this should have it’w own blog.
Does anyone know how Harrison is going to fair this season.
Cant wait for the Rye-Harrison game. Always an experience to just see the thousands at the game. However I’d like to see a classic Rye-Harrison down to the wire game. Last years was a dud.
Hoops Fan
If Emmitt Smith or Jim Brown played in the CHSFL 10960 would not have them on HIS LIST.
Most knowledgeable fans who watch football in this area and who have no bias against certain leagues would include the likes of jeff mack and Maurice easterling.
I’m seriously thinking about going to this one and missing the Harrison opener,but I can’t get myself to do it.This game will be of historic proportions.One thing’s for sure,the loser will have a hard time regaining confidence…..
come on guys
instead of attacking 10960 on his list
why dont you guys just make your own.
Lets keep this civilized here
and, im also interested in what other people’s list consist of
10960,
Can you tell us something about the kid from Don Bosco now playing at Nyack? Heard he is pretty good.
what about courtney greene he was just as good as any of these rbs in high school sharing the load with ray. he ran for over 1000 yards jr n senior year
LetsGoNEWRO
I have nothing against 10960. I just have somewhat of a problem with 10960 when he just tries to turn this blog into a section 1 oney forum like he does on a regular basis-You will see that during the year when Devaney has a chsfl team in his top 10. He immediately chimes in and purposely puts out his own section 1 top ten list which is disrespectful to the athletes who live in this area and play for these schools. I think you can tell that I try to speak on all topics whether it is Section 1, CHSFL or any other High School football topic.
Now back to football- I have a top 5 list of only the backs that I have seen play live.
1. Ray Rice-New Rochelle- Best Running Back this area has seen in a long time- To think that he only had about 3-5 College offers tells you everything that is wrong with recruiting. Once in a lifetime player for New Rochelle.
2. Sam Maldonado – Harrison – Was a Man among boys- He could have had even more yards if he was not taken out late in games- He probably could have played on the varsity as a 7th grader. People talk about his work ethic etc- I think that is garbage- NO ONE achieves the records that he did without working hard. Had some unlucky breaks with Ohio State and then having to transfer to Maryland.
3. Jeff Mack- Iona Prep The scary part is that he has one more year. I think people really have overlooked the fact that this young man scored 7 TOUCHDOWNS and rushed for almost 300 yards against what most people would say is the top football program in the state in St. Anthony.
4. Derrick Owens- North Rockland- Was a beast – Unstoppable – Highly recruited player – When Alabama comes calling you know you are the big time.
5. Eric Ogobu- Stepinac- Was great player who carried Stepinac on his shoulders- Went on to Maryland and later the NFL.
Courtney Greene was a very good halfback, a great pure athlete
However once Ray Rice emerged on the scene he was also supported but Justin Johnson and David Richards.
Besides I think Courtney was better known for his bone crushing hits. He was Phenomenal on defense !
So Im not sure I would put him in the top 25 but he certainly deserves an honorable mention.
My point about Ray Rice being supported by Johnson and Richards was that Courtney Greene got very few carries after that. Forgot to put that in, in the post above.
Harrison with Sammy played Brewster with Snyder, 5 times through 3 varsity years in Class B. Great games! Harrison won 2 and lost 3. Brewster went up to A when both were Seniors,Harrison won the state B championship and Brewster lost the class A states that year.
Oh they were excellent games ! Great rivalry those couple years
anyone know what happened to Synder. I think he went on to play lacrosse in college ?
I might be mistaken
who are the best line man in the area??
Didn’t Sam Maldonado play the 1999 season?? Isn’t it 2009?? wouldn’t that be this decade?? well the past 10 years??
Hoopsfan,
My list has alot of Rockland ball carriers No doubt. My list isn’t a top 25 list. I repeat My list is not a top 25 list. It’s 25 names that can be thought of for a top 10 list. Make sense??
Iona power is right. Emmitt Smith could have gone to a chsfl school and I probably wouldn’t have put him on the list LOL. I follow section 1 ball.
Iona Power,
Your right, You look at section 1 as well as chsfl. It’s not easy for me to do what you do. There are no chsfl teams in Rockland county like Westchester county. You get to be around section 1 and chsfl kids.
In Rockland I have family members and people I know from numerous teams. I’m interested in the teams they play and the opponents of the teams they play which sums up the section. I know a few Jersey prep kids, should I include them like you include chsfl kids??
To follow chsfl….. Where would I begin? Why would I be at a game? Who would I know?? To be honest, if there was an Emmitt Smith caliber player at a chsfl school How would I know? unless he plays for Iona. It’s a league of prep schools so I would expect somebody great to come out of there, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The 10960 Rankings
It’s rankings that I consider a little more fair. Prep schools are practically all-star teams. A school like Iona can draw talent from anywhere such as Eastchester, New Rochelle, Tuckaho, white plains, and Mt. Vernon. Now they’re on a list with schools that don’t have that capability nor do they have a common opponent.
We’re talking Iona football here. Iona can start their season 0-3 and still be top 10 because of strength of schedule. Readers get upset about that but why?? In actuality a winless Iona team really would beat up on possibly 7 of the top 10 setion 1 teams if not all. Just like the winless detroit lions could win a ncaa national championship.
I’m sure Devaney would do it different if not for the powers that be.
Iona Power, we’ve been down this road before. It’s definitely unfair to Iona kids but I’m sure the journal news is small time compared to the massive coverage the Chsfl gets. Surely there’s a pure chsfl ranking out there somewhere.
Go eagles,
LOL I cannot disclose that information at the moment. How’d that leak out DEVANEY!!!!!
LetsGoNEWRO….you need to find out about your own history and get your info right. Greene was a FB not HB, and the reason why Johnson and Richards supported Ray and not Courtney was because Greene had already graduated and was at Bridgeton Academy when Johnson & Richards were in the backfield. Greene was a year ahead of those three. When Courtney was a Senior, Rice a Junior, Greene led the team in carries, not Rice, although Rice ran for more yards. Also, Iona Power, Rice only had two offers initially in high school, one from Syracuse, where he originally committed in the Summer between his JR & SR years, and one from Virginia, although some question whether or not that offer was legit because it was just a fax to the football office. After Pasqualoni got fired Rice decommitted from the Orangemen, and Rutgers was recruiting Glen Lee and saw Rice on tape did they offer Rice. So he really only had one offer out of HS, and you’re right, that’s everything that is wrong with recruiting.
10960
who do you tjink are the best line man in this decade ffom sectiion 1???
10960
who do you think are the best line man in this decade ffom sectiion 1???
line em up,
There’s way too much… thats too broad lol
The possibilities are 5 guys per offense per team then 4 to 5 guys per defense per team.
I think Joe Gambino from North Rockland was the best recently. I would love to have seen if a Stanley Belice from Spring Valley could’ve blocked Gambino…. That would be a hell of a matchup!!!
As far as the trenches go, I could learn alot more from everyone on this blog. This is not the easiest topic but like I’ve said before…. I learn alot from you guys.
who do you think is the best this year??
when is the official super 11 picks??
10960
You make great points and I do agree that it would be difficult for someone from Rockland to fully cover the CHSFL. I even have some trouble fully knowing the players in all of Rockland- One minor clarification for your guide is that Stepinac, Forddham , Mount and Iona are not prep schools. Programs like Trinity Pawling, Oak Hill, etc are Prep school- It is huge difference becuase the Prep schools carry a lot of 5th year players.
Off the top of my head the best linemen that I have seen over the years would be
1. Jim Kennedy from Roosevelt in Yonkers-Went to Penn State
2. George Rooks from White Plains went to Syracuse
3. Andrew Weineger from Harrison went to Wisconsin
4. Dillon Quinn from Iona and Trinity Pawling – Going to BC
5. Caruin Reid Mount St. Michaael- Going to Princeton
3.
What are the chances that Kevin’s pre-season picks have #’s 1 & 2 (big school} coming from the same city?
I feel those New Ro teams had weak a spot, pass coverage,
CBA showed that. New Ro CB’s could not cover as well as the Iona CB’s. The would have had trouble stopping Iona passing game. Sure New Ro run defense was great. But against the spread they would have to play more athletic laterally. Not Just come down hill on hits.
Ray Rice/ Jeff Mack
Mcdermont/Woodson
?/Alfano
Cambell/ Bronner
Richards/ James
Johnson/ Nuniz
lets compare?
10707
Iona Prep and New Rochelle should be and will be the top 2 teams in any preason rankings-If you have any teams that you feel deserve to be ranked higher I would be interested in hearing about them.
When I saw rye playing ossining as the open season game for rye, my first thought was , DINO , is loosing his power and influence,BECAUSE, he always planed his schedule VS the easy teams , the first 2-3-games, WHICH, I THOUGHT WAS BRILLANT. He had his team start the season with confidence of winning.This opening game with OSSINING, will show the strength of both teams on that day and after….big joe..again , I ask “where are my OSSINING buddies…the best blogers and creators of the best sausage and pepper wedges
IonaPower,
Great list of running backs. Derrick Owens was incredible – I’d put him above Mack until Mack proves himself this season and at the college level. Eric Ogbogu doesn’t get mentioned enough on these blogs in talks about great local running backs, probably because he played 15+ years ago but he should certainly be considered one of the best. Eric’s brother Chuck was also an incredible running back and had I think the most yards by any Westchester player in a season before Maldonado.
10960,
The kid is a secret? I didn’t get a name, but heard he is alomst an AD clone. Didn’t hear it from Devaney either. Any other secrets over there?
Hoops fan
I put Mack ahead of Owens off of a 2000 yard season in the CHSFL AAA and off of the incredible 7 touchdown effort in the championship game against St. Anthony.
Both were great players during different decades.
Mahopac is too predictable, too easy for other teams to prepare for. Individual talent will not carry this team.
To not have Bernstein in at least the top 5 is flat out ridiculous. That kid literally took over games and was unstoppable. And let’s stay away from the class he played in. The kid went to Wisconsin. Sammy, Rice, Dimmie and Bernstein were the upper tier. If you go old school like Iona Power and Hoops Fan, I can;t disagree with the older players on the list. But a guy who gets forgotten is Jermaine Harris from Nyack. His HS career didn’t equate to an incredible college career. But looking soley at HS performance, he is up there. 10960 would prob agree with this as well.
Iona Prep Crazed,
I respectfully disagree with the statement you just made, and here’s why. I think you might be thinking about the New Rochelle teams of late that have had a real weak spot in covering the pass but in 2004 that wasn’t a real issue. New Rochelle had 4 or 5 shutouts that season. And Especially in the CBA game, the points that New Rochelle gave up were not on 60 plus bombs by Greg Paulus. Most of the drives that CBA had that day were inside the 50 or more! CBA had two great kick returners, fast as lighting who had a field day on special teams. In fact New Rochelle intercepted Greg Paulus ( Glenroy Lee specifically) who I don’t think had been intercepted all year. To say that the Iona CB could cover CBA better is a little bit silly because there are to many variables.
And in response to your comparing Mack to Rice here is my thought on that. Mack had a hell of a season last year. Can’t compare him to Ray Rice just yet. Lets wait and see what happens at the end of this season. Like I said football is full of variables and unpredictability.
Thoughts ?
Arguments can be made (sometimes valid,sometimes not)that the success of a given high school player is reflective of the level of competition he was facing.
The fact that a player makes it to the next level (college) tends to remove some of that argument.
The fact that a player competes successfully at an upper tier conference (big ten) should blow the argument out of the water.
Before his injury Bernstein was the consensus #2 fullback to be drafted his senior year.
He belongs.
10707 very well said. He would have been a beast at any level. He was a man amongst boys. Same with Sammy
when are these super 11 picks kevin
Big Joe,
Chiefy Wild egale is still sulking about them not playing Sleepy Hollow this year. He will be back soon. Don’t worry.
Ray Rice was a great HS player and he went farther than Maldonado and Bernstein, but he was NOT better than either in High School. Derrick Owens and Harold Gayden were also all timers. How about Skeeter Dorsett from Port Chester, Tommy Brennan from Rye, and Art Troilo Sr. from Harrison? These three “old timers” deserve a mention. Also, seeing that no Rye teams or Rye running backs deserved a mention…how about quarterbacks? Bill Gundy(1950’s)a three year Dartmouth starter, Wally Uhle 1960’s, George Kennedy 1970’s, Steve Reibling (1980’s) a two year starter at U Richmond, Marc Saracino late 90’s-2000, and last but not least the recent run with Donley, Archibald and the two Eck’s ?
PS
Weineger was the third best lineman on his own HS team. Sometimes the best HS linemen are 5’11” and 220 lbs. When you have the natural size you may get the big time shot, but that does not automatically make you a better HS player.
Jim,
I disagree with you. I do believe Ray Rice was better. Ray rice is 5’7 – 5’8. Maldonado and Bernstein were the size of horses ! Can you imagine what Rice would have been like if he had been built like those two. Also New Rochelle was so dominant that year Rice barely even played in the second half so he might have not had the stats those two had. Also like I said before, Rice was not only a spectacular hs running back, but he also made those around him better. He was the ultimate team player. This is a quality that I think is overlooked when putting into account what makes a great running back. However I am very open to hear your side as to why you believe Maldonado and Bernstein were better then Rice.
So where does Chris Hughley of Mount Vernon fit into great RB’s for this Area. Owens and Hugley were neck and neck. Hughley went on to Tulsa and started 2 years and ran for over 250 on Miami Hurricanes with Warren Sapp chancing him. lol
LetsGoNEWRO
I completely agree with you about Ray Rice- He was a once in a lifetime player playing at a high level of competition. New Rochelle had to beat the likes of Newburgh, Shenendowa and Webster which are all top programs. Their really should be no argument because he is now excelling at the NFL level.
I sure wish New Rochelle would have played St. Anthony that year as that would have been a great game. It is a shame that Long Island , CHSFL and PSAL are not part of the State Playoff format.
How is Nyacks Defense looking this year with the entire defense graduating? Also the offensive line too only the left Tackle I believe is the only returner who is going to be a junior real big kid 6’2” 290-300… heard he was getting looked at by a few local d1 schools… Nyack has many offensive weapons in the backfield though with speedy elusive guys, but they dont lack a bruising back like powell or davis theyve had lately… will they have the mr. inside and outside like theyve had over the years or have to rely on sweeps and counters all the time? How will nichols run an almost entirely new offense? If they can get it together I see them going into the section semis if they are seeded well unlike this year playing everygame on the road..
Lets Go New Ro… solid points but let’s think about what Bernstein did in terms of making players better. There were kids on his team who put up huge numbers due to his success. The QB other running back, etc all had great HS careers because of Bernstein.
Iona Power, I respectfulyl disagreee with your comment “there really should be no arguement” when it comes to Maldanado and Bernstein vs Ray Rice. In fact, Maldanado and Bernstein were more highly touted than Ray. Both receiving shclarships to much bigger programs. Situations took place with both players that prevented NFL careers, but to say or think these kids weren’t better or atleast equal to Ray Rice on all accounts is wrong. You are putting way too much stock in who they played in HS(in my eyes). You put those kids on New RO’s team, they would even better stats. They were that good, it had nothing to do with who they played against.
Football Giant ,
I respect where your coming from but I respectfully would like to counter that arguement.
How can you be sure Maldonado and Bernstein would have better stats on a New Rochelle team so heavily stacked with talent to begin with. In all honesty I believe the stats would be extremely similar. Both of them would be taken out of the game in the second half because by that point New Rochelle was up by 35. So that point to me shows no merit because its solely based on a ” what if ” scenario.
And my comments on Rice being less recruited is this. That doesn’t automatically make Maldonado andd Bernstein better then Rice because those two got better offers. Maldonado and Bernstein were 5 years ahead of Rice anyway. The time comes with different College football needs. We will never know why Rice was more heavily recruited, and Im almost positive most college recruiters are wishing they had, because Rice almost single handly put Rutgers on the map. And if im not mistaken, Rutgers got more national coverage and had better seasons then Wisconsin the last few years. So dont sell Rutgers short
Football Giant ,
I respect where your coming from but I respectfully would like to counter that arguement.
How can you be sure Maldonado and Bernstein would have better stats on a New Rochelle team so heavily stacked with talent to begin with. In all honesty I believe the stats would be extremely similar. Both of them would be taken out of the game in the second half because by that point New Rochelle was up by 35. So that point to me shows no merit because its solely based on a ” what if ” scenario.
And my comments on Rice being less recruited is this. That doesn’t automatically make Maldonado andd Bernstein better then Rice because those two got better offers. Maldonado and Bernstein were 5 years ahead of Rice anyway. The time comes with different College football needs. We will never know why Rice was more heavily recruited, and Im almost positive most college recruiters are wishing they had, because Rice almost single handly put Rutgers on the map. And if im not mistaken, Rutgers got more national coverage and had better seasons then Wisconsin the last few years. So dont sell Rutgers short.
I apologize for sending the same comment twice.
I seem to recall a game Bernstein’s jr. year, I where the starting tailback was out with injuries. The solution for the Badgers was to take the starting fullback and make him the starting tailback. Bernstein ran wild on Penn State.
That’s versatility and that’s talent.
10707,
We aren’t putting college careers into the debate, but if you’d like heres my comment.
Ray Rice without question had the better college career. He owns tons of Rutgers rushing records and he was in the Heisman talk is Sophomore year !
Im not saying what Bernstein did wasnt versatile or talented. Rice’s accomplishments are far superior in that respect
I’d like to enter the Rice, Maldonado, Bernstein debate.
I see it as 2 separate issues: “raw talent” vs “most valuable”
I never got a chance to see Bernstein play, I saw Maldonado play during his junior and senior years and being a NRHS fan saw Ray Rice play every game.
If we were choosing up sides and I had first pick I would select Rice vs Maldonado.
Not being from Harrison or knowing any players or coaches from Harrison what I know abut Maldonado is strictly from observation. I never got the feeling that SM was a real team player and team leader – He was simply the best running back in high school football that I had ever seen – I just never got the feeling he was a team player. Again, this was strictly my observation only.
Being a huge fan of NewRo I do know the players and coaches so I get a more in depth picture of what’s happening. Ray Rice, also one of the greatest running backs that I had ever seen was more of a complete player, person, and team leader. I always got the feeling that Rice was able to elevate the level of play from all the players all of the time. That’s a key ingredient that’s not measured in raw talent.
Thanks.
football giant
I of course think that all 3 backs were great-
Ray Rice was underrecruited because of his height- which is what makes college recruiting all the more exasperating. I think after his Freshman year at Rutgers their were some colege coaches out their wondering why they did not offer Ray Rice.
LetsGoNEWRO
Understand your point completely.
What I’m trying to point out is when we attempt to compare Lower Hudson high school players who competed,or currently compete, anywhere from AA to D, or from CHSFL to all Privates the only common denominator would be the “next level”. And even there there debate would continue, ie Big East vs Big Ten.
Makes for interesting conversation.
10707,
Oh I agree very interesting conversation
and I respect your points. Very Valid.
Great thing about sports is that there is always gonna be different sides, different view points. Gotta love it.
This is a great debate. Unfortunatley there never will be a “real” answer. But this is fun… Now to address your comments.
In terms of the Bernstein/Maldanado playing on New Ro. They were explosive athletes and were stronger than most HS kids. In my eyes, it doesn’t matter what HS system they were in, they would have put up very similar numbers. If they were on those New RO teams, they still would have been the premier talent. Now same would go for Rice if he played in the Edgemont/Harrision system. In the end, my point was that these kids would have been studs anywhere so going down the who they played or what level is a moot point. They were special like Ray. This arguement kind of reminds me of the Barry Sanders vs Emmit Smith type of thing. We all had..what if Barry was on those Cowboy teams arguement!
WIth your recruiting comment I am not 100% sure where you are going with it. A five year gap has nothing to do with the type of schools Bernstein/Maldanado were recruited by. They were top notch schools in a a premier conference. They were more highly touted and to say they are not is being silly. Like Iona Power said Rice was under-recruited because of his size. They other two had all the intangibles and were NFL prospects. You can not take this away from them.
Your last point about Rutgers getting more national coverage than schools like Wisconsin,Ohio State/Maryland is a stretch. Please do not attempt to put those schools in the same category as Rutgers. Even with the recent success,as a whole, the Big East is and may never be on the same level as the Big Ten/ACC.
Let me clarify something. I am a very big Ray Rice fan and a Rutgers football fan(I still go to games each year). This discussion isn’t to down play anything that Ray Rice has/will accomplish. I just feel we are short changing kids liek Bernstein/Maldanado and giving Ray more credit due to his after HS success(which wasn’t the initial discussion)
Standard Observer
Rumor has it that Nyack may have that bruising back in the mix this year. Nyack’s offense needs to have a solid insider runner. If they don’t the counters and sweeps won’t work even with their speed.
The O and D lines are the issue for the Indians this year. Max is the only returning o lineman. Elijah Sorel is returning on the d line, but he is coming back from a tough injury. He got hurt in the playoffs against Harrison.
I don’t think we will really get a read on what impact Nyack will have on the playoffs until the Ossining game. Spring Valley will be gunning for Nyack (as always) and with their new coach will be looking to make a statement.
Last year we knew what the Indians were bringing to the table. Even though some on this blog did not believe us. This year it will depend on how the lines mature.
They will bring speed and athleticism as always. With Thurman and Constant they will be solid at linebacker, secondary will have the quickness, but not experience.
Nichols runs the offense really well. He is smart and tough. Not a great thrower, but has great reads and is a solid leader. It will be interesting to see where the other leadership comes from.
I have not had a chance to see them work out this summer. I hope to this week.
The Donald,
How is Sleepy looking this year? Small is a very elusive back and gave Nyack some trouble in the early going. Once the linebackers stepped up into his cutback lanes he was pretty much done for the day, but he had a couple nice runs.
Do they have enough coming back around him to make a difference in B?
Looking forward to another great high school football season.
I agree the debate is very fun and I respect everyones input. Im having a blast.
However I do have a counterpoint or two.
My point about there being a 5 year gap between Sammy , Ben and Ray was that who knows, maybe Ray Rice in the same graduating class, re-writes the past. Meaning maybe Rice gets offered a ” Big time school scholarship” We’ll never know. All I’m saying is that
you cant say one is better then the other solely based on who got what scholarship from what school. Fact is they all got Division 1 scholarships. Which is a feat in itself.
And every point I have made in favor of Rice has nothing to do with him blowing up on the collegiate level. I saw just about every game he played as I did with Maldonado. ( Only saw a few games for Bernstein) So my comments are made based on what i’ve seen.
Lets keep this going this is great !
sleepys garbage and smalls is overrated
One last point about who got offered scholarships to where.
That really shouldn’t be factored into the equation.
Take Trevor Dimmie for example. Great running back. I think the majority of us agree he should be on the list of great running backs of the 99-09 decade.
Now where he did play football after High School ? Hofsta. Hofstra is not known for football at all. Is that to say then that Trevor Dimmie’s High School accomplishments should be diminished. No.
Thoughts ?
Haha, easy to keep going when you are talking about these special kids. Now if Rice was in the same class, I would agree with you that he would have gotten a D1 scholarship but not a big time one. Ray was very similar(in my eyes) to Trevor Dimmie. Small explosive work horse back. He went to Hofstra and had an amazing career. Size again was an issue and many schools who watched him(after the fact)would have loved to have grabbed him. Kind of think Ray would have fallen here if he was with Bernstein/Maldanado
I 100% am with you on the who got what offer. I only brought it up because I know some people are taking away what Bernstein did becuase of where he played. Mentioning Wisconsin was to prove that he was above this arguement and should be respected for what he did on the field. Let’s also remember Bernstein played both ways. He disrupted many offenses as they ran away from him. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think the others did.
I was fortunate enough to watch all three play. So my comments are also based on what I saw. I
100% agree. I can blab and listen on and on about these guys. Great Athletes.
And your right I do think the being under-sized greatly effects how the recruiting goes.
Hopefully that trend changes, I would tend to think so. Look at some of the running backs in the NFL that aren’t the mold 6ft tall mold.
Marcus Jones-Drew, Daren Sproles, and of course Ray Rice. Im sure there are plenty more
but those come to mind when talking about undersized athletes.
And Im going to have to correct you on your last comment. Respectfully of course.
Maldonado I believe played as a defensive back not 100% sure but i think I recall that,
and I know for a fact that Ray Rice played both ways and he was just as great on defense. Excellent defender, huge hits, always around the ball. Ray Rice also did the kicking and punting his junior year before Greg Davis took over those roles the following season
You wonder how big time colleges miss guys like Dimmie or even Rice for that matter. in NY Kevin Hart wasn’t the biggest guy but he went to Michigan. Now what did he have that these others didn’t? Yes his stats were ridiculous but if you want to talk about “who they played” against with Hart’s HS , this is a debate!
Thanks for the info on the defensive side of the ball. Doesn’t surprise me that Rice or Maldanado played, I just wasn’t sure and I really didn’t remember. I happened to see Bernstein a lot. At the time I was Rockland based and I saw him whoop on Nanuet and others quite often.
Ya know I’m not so sure that they missed them I think they just were skeptical
Granted I have no idea but thats just my guess
plus Ray Rice didn’t put up those stats mike hart did because he rarely saw the ball 2nd half because by then the second string was in. So I think that factored with Ray’s height might have just not been enough to entice a recruiter.
And not a problem. Maldonado to me didn’t really stand out as defensive stud. Maybe his presence might have drove fear into the offense but that isn’t what he was known for.
Now Rice on the other hand, I saw just about every game Rice played and on defense,
the QB could not throw the ball near Rice, he was that good, where he’d make a play.
Wingtguy,
I think Sleepy has a chance to be very good. They have very good skill players coming back. I heard from a team they played at the White Plains 7 v 7 they did very well for a school not known to pass. Great speed. They need to put a line together, they lost a few to graduation. I heard they have a sophmore back from one of the prep schools thats supposed to be very good.
Let’s face it. Everything is wide open in B without Rye. They know it as well as all the other teams.
I think football giant brings up an interesting point about how major colleges can miss these exceptional players.
My theory is that colleges have a limited amount of time and money to “hit the road”, review film, meet coaches and players and all the other behind the scene stuff that goes on in the quest for talent.
Because of this they go where history dictates the talent is year in and year out. It’s safe to guess that big schools spend more time in Florida than Oh let’s say New York.
History tells them there’s more bang for their buck in certain areas than others.
We have spent much time debating NY vs NJ. Coaches do the same thing. The big difference being it’s their paycheck and our debate.
Hopefully games like the September 11th match up will help in establishing the fact that NY football is worth a closer look.That there’s not just talent at one NY school but it’s worth their while to spend some more time with us.
I also think that at some point we have to feel the same way.
Trevor D.stands out in my mine as a role model for high school kids to look up to.If everyone gave what this young man did to the game & in life itself,the world would be a better place.My hats off to him.Class act all the way…..
Wing T Guy,
Haha i remember I was one of those guys you were talking about stopping Small, hes going to be good this year but shhh i dont want to unveil my identity but I know who you are too LOL but yea I think I am going today to check out the team at the workout so I’ll let you know! but yea they have enough athletes in the defensive backfield all smart kids who know where to be theyll be stronger on pass defense possibly, but yea I have heard the rumor of an inside bruising back.. transfer? or just a new kid to the team that got big really quick?
Sleepy Hollow has a transfer coming in from Iona Prep that will be a sophomore who is very good. I know many people at Iona Prep that were sad to see him leave. He would have had a shot at playing on the Iona Prep Varsity as a sophomore.
He will be an impact player for Sleepy Hollow.
all this talkin…i wanna know who yall think is gunna make it to the section champion chip..
in class AA?
in class A?
in class B?
and class C?
wants each teams strong points??
Is it football season yet? Lol. I think im going to see how my Huskies are going to be like this year, and hang with Big Joe and get a hot dog report, against a Yorktown squad that can turn some heads this year. Remember, Yorktown had some very very good teams in the 90’s. I have a feeling Yorktown will be very tough this year! But , I also would love to see RYE have there winning streak snap, and Rye goes into a downward spiral for the rest of the season. Wishful thinking from a HHS Alumni. I jumped in the brook twice. I know Rye’s character of defeat! Im so cruel , Go Indians! LMAO…
yorktown is missing many players and someone on the team stated that ketchem was running up and down the field on them at one of their summer camps. obviously it is still mid july
I would not say Hofstra is not known for foobtall. In the early 90’s they were one of the best Division III teams in the Nation and are one of the true Divison 1 AA football teams in the area, not like an Iona College that was Div 1 AA just because of their basketball team. “Hofstra made the jump from Division III to I-AA in 1994 and has since earned five championship bids in the last 10 seasons. The school enjoyed 10-1 records in 1995 and 1999, finishing with a Top-10 ranking both seasons in I-AA play”. I would say not so bad if you are talented high school football player looking for a good college to play at.
No your absolutely right, poor choice of words on my part.
Hofstra has a fine football program.
Just when you think big time college football. Hofstra isn’t one of the first that comes to mind. The talent Dimmie had he should have gotten better offers but again because of his size he was overlooked.
Ionapower,
who is this sophmore?
who?
Jermaine Garrant is the player I referenced.
This is a major transfer for Sleepy Hollow.
great discussion here guys. A couple points.
Coach Darlos,
I agree Chris Hughley deserves to be in the same conversation as Maldonado, Owens, Bernstein, Harold Gayden. Rice has clearly proven himself to be the best overall considering his college and pro career.
I completely agree with the point about judging players largely based on college performance. Obviously, what a player does on the college level is not the entire story, but it does say a lot. Its nearly impossible to compare players from AA, A, B, C, CHSFL, etc, in high school however looking at how players perform at the next level is probably the most accurate way compare. There have been so many standout high school players around here its almost impossible to compare them based on the high school accomplishments (except for a career like Maldonado), but taking into account of what players do on the college level it allows you to narrow it down.
If you wanted to go way back to talk about the best running backs around, I think you have to mention Johnny Counts from New Rochelle and Harry Jefferson from White Plains who both starred at Illinois and Paul Choquette from Stepinac who was an All-American at Brown. I’m sure there are tons of others that I’m not thinking of.
The 2 best players that I have seen in high school football in this area are still Keith Bulluck and Matt Bernstein. Ask any of the coaches from the mid to late 90’s and they will all tell you that these two were the best that they have ever seen. Alot of them would pick Bernstein over Sammy.
Jim,
You brought up a great name in Skeeter Dorsett – he was also a great basketball player. Do you know if he ever played any ball after Portchester? Brennan is still an assistant coach at Rye, right?
Great discussion on here about Rice/Bernstein/Maldonado. I know Ray and Matt, and broadcast Maldonado games on Hastings Cable TV (WHOH-TV) when Maldonado was playing the Dobbs/Hastings teams. Here’s my take. Since they were all such different backs/defensive players (Ray was a HB/SS, Matt was a FB/MLB and Sammy was a TB/DE) it’s tough to compare. Ray was so explosive and powerful, but yet so was Matt & Sammy in a different way. They also are all so different physically. Ray 5’ 8” 190, Matt 6’ 2” 250, Sammy 6’ 210…For those of you who didn’t get a chance to see Matt play, here’s a link to a video I made and we mailed to the NFL teams before the draft, since most teams hadn’t seen him do anything but block and catch the occasional pass in college (with the exception of that one Penn State game – 27 carries 123 yards). Oh, and for those who didn’t think the rest of that Edgemont team was “that talented”, check out the Joey Tarasiewicz highlight video as well, he was an amazing back in his own right…
Bernstein Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl98s9SaAVU&feature=player_embedded
Tarasiewicz Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRNwVmaV1zA
Enjoy!
Great discussion on here about Rice/Bernstein/Maldonado. I know Ray and Matt, and broadcast Maldonado games on Hastings Cable TV (WHOH-TV) when Maldonado was playing the Dobbs/Hastings teams. Here’s my take. Since they were all such different backs/defensive players (Ray was a HB/SS, Matt was a FB/MLB and Sammy was a TB/DE) it’s tough to compare. Ray was so explosive and powerful, but yet so was Matt & Sammy in a different way. They also are all so different physically. Ray 5’ 8” 190, Matt 6’ 2” 250, Sammy 6’ 210…For those of you who didn’t get a chance to see Matt play, here’s a link to a video I made and we mailed to the NFL teams before the draft, since most teams hadn’t seen him do anything but block and catch the occasional pass in college (with the exception of that one Penn State game – 27 carries 123 yards). Oh, and for those who didn’t think the rest of that Edgemont team was “that talented”, check out the Joey Tarasiewicz highlight video as well, he was an amazing back in his own right…
Bernstein Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl98s9SaAVU&feature=player_embedded
Tarasiewicz Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRNwVmaV1zA
Enjoy!
Hoops Fan
As long as we’re going down “memory lane” a little bit, after the Harry Jeff and Counts White Plains had a real good running back named Art Monk who had to settle for being the NFL’s top receiver (before Rice)and is now a member of the Hall of Fame.
Tommy Brennan is a farmer in Missouri. His brother- in -law is Rye Asst. Coach Tommy Maloney. Brennan, who was about 140 lbs. soaking wet, went on to SMU, where he was 1st team all Southwest Conference in theearly 60’s with the Mustangs. That’s when Texas and Oklahoma were playing in the SWC. His Rye classmate (1960) Carl Haviland (fullback), went on to star with another Rye player, Skip Mongon(line) at South Carolina. There’s a couple more guy’s that most of the bloggers weren’t aware of, but should be on any top 25 list.The 1959 backfield of Brennan and Haviland (with George Ferguson at QB) is one of Rye’s all time best.
PS…Brennan won the SWC honors as a defensive back. He also returned punts and kicks at SMU.
Hoops Fan, I agree with your assessment, but the discussion is based on who was the best in HS. Ideally, you want to be the best on all levels, but there is still something to be said for having an amazing HS career. In the end it is obvious that Ray Rice has done what the others aspired to do, but that still doesn’t mean Bernstein/Maldanado weren’t “better” HS backs.
Keith, thanks for the info and highlight. I tend to believe more people saw Rice/Maldanado vs. Bernstein. So this will help in his case.
Gun to head, I have to say Bernstein was the most dominant HS player during this era. He was unstoppable on both sides of the ball. His size strength and attitude was feared and everyone that played against him will tell you that. Did he play against the best competition…NO! But in my opinion, he would have had this success with the big schools. His combination of size,speed and strength was unmatched and I have yet to see it since..
10707,
Art Monk was outstanding anyone remember when port chester pulled off the upset and beat White Plains 7-0 in 73 or 74 i believe.
can we forget about the past and look into the future. all the guys you mentioned are great or were great football players but give it a rest.i come on the blogs to read about the upcoming season. not this non sense
and when is the darn super 11 picks??
Real Deal
As part of the football community I think it’s good to discuss our legacy periodically. If we don’t set the bar once in a while, how can we effectively measure all the new talent coming up this year and years to come?
Shouldn’t spend all season on it but it’s still time well spent.
10707
your right. but atleast somebody has to talk about something new.
Keith Fagan
I would be interested in what your assessment would be looking at the Iona Prep 2008/2009 team against the New Rochelle 2003/2004. A few of us had some discussions on this topic and since you have seen both teams up close your opinion would be interesting.
I have stated that bothteams would probably put up a lot of points. I know it would have been a difficult task stopping Ray Rice- Would you have been confident stopping Tyrae and Mack even with the excellent personnel New Rochelle had that year.
Hoops Fan Re Skeeter Dorsett of PC:
We had a big Westchester contingent at the University of Maryland in the mid/late 1960’s including:
Billy Bach – Mamaroneck – football
Skeeter Dorsett – Port Chester – football
Steve Feeney – Rye – basketball
Ralph Friedgen – Harrison – football (now MD Head Coach)
Butch Remmel – Sleepy Hollow – football (via USMA)
Billy VanHuesen – Mamaroneck – football (NFL Denver Broncos)
Think the Westchester-Maryland football railroad was helped at all by the brothers Nugent? Tom was Maryland’s head football coach, and John moved from the head coaching position at Mamaroneck to the same spot at Rye where he had a Westchester Sports Hall of Fame career.
Ok guys since the running backs discussion has seemed to die out a bit and
we’ve had one or two complaints that the discussion has dragged on way to long ( I could talk about it forever though) Here’s my next topic I am interested in discussing with you guys.
What team has had the most success throughout THIS DECADE. This Decade being 1998-2008 seasons.
LetsGoNEWRO
My apologies for continuing the running back discussion but such an exchange would not be complete without including the late Lester Gordon, New Rochelle,’74,’75.
There wasn’t a coach in the area that wanted to face him.
He absolutely dominated for his last two years.
He found himself as back up to Archie Griffith (two time Heisman) at Ohio State. I honestly feel had he gone anywhere else a lot of things might have been different. He was amazing.
10707,
oh please dont apologize. I love this discussion
By all means keep it coming.
IonaPower
Think Rye’s 2005 State champion team belongs and could have beaten ALL teams in Section except maybe NewRo
Garnet10580
And then Jimmy Santa, 71-75
Never knew that coach J Nugent had a brother who was the head coach at Maryland.
I have been around the HS football circuit for many years in area & have seen some unbelievable players.
Watching Owens [ NR] Rice [ NR]Cummings [Iona] Ogbogu’s [Stepinac], Sammy [ Harrison], Bernstein [ Edgemont], Dimmie [ Sleepy] Mack [ Iona] Tyrae [Iona], Easterling [ Stepinac]. Some of the best Running backs this area has seen in HS years were the Summers brothers at WP HS. Each one was different & more gifted then the next. Michael [ youngest] was unbelievable athlete on Off & def. He played QB but would have been best back in section had he played HB. Quincy was good enough to play on Sundays. Probably the number defensive back I have ever seen [ my apologize to Courtney Green who was pretty dam good himself].
Snapper was a bigger more punishing runner . All had difficulties in College but in HS they were as good as anyone I have seen in area. They also played AA football each week & back then the AA division did not have the same patsies on schedule. All schools WP, New Ro, Yonkers schools & Mount Vernon was a war each week. Bernstein & Sammy were men amongst boys. No matter what division they would have played in they would have torn it up & continued to do so at a higher level. Owens made it to NFL which speaks for itself & played RB on Sundays[ which might qualify him as the best] Ogbogu was a physical specimen who carried the ball 30 times a game. He was not really a running back, but ended up with a 7 year career in NFL . Dimmie was a great player & had a great career at Hofstra.[ which is a great accomplishment] His size definetly held him back. not his ability or his heart. Cummings was also an unbelievable player who went to Maryland & started there. I don’t know why his name is not mentioned in this blog enough when talking about great players. His brother went on to Delaware & had a great career also by the way.
We will see where Mack & Tyrae & Easterling end up. Each one of them where one of the best players in area or maybe the state last year. Good luck to all of them in there 2009 upcoming football seasons.
Add to the list of greats,Art Monk & Jay Saldi….....
10707 all of this is interesting and informative, don’t apologize for anything. A lot of bloggers continue to chime in and enjoy the discussion.
Lets Go, when talking teams I would have to think the house hold names are involved. Rye, New Ro, Harrison,etc. Individual teams are always interesting as well. I personally feel New Ro’s 2003/2004 team/teams were the best. But a few Rye teams, Harrison, Iona Prep last year, will contest this.
Saldi & Art Monk , Howard Tribble , Sam Bowers [ jersey Generals]were all before my time. Bob Hyland & Paul Chochette should also never not be on the list
How bout the Nyack squads of the early 2000’s
I only saw a few games back then
but Im pretty certain that they made it to the carrier dome a few years in a row
correct me if Im wrong.
and I agree with you football giant,
all this has been very informative and interesting, not to mention fun ! I’m having a blast.
Ionapower,
i really don’t think it would be close with iona vs those new rochelle teams. I am sure you watched scrimmages last summer, and the 2008 new rochelle team more than held their own against iona, and that team wasn’t anywhere near close to 03 or 04.
Iona Power,
I got to New Rochelle in 2006, but have seen the 2003/04 teams on film plenty. And of course, have coached against the last two Iona teams in Spring/Summer Camp.
Here’s my take, and I believe I am not being biased, take it for what it’s worth!
The two coaching staff’s in my opinion are about as even as they come. We at New Rochelle have tremendous respect for the Iona staff, and how they go about their business. In a game situation, I don’t think either team would out-prepare the other, or out coach the other, so it comes down to the talent on the field.
The 2003 New Rochelle team could possibly be the most talented team in NY State football history, depending on how you measure such things. They had 3 players to go on and sign NFL contracts, 5 future 1A players on it, 1 major AA player and another that was offered by several 1A schools. With all due respect to Iona, they just can’t match-up with that talent. Here’s the New Rochelle breakdown for those that don’t know:
5 Division 1A Players:
1) Ray Rice – Rutgers (NFL – Ravens)
2) Courtney Greene – Rutgers (NFL – Seahawks)
3) Andre Douglass – Temple (NFL – Buccaneers cut)
4) Fred Campbell – Stanford
5) Glen Lee – Rutgers
1 Major Division 1AA Player
1) Mychal Savage – Youngstown State (Pre-season All-American in 2008 before season ending injury, will be back for red-shirt senior season in 2009 and projected to be possible NFL draft pick)
1 Player offered Division 1A scholarship in both football and basketball
1) Geoff McDermott – Providence (will most likely play professional basketball, either overseas, or in a developmental league in the US with an toward getting a shot in the NBA) Had duel FB & BB offers from Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Rutgers.
I’ve always maintained the 2003 team was better than the 2004 team, even though Ray, Glen, Geoff, & Fred were all a year older in 2004, they weren’t that much better to overcome the loss of Courtney, Andre and Mychal. I think it’s obvious that the 2003 team beats the 2004 CBA team, even if Ray gets hurt. On a side note, Coach Joe Cassamento from CBA told me this summer that he believes if Ray doesn’t get hurt, there is no way CBA wins that game. Very classy in my opinion for him to tell me that.
Iona Power,
I got to New Rochelle in 2006, but have seen the 2003/04 teams on film plenty. And of course, have coached against the last two Iona teams in Spring/Summer Camp.
Here’s my take, and I believe I am not being biased, take it for what it’s worth!
The two coaching staff’s in my opinion are about as even as they come. We at New Rochelle have tremendous respect for the Iona staff, and how they go about their business. In a game situation, I don’t think either team would out-prepare the other, or out coach the other, so it comes down to the talent on the field.
The 2003 New Rochelle team could possibly be the most talented team in NY State football history, depending on how you measure such things. They had 3 players to go on and sign NFL contracts, 5 future 1A players on it, 1 major AA player and another that was offered by several 1A schools. With all due respect to Iona, they just can’t match-up with that talent. Here’s the New Rochelle breakdown for those that don’t know:
5 Division 1A Players:
1) Ray Rice – Rutgers (NFL – Ravens)
2) Courtney Greene – Rutgers (NFL – Seahawks)
3) Andre Douglass – Temple (NFL – Buccaneers cut)
4) Fred Campbell – Stanford
5) Glen Lee – Rutgers
1 Major Division 1AA Player
1) Mychal Savage – Youngstown State (Pre-season All-American in 2008 before season ending injury, will be back for red-shirt senior season in 2009 and projected to be possible NFL draft pick)
1 Player offered Division 1A scholarship in both football and basketball
1) Geoff McDermott – Providence (will most likely play professional basketball, either overseas, or in a developmental league in the US with an toward getting a shot in the NBA) Had duel FB & BB offers from Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Rutgers.
I’ve always maintained the 2003 team was better than the 2004 team, even though Ray, Glen, Geoff, & Fred were all a year older in 2004, they weren’t that much better to overcome the loss of Courtney, Andre and Mychal. I think it’s obvious that the 2003 team beats the 2004 CBA team, even if Ray gets hurt. On a side note, Coach Joe Cassamento from CBA told me this summer that he believes if Ray doesn’t get hurt, there is no way CBA wins that game. Very classy in my opinion for him to tell me that.
Tyrae Woodson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxczDiZTORs
Morris Hilton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sYASFB_QPo
You have to consider including the Nyack teams from 1998, 2000, 2003 in the list of best teams of the decade.
Nyack was at the dome in 2000 (champs); 2002 (lost to Aquinas); 2003 (champs). The 2001 team lost to Greeley 7-6 in the section championship. Only extra point the kicker missed in the entire season. Greeley lost to Aquinas at the Dome.
The 2004 team might have been more talented that 03 but missed the leadership from 03. Lost Wallkill in the regionals. Wallkill lost to Maine Endwell at the Dome.
Running backs from Rockland (old timers) should include Dave Mumme from Spring Valley, John Harvey from Spring Valley; Robert Smith from Nyack and Jim Brechbiel from North Rockland. These players were from the 60’s and early 70’s.
Keith Fagan
Your opinion and analysis is very much on the money and always appreciated. That 2003 New Rochelle team was a special group that certainly will be looked at as one of the all time best teams in the East coast region. While it is highly probable that New Rochelle would have beat the best of the CHSFL or Long island it is still a crime that we did not see a St. Anthony/New Rochelle State Federation Final.
I am sure you can appreciate why I had asked for your opinion as to how the Iona Prep 2008 team measured because that was probably one of the best teams in school history and maybe the best team in this area over the last few years. I am sure last year the New Rochelle team felt they would have beat Iona and given them their only loss which is another crime that both schools have trouble renewing the rivalry.
I wish you and your program nothing but success for the upcoming season.
Mike Longo – Junior to be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n4yIq1YRyo
10801
I think judging teams from Football Camps can sometimes be a mistake.
Last year Tyrae Woodson was using these camps to get his timing down as he was a first year starter. Iona was much different team in October and November.
I also believe New Rochelle was a much different and better team in October and November as well.
If you remember it was all the Harrison supporters after the Champions camp proclaiming how well they did against both New Rochelle and Iona. As it turned out it resulted in a disappointing season for the Huskies.
Kieth Fagan
With all do respect- you should know better then to factor in a injury during a game for a reason to lose or win. Ray was hurt while being hit. He was healthy when the game started. Ray knows that is part of the game.
But that 2003 New Ro team was one of the greatest teams I have seen. Maybe the greatest.
The top teams in this 1998-2008 period are New Ro, Rye, Dobbs, NYack and Harrison. New Ro has had some great teams and are truly the best team in section 1, year in and year out. Rye made the jump from being good in the early 2000’s to extraordinary in recent years, they are going to beat ossining by 2+ TD’s in week one. Dobbs Ferry is the most dominant over this span, they just killed everyone. Nyack produced tough teams this entire decade, some very talented players coming through. Harrisons span of teams from 1998-2006 were amazing, though theyve trailed off a bit these past 2 seasons, its enough to recognize them on this list.
Sorry I meant 2004 New Ro team. And When Ray went down they still had others Johnson, Richards, Cambell and McDermont.? And the WR , I forgot his name,
Coach Darlos,
The wide receiver I think you are referring to is Greg Davis – great hands and very fast.
Westchester Greats,
You really know your stuff. I completely agree with your assessment of the Summers brothers. I think Mike might’ve been the best of the three – he was a totally dominant player. He played QB for an outstanding WP team that already had a couple good RBs. Had Summers focused on RB, I think he could’ve been considered one of the all-time westchester greats at RB. I think Quincy played some college ball at Maine. I think Mike played some LB at New Haven. Not sure about the oldest Summers.
I think one or two of those White Plains teams from the mid-70’s had THREE future NFL players on the same team. Monk, Sam Bowers and Tom DePaso (LB, Penn State). Truly amazing when you think of it. Saldi was a couple years ahead. Without the state playoff format back then its hard to compare those teams to the more recent New Rochelle teams, but it terms of top level talent clearly they were in the same category.
10707,
You’re absolutely right about Lester Gordon. I almost forgot about him. Another great back from around those years was Joe Holland who played at Roosevelt, then Michigan for a year and two and ended up having a record breaking couple seasons at Cornell.
Jim, Garnet10580 and other Rye fans,
You guys certainly know your stuff and seem to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Rye football. Rye certainly has produced some great players over the years who went on to big-time colleges Brennan, Santa, Gundy, Bockeloh, Reibling, Haviland, Mongon, etc.
Two questions for anyone who can answer:
1. What ever happened to Howard Tribble?
2. I remember there were severals stars at New Rochelle between Counts and Gordon but I’m drawing a blank on most of the names. Anyone remember any?
coach darlos,
losing ray on offense was not the big deal. When he came out it created a big whole as to who would fill in for him on defense which lead to numerous mistakes and let cba back in the game. Normally i would agree not to use an injury as an excuse, but everyone in the state knows that if ray didn’t get hurt new rochelle 2004 wins
Candy painted
How can you not include the 2008 Iona Prep team.
How is 13-0 and winning the CHSFL AAA championship not one of the best teams.
Iona 2008 was ranked in ESPN Rise and MSG.
Keith Fagan-
The 2003 New Rochelle team was great and as you stated was stacked with Division 1 prospects which you felt made for a big talent gap as compared to the Iona team from last year.
A couple of points to keep in mind was the fact that Iona beat a Xaverian team in the playoffs that had the following D1 players. QB Najee Taylor (Purdue), DL Oday Oboushi (Virginia) WR Gerald Mistretta (Holy Cross) and DB Mario Tull (Committed to Syracuse)
Also the possibility exists that this year you may see Jeff Mack, Greg Gadson, George Apostopoulas, Tyrae Woodson and Michael Dunkly all play either Division 1 or 1a football.
there is no way in gods good name that rye will beat ossining by 2 td’s some people on this blog just doesnt think before they write. and does anbody kno who the QB gunna be since justin kreamer is leaving?????
Just watch when Rye beats Ossining, anybody whos watched football in these parts recently knows rye will win.
Thats because, A- Rye is still riding the high horse from last season (State Champs). What team has lost after winning a World Series or Super Bowl?! B- Dino Garr gets all the calls. Dino is on the board for the umpire or Zebras. Dino Garr is the guy in contol of there association. Thats a fact!
Where is sir aaron playing? hes a beast
Q
Q
Sir Aaron I heard is playing Juco. He is a beast. Great football player
whats your class B predictions
Coach Darlos
How is your Razorback program looking and where are some of your better players going to High School.
WOW,over 300 hits on this blog KEVIN HAS A GOOD THING GOING, BUT IF YOU ELIMINATE IONA POWER AND WING T. IT WOULD REDUCE IT TO UNDER 100 I WONDER IF THEY ARE FAST TALKERS ALSO
hey kev, can you stsrt 2 seperate blogs, one blog for all the iona guys and one dedicated to rye- harrison PLEAASE~!
thetruth
It is too bad that you don’t like the Iona guys- I know this is over your head but if you actually read the entries most of the talk was centered on non Iona topics.
Now you can go back to being a hater like you were all of last year after Iona took home a championship.
Big Joe
I know you have that Cornell education but your math rounding is a little off- I think myself and Wing T would have reduced the entries by around 25.
Where oh where is Chiefy Wild eagle?
Big Joe,
You have either had too many sausage and pepper sandwiches or not enough.
Not a fast talker, but way better than you at math and I did not go to Cornell.
Has 10960 ever crossed the bridge? Bill Tribo beat out Sam Bowers for the MVP lineman in WESTCHESTER.Tom Depaso went to PENN State and played for the BENGALS.Monk you all know about.Rich Rooks SR.Was a great WP lineman.
I forgot about Joe Holland out of Roosevelt. He was an outstanding RB & student. Maybe went a bit to high with his pick of Michigan but ended up in Ivy & tore it up.
Howard Tribble is now a well respected police officer in White Plains. Duffy Rooks was an outstanding lineman out of WP- he ended up at Syracuse & NY Giants[ his Dad was a great player also. QB from Lincoln [Greene ] was also a great back. He went on to play QB at Clemson. He was scary good. He also could be one of the best that no one talks about
Iona power
Just a comment – not a hater at all…actually do not care about them either way win or lose
There are a lot of other teams out there to discuss… thats all…..
Relax there fella
you guys are right ossining will lose. but if they meet rye in the finals its gunna be a real head turner
westchester greats,
If memory serves me (it rarely does these days) Holland confronted the Michigan staff and said he felt he was a better running back than the starter they were using.
They didn’t disagree but explained that the alumni want to see a kid from Michigan back there and not a kid from New York. Go Big Red!!
I know it’s a long time ago and maybe those things aren’t the case any more but I was always a little “gun shy” about encouraging kids to go too far from the Northeast. Alumni can be strange and influential creatures.
thetruth
What teams would you prefer to talk about- Now tell me the truth LOl
Iona power
TOUCHE!
There is tons of good hs football out there…. anyone not just the prep, harrison and rye.
Its all good. “power” to the people
as long as iona can provide scholarships, the better razorback kids will go to iona….coach darlos is iona’s biggest promoter / recruiter – there is no secret there.
What are the scrimmage schedules for the rest of the summer?
Can we get a listing in one post?
Keith are you going to update your website with the information?
Thanks everyone.
Maybe we could email the scrimmages to Kevin and he could post them for us.
westchester greats,
I had heard Howard Tribble was a police officer in White Plains – did Tribble play any football in college? Rooks was dominant at White Plains. You are completely right about Nealon Greene being one of the best QBs to come out of Westchester. He also had a great WR to throw to in Norm Hutchins (MLB draft pick). Greene brings up an interesting question about QBs from Westchester. We’ve had a great talk about the best RBs from Westchester and we came up with dozens of guys who played big-time college football at that position. Besides Nealon Greene of Lincoln/Clemson and Brian Cummings of Iona Prep/Maryland (both in the classes of ‘93 or ‘94) I can’t think of a major college QB from this area in ages. There was a kid from Rockland, Ed Ruppert (sic?) who had a great career at Louisville in the mid-80’s – I never saw him play in HS or college, but I heard he was great. Before Ruppert I can think of Chuck Piebes from Westlake in the early 70’s who played QB/DB at Purdue. I think Tommy Lee from Stepinac went to Notre Dame in the late 60’s, but I’m not sure how much he played there. There have been a bunch of I-AA QBs from around here, the Rye guys mentioned Bill Gundy at Dartmouth and Steve Reibling at Richmond, Loucks from White Plains was a star at Yale way back in the 50’s, Howie Burke from Iona started at Holy Cross in the early 70’s, Burke St John from Greeley started at Harvard in the 70’s I think, I’m drawing a blank on his name but another Iona QB recently started at Holy Cross also. Who are some of the QBs I’m forgetting? Jeff Becker from North Rockland was obviously an excellent QB, but he played baseball in college instead.
As a Stepinac fan, looking back on it we sure started to play White Plains in the great Turkey Bowl matchups at the wrong time with Saldi, DePaso, Monk, Bowers etc all playing in those first few matchups. I don’t know why White Plains and Stepinac didn’t play eachother until the early 70’s. I always thought it was strange that Stepinac played New Rochelle every year back in the 50’s and 60’s, but not their crosstown rivalry. It would be interesting to hear why that was the case. Too bad there would’ve been some great games.
TJ,
Tribou was an excellent player for DeMatteo and a heckuva coach at Greeley. I didn’t realize he beat out Bowers for Lineman of the Year.
IonaPower,
All this talk about great players from the past and we haven’t had much input from the Iona Prep fans. You guys have certainly had your share of outstanding players. Howie Burke was certainly at or near the top with Brian Cummings in a long line of QB’s. There was also a LB who I think played at Clemson and in the NFL for awhile during the 70’s – the guy’s name is alluding me. Craig Cummings was mentioned as an excellent RB at Delaware and his backfield mate, Menick, was also excellent at Harvard I think. Any other Iona Prep guys we should mention?
Iona Prep had a linebacker named Dick “Duck” Ambrose in the early 70’s. He went to Viginia (or West Virginia) and then to the Cleveland Browns, a real tough player. He’s now a criminal court judge in Ohio. Also Tony Giannelli “Tony G” who was a GREAT running back at Iona mid 70’s, went to Villanova and may be a teacher in Mt. Vernon today.
Tomaso,
You’re absolutely right. Ambrose is the gentleman I was thinking about. Giannelli was also a great RB – also a good basketball player
Ruppert the QB that was mentioned by Hoops fan played in the NFL during the strike season for the Redskins and if I’m not mistaken received a Super Bowl Ring with the team that year. He is currently an assistant for Joe Casarella at NR.
QUICK REMINDER TO FANS:
The champion football camp at New Rochelle High School is the week of August 3-7 from 4-8 p.m.. Some teams that will be there are with question marks are:
New Rochelle- how strong will they be this year in AA?
Harrison- Can they find some consistency on both sides of the ball this season and do they have an identity?
Eastchester- Can they finally overtake the top teams in Class A after being very good the past 2 seasons? and can they fill the positions played by graduated seniors (Qb,G,T,DE)?
Tuckahoe- Can they be the power house again in Class D? and can they compete with teams in higher classes?
Tommy Lee played at Idaho State not Notre Dame.
Husky 92….Drove by Dino’s house tonight…all the zebra’s were there wearing their stripped shirts having the summer cook out…steak, clams, corn,beer and some sour grapes. Dino wasn’t cooking…tell “Big Joe” that I caught him red handed making out the fall sked with the BOCES crew. You and your dad have this whole Rye success story figured out…get on and gain control of the referee association and then manipulate the BOCES computer and staff. Are you getting this info from Harrison Police Chief Dave Hall? Please get Kevin or maybe even Mike Lupica to report this as a front page major news flash…could be a movie deal for you and Big Joe and a pulitzer for Kevin or Mike. Thanks again for letting us all know about Dino’s covert domination of these two groups.
Tommy Lee went to Notre Dame, He did not like it & left . He went on to a very good career at Idaho State & was in the NY Jet camp. He got injured at Jet camp & did not make the team.
Tony G was a monster. I was at the Stepinac – Iona game at Memorial field. & Tony G was unstopable. Stepinac had a couple of great players at that time. Marcy McKenna- played at Texas ElPaso & McGratten. [ Mcgratten got into a car accident & lost all of his scholarships because he could no longer play]. Died a few years later as a passenger in a car crash. He was a great RB also that is forgotten in these discussions.
westchester greats,
You really know your stuff. Where was McGratten headed before the accident?
TO IONA POWER AND WINGED T ,personally , I do not understand why IONA, is included in this blog, the LOHUD and the public school system consist of the general public ,NOT A PRIVATE SCHOOL ENTITY where kids are sent to be away from the general public atmosphere, you should have your own blog ,thrashing all your private schools and prejudices WHAT DOES ONE PAY IONA FOR AN EDUCATION ONE YEAR OR ALL FOUR YEARS????put this in your pipe and smoke it——THIS IS THE FACT JACK, BIG JOE
Info:
Actually , Most of the kids that I have introduced to Iona Prep live and and Play for Bronx youth football teams. There are no scholarships at Iona Prep and you have to have proper grades. 85+ averages, so I commend those STUDENT-athletes that understand the importance of the Books. STUDENT first.
Ionapower
The Razorbacks are looking to rebuild this year after a couple of down years. The kids have to do better in school no matter what High School they attend. Some kids that played for the Razorbacks are attending Mount Vernon ,Mount St. Michael, Stepinac, New Rochelle, White Plains, Woodlands, Rye Country Day, Truman, Evander, and JFK,Monroe Woodbury, Roosevelt, Gorton and more(truly)
45% of the Kids that play for the Razorback live in other towns besides Mount Vernon. Some people dont understand the Razorback provide a very good program for kids to improve on the playing field.,The Parents have to make sure their kids perform in the class room. Parent bring there kids all the way from Monroe Woodbury to play for us. We do have some good kids this year who all of Westchester will here from soon. I can go to any game in Westchester and I know or Trained kids on thoses teams.
Thats is what I enjoy. Seeing those kids faces when they know I there to support there efferts.
Good Luck to all the Schools I mentioned. I am a Big Football Fan and will enjoy watching youll play.
westchester greats I came across a team photo of an early ‘90’s Eastchester Blue Devil squad, coached by Jim Bell. In the same backfield was Brian Cummings and Nealon Greene. How’s that for loaded.
Tomaso Ambrose went to Virginia and Giannelli went to Bucknell.
Hoops Fan The other Holy Cross QB from Iona was John O’Neill, Ryan’s older brother.
Chris Menick did attend Harvard and held the single season scoring record until recently.
Big Joe I don’t know what to say. I didn’t realize that private schools were actually leper colonies that pay taxes. So much for “pro choice”.
Big Joe-
That has to be one of the most dumbest statements that I have ever heard anyone say on this blog. According to you Iona Prep is not part of the general public so they should not be covered by LOHUD. According to you the CHSFL is not part of the general public. We should then inform all the college recruiters to no longer recruit anyone from the CHSFL. So I guess I should call MSG and tell them not to televise the Bergen Catholic – Iona game. Now I understand why the people of Rye do not take you seriously.
Here is something that you can put in your pipe and smoke- Iona has a starting guard and linebacker from Harrison starting this year and their QB of the future Tim Perley who I am sure the Harrison football coaches know is also from Harrison. Now I can see why some kids in recent years have chosen to attend Iona from Harrison. You should maybe worry about whether Harrison will ever beat Rye by the end of this decade.
Harrison’s season depends on strong running backs.Unless they come up with a new scheme,that’s what’s needed to put points up on the board…...
FROM MY KNOWLEDGE, THE KIDS THAT GO TO THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ARE THERE TO GET A RELIGIOUS ATMOSPHERE EDUCATION AND TO BE AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHICH THE PARENTS FEEL IS NOT AS GOOD IT IS THEIR RIGHT AND CHOICE, I DONT CONDEMN THEM BUT THEY SHOULD THAN STAY IN THAT ATMOSPHERE AND NOT OURS AND ON THEIR OWN BLOG,
Coach Darlos
You are doing a great job helping kids improve their life.
I am glad that you cleared up the misinformation about where some of these kids attend High School.
Keep up the good work.
Big Joe-
Why don’t you start your own blog in one of the Harrison neighborhood papers. The funny thing is that Iona Prep has one of the most diversified teams in the area with kids coming from various different backgrounds. So I think someone from Harrison of all places should not be talking about the “General Public”.
I think Big Joe has been hitting Chiefy Wild Eagles peace pipe again.
Big Joe,
Take a deep breath and go to a Harrison football practice so you can get back on track. Spend some time talking with Coach Triolo about possible new offenses they are thinking about. Do something to get yourself off the Iona/private school negativity.
Just so you know, I am a Nyack fan and not an Iona fan. Although it sounds like they will have a great team this year and maybe all of us should be rooting for them to beat Bergen Catholic.
Come back to us please. I will treat you to a wedge at an Ossining game if that is what it takes.
big joe -u need some medical attention
IONA POWER, WHAT IS THE YEARLY TUITION TO ATTEND IONA?? CAN ANY OF THOSE MIDDLE CLASS OR LOWER FAMILIES WHOSE CHILDREN MUST ATTEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AFFORD THAT , THEY HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY TAXES AND PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE , AND MOST CANT AFFORD THAT ADDITIONAL EXPENSE, GOING TO SUCH A SCHOOL PUT YOU INTO A DIFFERENT CATEGORY , A SCHOOL FOR THE PRIVILEGE, THIS COULD BE MY IVY LEAGUE LIBERAL OPINION BUT IT PROBABLE IS THE SAME AS OUR PRESIDENTS , WHICH I AM SURE MOST OF YOUR PARENTS DID NOT VOTE FOR
BIG JOE
I guess when I am driving down Polly Park Road or Kenilworth Drive or through the enclave of houses at the Westchester Country Club I will look at Harrison High School as a school of priviledge.
I think most people on this blog would like to talk football so I am done responding on this topic.
Big Joe,
you used the word “prejudices”...have you read your own comments??? You couldn’t sound more IGNORANT or PREJUDICED. If in fact you are a Cornell grad (I find that incredibly hard to believe) you could possibly be the worst representation of an Ivy league education that I’ve ever met. You’re embarrassing fellow Cornell grads and everyone from Harrison. If you don’t know anything about Iona, Stepinac, Mount, etc, just kept your mouth shut about it. Don’t go off making these crazed statements. This is a football blog, so obviously any football team in Westchester/Rockland or a team with players from these areas is of interest to the readers. If you are so close minded go read Mein Kampf or something. You claim to have a “liberal” view…buddy, most “liberals” identify themselves as open-minded, not as close-minded and xenophobic as you clearly are.
O.K. YOU GUYS WIN ,I WILL KEEP MY OPINIONS TO MYSELF, THIS BLOG SHOULD BE ABOUT FOOT BALL AND NOT RELIGIOUS NOR POLITICAL, HOWEVER I STILL BELIEVE THAT IONA , STEPENAC, MOUNT ST. MICHAEL ETC.ETC. SHOULD BE BLOGING ON THEIR OWN BLOG AND FIELD, I AM STRICKLY A PUBLIC SCHOOL FOOTBALL ADVOCATE TRAVELING TO NUMEROUS PUBLIC SCHOOL GAMES PLUS TO KINGSTON AND TO SYRACUSE WHERE NOTABLY IONA HAS NEVER BEEN
i agree the big joe. you have to a good player to play for iona. what about the regular joe smoe . where can he play?
BIG JOE
On Saturday Novemeber 22, 2008 I was at Hofstra watching Iona Prep beat St. Anthony for the CHSFL AAA Championship on their way to top 10 east coast ratings by ESPN and MSG. That is something you can only wish for Big Joe.
I think you were home eating pasta and meatballs thinking about the pounding Harrison took once again from Rye.
Are you the guy that wears the white Harrison football tee shirt with the Maroon sweatpants that are pulled above your belly button?? LOL LOL My sources tell me that might have been you spotted under the scoreboard area at Eastchester. LOL
Whats wrong with wearing pants above the belly button? I wear mine up to my chest. Better fit.
answer one question and than i quit, what is the tuition for each year at iona
Big Joe
On behalf of all of us from the “private” sector. Thank you for being an advocate of only public football.
I do have one more comment that expresses my love for high school section one football, EACH TEAM REPRESENTS A TOWN , VILLAGE OR CITY, it brings community values together , when HARRISON plays they get a police escort,... its community vs community, iona plays schools from tim-buck t0- places i never heard of or care about , you mention ST. ANTHONY and BERGIN CATHOLIC all of which , i could care less about but beating OSSINING, RYE EASTCHESTER , and with town rivalry …. THAT IS WHAT EXCITES ME SORRY BUDDY BUT THOSE ARE MY FEELINGS WHETHER YOU LIKE THEM OR NOT——-THE BIGGEST JOE EVER
I’m gonna miss the Harrison/Iona scrimmage at Champions Camp.By far the most intense match up.Contrary to popular opinion,there are middle class people who reside in Harrison.I should know,I’m one of them.Also,Big Joe is beautiful.You can sit in the stands with me anytime….
Ok fellas come on now
for heavens sake
Instead of talking about catholic school tuition, whose middle class, whose rich, whose poor
can we get back to the subject that we all love to talk about and that we came on this blog to talk about.
and thats football!
Please and thank you
Big Joe
Of course you can care less about Bergen Catholic or St. Anthony because you are what I term a simpleton. Maybe one day you will see Artie bring his vaunted triple option out to the Meadowlands to face a Bergen Catholic to represent New York.
By the way why don’t you tell me what the property taxes are in Harrison on Kenilworth Road or Polly Park Drive etc.
I am sure the family that attends Iona who resides in Yonkers or Mt. Vernon will be paying less in tuition and taxes than someone residing in the EXCLUSIVE town of Harrison.
Big Joe you might do yourself some good to watch football outside of North Street because you may learn something outside of the tripe option.
Football’s a blue collar sport…It doesnt matter your external luxuries.
No predictions yet but Nyacks looking good. Nyack is looking especially strong with depth at the fullback position. Just an update.
little Joe,
You couldn’t sounds more foolish. Fortunately, I think every school around here has their own sense of community and spirit. You’ve never been to White Plains (Stepinac) or New Rochelle (Iona) so therefore in your eyes they don’t have similar community atmospheres to the ONE you know in Harrison???
You make Iona sound like a bunch of rich kids paying tuition yet you live in Harrison??? I would bet every dollar in my pocket that Iona Prep has more diversity of all kinds including economic than Harrison. You say Iona and Stepinac play teams from “tim-buck t0”??? Yes, these places are called the five boroughs of New York City and Long Island, maybe you’ve heard of them.
You sound so small-minded I feel bad for you. I’ve always appreciated the great Harrison/Rye rivalry, now you’ve given me a good reason to hope Harrison continues their losing streak for another decade.
I agree with LetsGoNewRo…
Football anyone?
Kevin please give us another blog entry other than the videos.
Thanks,
I like Big Joe. Husky 92 aka “Son of Big Joe” is a good guy too. Being from Rye, I have learned over the last couple of years to pick my spots with Big Joe and let lot’s of the stuff he says roll off my back. You Iona guys are getting way too confrontational with him. There are lots of “Big Joe’s” in Harrison, Rye and all the other small towns where the townies follow the local HS team closely. I have met Big Joe in person and he is a gentleman. Why fire back with such venom whenever he puts his foot in his mouth like a sausage and pepper wedge? I enjoy reading your comments Big Joe….keep writing down what you are thinking…..it’s always fun reading your words. Fondly, Dino
we need some football. how about a article picking top plays of 2008?
coach darlos:
no scholarships at iona…hahaha – eonough of your bullshit!
Man the old timers are getting very hostile! Big Joe is interesting and a true fan. Yes, he says some of the most outrageous things on here, but give him a break. He is 70+ years old and the fact that he even knows how to use a computer is impressive.
Back to football!!!
Jim
First of all Hoops fan is not a Iona guy- Secondly I guess it is ok when one of the towns folks make stupid comments about a program you do not support.
After reading some of his comments any CHSFL supporter will fire back just like I did today.
Just like you get annoyed when people disrespect Rye I get annoyed at any outlandish and foolish comments directed at Iona.
Back to Football
Why can’t all the football associations in New York allow the enire State to compete for a State Championship
The following championships were awarded last year
Long Island Championship
PSAL Championship
CHSFL Champioship
New York State Championship
Buffalo Catholic Championship
Most football fans would agree that a lot of the dynamics would change if you included the entire state.
Iona Power you are out of line with Big Joe. It almost sounds like you have something against Italians based on your comments. So Big Joe likes pasta and wife beaters, good for him.
With that said I think most agree with you that this Blog is for everyone especially since an Iona Prep guy started this blog. If you want to attack Big Joe about privledge up bringing you can start with the fact most people settled in Harrison moved their to avoid the other surrounding cities. I think anyone from that area equates Harrison and Rye(more Rye of course) with privledge upbringing.
To Big Joe’s point it is kind of curious if Iona does not give out scholarships how some of the kids from Mt. Vernon would be able to afford such a school(assuming their parents are not well off). I know I could not.
Iona Power
Everyone on this blog knows Big Joe. You are proving nothing by going back and forth with him. In making your “fire back” comments to him you had terrible things to say about him, the community he lives in and the school he loves. Your comments about him and Cornell University were horrible. Iona Prep and the CHSAA does not need someone so disrespectful to their elders to defend them. There was a time not so long ago when Iona Prep and Stepinac had almost 100% Catholic enrollment. Is Big Joe wrong when he makes a point that a very high percentage of athletes, especially in football and basketball, are now non-Catholic? What is the non-athlete percentage of non-Catholics compared to the athletes? He asked you 4-5 times for a number regarding tuition cost. You never gave it to him. You basically just called him “stupid”. Even Big Joe might call himself that sometimes, but you are a bore that talks about one subject, but the difference between you and him is you are the one too “stupid” to realize it.
Jim
You call me disrespectful after your rant against Stepinac in which you degraded their program. Someone who makes outlandish comments about a CHSFL school not being part of the general community does not deserve any respect. Myself and Hoops fan were in the right to defend the schools we support. As far as you questioning my intelligence that of course is your right even though I can care less what you think about me.
you guys are supposed to be grown men. you sound like a bunch of 2nd graders. grow up and settle your diiferences
Relax with the E-rage everyone….
I WANT TO THANK ALL OF MY SUPPORTERS WHO SEEM TO COME ON TO THE BLOG AFTER WORKING HOURS WHICH MEANS TO ME THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE WORKING PEOPLE, I AM RETIRED AND DO NOT WORK ANY MORE AND TO HAVE IONA POWER ATTACK ME ALL AFTERNOON MEANS THAT HE IS EITHER UN-EMPLOYED, A STUDENT ON SUMMER VACATION FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OR JUST SITTING IN RE-HAB ON THE HOSPITAL COMPUTER, MY GUESS IS THE LATTER HA HA HA
Big Joe, your stock just went up in my book. That was very funny. Iona Power was out of line. But in Iona Power’s defense when he is talking football, he does do a good job. Hopefully we can move back to football.
whose your picks on ossining vs rye?
BIG JOE
I want to personally apologize for some of the comments I directed toward you. While I still do not agree with your viewpoint on Iona Prep and the school community you are entitled to express your beliefs.
As much as it may surprise you both myself and my wife both work so fortunately we are both employed. I am a currency trader on Wall Street which may be a shock to some people.
Who knows we may bump into each other at Pizza 2000 or Dunken Donuts on Halstead Avenue.
Well in terms of FOOTBALL? who is the top team in A? sooo many options and depth?
is it Rye with its depth and balance and strength in talented and experienced backs such as McCorrmack and Eck and a great coach in Dino Garr or are they just used to beating up on lil boys and will suffer in week to week struggles and will they be able to face adversity with a week 1 loss to ossining? Will it be ossining? Will their QB position be filled well by Lucky who played receiver this pasted season word is that he was better than kreamer but it only made sense that both would be on the field this past season? What about Somers? the whole team is gone except for Dienna pretty much will experienced seniors step up tullgren pfifner? what about nyack with many guys who didnt see the field last year but many weapons? wisdom-coffie, constant, thurman, the new fullback, and some other new guys? will they throw in some new schemes to overcome great loss to graduation? what about other consistent middle guy like lakeland and hen hud? and poughkeepsie who has two d1 prospects in josh ghram and the linebacker number 55 a big kid i watch him play last year a big play maker and ghram may be the fastest kid in section 1 class A next year maybe the whole section! really who is your section 1 class A final four? what 4 teams do you expect to see in the section semi finals for class A and why?
Iona Power
Good job! I wasn’t trying to be a blog sheriff….laugh along with Big Joe…he does say some far out things but means no harm. Saying that Stepinac has been a long time mediocre team is not disrespect…just opinion…they are my second favorite HS team.
Jim,
With all due respect, I find it absurd the you give Big Joe a pass for anything ignorant and small-minded he may say that is critical of Iona or Stepinac. God forbid a CHSFL fan makes a comment about Rye’s lack of competition over the past several state title runs and all hell will break loose from Rye fans. Because Big Joe is 70 he’s allowed to make ridiculous, ignorant comments?? I respect my elders enough to expect a little more of them. Big Joe is a knowledgable fan of Harrison football and I enjoy many of his comments. He should just make an effort to not say ignorant comments about schools he knows nothing of and has no interest in. If a CHSFL fan put down the competition in the Class C section 1 competition I’d advise him to do the same thing – don’t put any teams/people down and don’t comment about things you know little of or have little interest in. I really don’t understand why there is anti-CHSFL chatter from the Rye and Harrison fans of the world. Have you noticed you don’t have White Plains or New Rochelle or Mt Vernon fans making the same ridiculous comments? There must be something to that. Harrison is a great program, Rye is a great program, so is Iona Prep and Stepinac and many other local programs. Let’s try to keep the personal ignorances out of good football discussions.
Also, Ionapower was a gentleman to apologize to Big Joe. As far as I’m concerned, if someone like Big Joe makes totally outrageous comments, they should expect to be called out on them and doesn’t deserve an apology for their own nonsense.
Iona Power,
I saw your comment about consolidating the state championship systems into one.
I agree that there should be consolidation.
Not into one but two systems.
Private School State Chip and Public School State chip Systems.
I like the topic.
the second best Nyack team after 2000, was 2004. Don’t be foold be the lost to Walkill
fooled by***
to iona power and to all who think his way ….. i love you all and may god bless you , and your families now and forever …big joe…. THE END FINE
Hello Fathers-players wanted
I am looking for a few Offensive Lineman and Defensive players(LB,Lineman etc.) to play on my team. We play great schedule 12 games, then playoffs. If we win the NYC Championship we go to Florida for week. No weight limit must be entering 9th grade in September. Can play with your freshmen or JV team on Saturdays and with my team on Sundays. 646-315-0088 We play faster competition and you will get better.
Looking forward to more football talk as opposed to more “politics” of football talk.
Would be wonderful to bring all the fragmented champions into a real state playoff scenario.
It would certainly put us past Thanksgiving in Syracuse but the excitment would be worth it.
It would also focus more attention on New York high school football which,I feel, would be a huge plus for everyone.
On the reality side Sections are cutting back schedules as well as travel. This coupled with the dropping of the Empire State Games paints a pretty bleak picture for expansion of anything like this in the near future .
10707:
It will unfortunately never happen. Long Island and NYC want no part of it. They have been asked in the past to join the state tournamant and have always said no.
TO HOOP FAN, What is ignorant for me to say that the city, town and villages public school systems ,...should be the main topic on this blog , AND THAT THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE THEIR OWN BLOG, We public school advocates enjoy such a rivalry,i AM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE RIVALRY WHEN EDISON PLAYED DAVIS HIGH IN MOUNT VERNON, before the consolidated the 2 schools and i can not speak more than the HARRISON VS, RYE GAME ,when 5-10,000 residents enjoy, I SAY THIS BECAUSE , I HAVE NO FEELING OR CARE WHAT THE PRIVATE SCHOOL GAMES ARE OR DO. and i think that the majority of fans on this blog feels the same , AND TO PROVE MY POINT ..WHERE ARE THE IONA COMPETITION TEAMS TO COMMENT FOR OR AGAINST THEM on this blog I HAVE NEVER MENTION THE GREATNESS NOR THE WEAKNESS OF THOSE SCHOOLS, THEY COULD BE THE GREATEST KIDS AND TEAMS IN OUR STATE,...IASK YOU WOULDNT YOU HAVE MORE FUN BASHING STEPINAC….MT ST MICHAEL ,..BERGIN CATHOLIC AND WHO EVER ARE IN YOUR LEAGUE…. P.S. I DO TAKE OFFENSE BEING CALLED IGNORANT MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN LIFE ARE WELL KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY , STATE , COUNTRY AND AT CORNELL…MY MOST RECENT ONE IS THAT I SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR RAISING 1.4 MILLION DOLLARS TO BUILD THE NEW HARRISON FIELD
noone still hasnt answered my question
As far as consolidating the NY State Playoff system, something is in the works guys. Right now, I am helping Coach DiRienzo and we are trying to make a coordinated effort to “the powers that be” and get our 10th game back, then we are going to work on a consolidated playoff system. Coach D is working on a proposal with CBA Head Coach Joe Cassamento (the most politically powerful coach in central NY) to present to the Head of NY State Sports, Nina Van Erk for our 10th game. We have the support of both Doug Marrone and Turner Gill, and they are drafting letters supporting more games for high school football teams. After we get our season’s back to the correct length, we are going to work with PSAL Susan Wagner Head Coach Al Paturzo, CHSFL St. Anthony’s Head Coach Rich Reichert, and LI Kennedy Coach Joe Vito (the most politically powerful guys in their respective Leagues) to try and get those Associations involved in a two week Federation style “true” State Championship Game Format. That “mini tourny” would end up being played at different places around NY State, the last week in Nov/1st two weeks in Dec depending on the calendar. If it ever happens it’s definitely at least a couple years away, but we are working on it, and hopefully we can get it done.
Big Joe,
If you personally raised $1.4 million to pay for a new field you are to be commended. Thats a great accomplishment. I’m also convinced that you are a wonderful guy – even Rye fans on here say so. That doesn’t mean you can’t or didn’t make some ignorant comments on this blog. You can be a prince of a guy who makes some bone-headed statements.
To summarize your position, because you don’t have an interest in hearing about Stepinac or Iona, they shouldn’t be talked about on this blog?? Are you serious?? If you don’t want to read about Iona or Stepinac, just don’t read those posts – its very simple. There are a lot of fans in White Plains, New Rochelle and Mt Vernon who couldn’t care less about Harrison football – do you hear them saying smaller classes should have their own segregated blog? No. This is a blog about all Westchester/Rockland football, not just what happens to suit any particular fan. You sound like a Harrison fan with some sour grapes because Stepinac and Iona take a lot of the attention away from Harrison and have better teams. Harrison, Rye, New Rochelle, Stepinac and Iona are probably the 5 most talked about teams on here, try to be a little more open-minded and realize this blog isn’t made just for you and is open to anyone who has an opinion.
Talking about rivalries, everyone agrees Rye/Harrison is a great rivalry. So is White Plains/Stepinac and Iona/New Rochelle (at least when NR would/could play) – According to you, these rivalries wouldn’t be allowed to be discussed. Iona and New Rochelle have been playing eachother since the 20’s or 30’s – is this off limits for your discussion? Its true there is not and never has been a rivalry between Harrison and Iona Prep or Stepinac because they’ve never played eachother.
As an attempt to get away from this absurd Big Joe discussion of exclusion, I’d like to post a question to spur some debate. Big Joe, you may even have some great input into this. Who are the 5 greatest QB’s in Westchester/Rockland history?
I’ll throw some names out there for discussion’s sake that have been talked about before on this blog:
Dean Loucks early 50’s White Plains/Yale
Bill Gundy 50’s Rye/Dartmouth
Ed Ruppert 80’s Clarkstown South/Louisville
Nealon Greene 90’s Lincoln/Clemson
Brian Cummings 90’s Iona Prep/Maryland
Howie Burke 60’s Iona Prep/Holy Cross
John O’Neil 00’s Iona prep/Holy Cross
Burke St John 70’s Greeley/Harvard
Tom Lee 60’s Stepinac/Notre Dame/Idaho St
Geoff McDermott ‘05 New Rochelle/Providence basketball
Jeff Becker 90’s North Rockland/Duke baseball
Steve Reibling 80’s Rye/Richmond
Tom Proudian 80’s Scarsdale/Iona
Ralph Friedgen 60’s Harrison/Maryland OL
Who else am I missing that should be mentioned?
Iona Power,
I don’t think Long Island would ever go for the New York playoff system. They don’t need the exposer. The Nassau, Suffok championship game is huge. Draws tons of people. No need to screw up a good thing
Iona Power
Iona Power, a lot of our L.M.K. (middle schoolers)go from there to Catholic schools. If you are referring to Dave Ferraro’s kid chosing to go Catholic he was missed. Excellant ballplayer, well coached by his dad Big Dave and others in Harrison (especially Marino).
I think it is the Catholic School educational system more than the quality of either athletic program that the parent’s are choosing. I would love to see Catholic and Public schols play each other (all seson ong)but I don’t thing inter-league games are ever going to happen.
Tim Perley, your heir apparent for quarterback, also chose to go to Catholic School but Vin Nicita will be our heir apparent in two year’s. Tim is not in Vincent Nicita’s league.(As long as he stays healthy.) His parents decided to have him stay here and learn and play ball in Harrison.
This community is very diverse and we are not all “loaded” with money. Purchase and the Trails do not define Harrison, they are just a part of it.
Navajos
P.S. Jim, thanks for geting involved. The Big Joe stuff gets tired.
Hoops Fan…John Heyel Port Chester 1967…the best throwing QB of the 1960’s in my book….Greenwich Ct. coach Rich Albonizio, who ran like a deer, was the recipient of many a John Heyel bomb. John was also a great pitcher at PC. He went to Columbia to play baseball after receiving football offers from just about everyone including Notre Dame. John graduated with highest honors from PCHS, but didn’t last at Columbia…rumor had it that he HAD to be in Port Chester each night. At that time with the drinking age being 18 in NY and 21 in Connecticut, Port Chester was a border town that was labeled “Sin City ” by the NY Daily News. John wound up in North Carolina at Morris Harvey University, then returned to PC. He died tragicly a couple of years ago. He had both the size and talent to have accomplish anything in life in both academics and sports, but it just wasn’t in the cards for him.
Glad to hear some key people are stepping up and attempting to bring a true playoff & championship scenario together.
It’s a key piece to putting New York football where it belongs.
As far as QB’s go, I remember three guys from the ‘70’s that were outstanding. Zauckus (apologize if mispelled)from NR, Purcell and Cleary from Iona.
Hoops fan,
I’d like to make a small correction to your list.
Tom Proudian Graduated from New Rochelle in 1991
He was Coach D’s first QB
How many of you guys are going to be attending champions week
Iona Power,
you have had great opinions for year’s on this blog so keep it up. When I said this Big Joe thing get’s “tired” I should have said abusive. I know one thing through you and Big Joe can’t sit together at the UIona Prep or Harrison Huskies games.
Navajoes
Hoops Fan,
I’m not sure if you meant it this way, but I took exception to your (would/could) comment about New Rochelle/Iona. Would? We always would have played the game, if Section 1 would have allowed it (at least since I’ve been there). It’s that we can’t play the game under the current format if we make sectional play, and this year we cannot play the game no matter what.
Now, if your saying, under the current format, we do not want to play the game, I agree. That is because if we are allowed to play the game, it’s because we have not made the Sectional playoffs, and we would consider that a disappointing season at New Rochelle. So, if we are playing the Iona game, it means we’ve had a disappointing season, and we do not want that. However, under those circumstances, we would still play the game.
There has been some talk on this blog the last few years that New Rochelle has been able to play the game, but has declined. Nothing can be further from the truth, and that’s why maybe I’m a little sensitive to your implication.
DEAREST IONA POWER, I HOPE YOU HEARD THE FAT LADY SING ….I DID,.... THE GAME IS OVER, I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED IT AS I DID , ... I LOVE YA BUDDY ...BIG JOE
Coach Fagan is correct about how the New Rochelle version of the Turkey Bowl has slipped into history. At some point Stepinac will find themselves facing the same situation. It’s the price of success.
BIG JOE
I followed your instructions from yesterday about paying more attention to my job so I have been unable to pay too much attention to the blog. I need to regroup from a hard days work so I can formulate some valued comments to add to this great forum-
I will be back around 7-8 8pm. have a relaxing afternoon.
Keith Fagan,
Your comment about section one not allowing you to play Iona is why you will never see Long Island get into the state playoff picture. They value the regular season more then section one. They keep the rivalry games and beef up the regular season. They then have playoffs and end it with the long Island Championship which draws way more then Syracuse ever will.
Lets be honest here. A six week regular season is a joke. If your team has no chance of making the playoffs, the motivation for game 7 is just not there. I bet if all the coahes were polled in confednce they would opt to extened the season and make the games more exciting for the players and students. So, here is my recomendation. Extend the regular season to 8 or 9. Cut back the number of playoff teams and let the kids enjoy the seaon.
Keith Fagan,
I certainly was not trying to insinuate that New Ro is ducking Iona Prep at all. However, I don’t really understand how White Plains is able to make the Turkey Bowl work and New Ro isn’t when both are in the sectional playoffs. Couldn’t New Ro keep their open date open allowing them the extra game. What is definitely clear is the real villain here is the ridiculous bureaucracy at Section 1 and the NYPHSAA. In my opinion any team should be able to play a rivalry-type game on Thanksgiving Day. I’d actually encourage more “Turkey Bowls” to sprout up around the state. Turkey Bowls are great for the communities, schools, alumni and can be the biggest game of the year for some of the kids depending how the season shakes out. What is better than 3000-4000 people getting together on Thanksgiving morning for some great football? I hope New Rochelle can find a way to make that game happen again.
Hoops Fan
I would have to agree with you taht some of the negative bashing nad disrespect toward the CHSFL is disconcerting. The facts are that most of the knowledgeable football followers realize the strength of the CHSFL. As an Iona fan I take great pride knowing that the program I support was selected as a team worthy enough to play a program like Bergen Catholic in the Meadowlands. Hopefully the fans of section 1 will support a New York team against a New Jersey team.
10960
You made a point that their should be a separate Public and Private school championship after I was mentioning how all the associations should unite for 1 overall champ in each class. This would not happen for several reasons. Currently I believe some upstate catholic school programs do participate against the Public schools with Syracuse CBA and Aquinas as the main powers. I also think that New Rochelle beat Lasalle form Troy which is a Catholic School. Also while the PSAL is made up of Public schools from the 5 boros of NYC do not believe for one second that these programs get kids only from the area of the school. Their are no restrictions on where a student has to attend. You will see powere PSAL programs like Curtis, Port Richmond, Fort Hamilton, Canarsie, and JFK get the best kids.
Navajos, Throgs Neck
I want emphasize that I have nothing against Harrison as my main problemdealt with the remarks of Big Joe who in my mind was very disrespectful toward Iona. he discredited a team that last year received accolades from ESPN Rise and MSG. That too me is a great accomplishment for any team in the area.
You mentioned a few future QB’s at iona and Harrison. Tim Perley from what I was told was a very very good player on the Harrison modified team. He has looke dvery good backing up Tyrae Woodson. Perley should be the QB in his senior year. I have also been told that Vin Nicita is very talented. As far as who is better that I believe is still unclear. Also Iona had no shortage of QB’s in their program. Last year Justin Combs and a player form Eastchester showed a lot of promise on the Freshmen team. With Iona running the spreas and throwing the ball over 30 times per game it s an attractive place for many kids who play QB. I was also told that Iona has a very good Freshmen class enrolling. Harrison also I was told has some very good talent at the younger levels.
Jim,
You’re absolutely right about John Heyel. I thought he may have played a little football at Columbia as well. The mid-late 60’s were a good time for area QB’s. I think Howie Burke and Tommy Lee were both in the class after Heyel. All three of them were outstanding.
10707,
I remember Zaukas, Kim Purcell and Cleary – all good names. I think Purcell started for a couple years at Rhode Island. Did Zaukas or Cleary do anything after high school?
letsgoNewRo,
Sorry, I’m not sure why I was thinking Proudian went to Scarsdale or Edgemont.
One name I definitely forgot was Chuck Piebes who played QB at Westlake in the late 60’s and played QB and DB at Purdue. He famously beat Notre Dame at QB on national television which was a huge deal back then.
Hoops fan
I predict within the next 2-3 years that Stepinac and White Plains will not play anymore during Thanksgiving. I also think that you will see Iona-Stepinac play during Thanks giving. As you know the CHSFL always had Iona-Stepinac play in “non league” game to start the season. This is why both schools are not playing each other this year which is a travesty.
The donald
You are right about Long Island – They also have the attitude that they play the best football and it would be a waste of time to compete for the NYS Playoffs. I saw first hand the shock on some of the fans from Long island after Iona beat the likes of Chaminade and St. Anthony. It was hard for many people to comprehend that a Westchester team could beat a Long island team.
IonaPower,
I hope you’re wrong about Stepinac not playing White Plains anymore in the future. Thats a special rivalry that I hope is preserved. I also think its great for one of the public school teams to match up every year with the local CHSFL team. It allows interested onlookers like us to gauge the strengths of the respective leagues. Maybe Section 1 and the NYPHSAA will wake up and allow an exception to their rules allowing Thanksgiving Day rivalry games.
One thing we do agree on is the great history Iona Prep has at QB. Stepinac, White Plains, New Rochelle, Rye and others have had a pretty good string of signal callers, but I don’t think any of those schools has had the amount of top QBs Iona has.
Hoops fan
I just get the feeling that the rivalry will have some difficulties in the future. Also White Plains as you know has the capability of challenging New Rochelle because of the size and talent base of that city. I have been told that WP had some good young talent. I still think Stepinac will beat White Plains again this year.
Hoops Fan
How about Ronnie King from Nyack in the early 2000’s? Great all around QB, he could run and throw. Scholarship to Indiana, coach change and he was out.
Mike Matthews from Fox Lane was also a quality QB. I think he went to Purdue as a non scholarship player. Not sure what happened. Had a great career at FL.
Guys, please let me clarify. The way the rules were written, no team could play more than 10 games, unless involved in state play. If a section 1 team makes the sectional playoffs, that would be (in most cases) their 8th game. If they lose that game (the first round of sectional play) they have one required match-up game (9th). If they lose that game, they are finished with their requirements from section 1, and would be free to play a 10th game vs. a team of their choice (in New Rochelle’s case – Iona Prep). If they won the 9th game, Section 1 would match them up for a 10th game. If a team does not make the sectional playoffs, they play an 8th and 9th match-up game, and are free to pursue a 10th game.
So, what does all that mean. It means that if a team plays a 10th non-section 1, non-state playoff game, it’s because they either missed the playoffs, or lost games 8 & 9. Either scenario isn’t desirable in my opinion. The last time that happened at New Rochelle was 2002, also the last time New Rochelle – Iona Prep played, (a 53-6 New Rochelle victory if I’m not mistaken). As far as the Stepinac – White Plains game being in trouble, I’m guessing what the poster is saying is that White Plains is poised the next couple of years to be in the Section 1 “final Four” and would not be able to play the Game (their 11th).
The way the rules are written right now, I’m not sure if the Stepinac-White Plains game can be played, because White Plains has 9 scheduled games right now no matter what, and Section 1 teams cannot play a 10th game this year or next unless involved in State play (Every other Section can petition their Section for a 10th game). We have Jen Simmons to thank for that!
On a side note, in 2005 White Plains chose to take a bye during the regular season instead of playing another game, so that they could preserve the Thanksgiving Day game. New Rochelle was not given that option, because Section 1 & 9 agreed to match-up that year, with the previous years’ AA Sectional final teams meeting. That’s why New Rochelle played Newburgh, and Mt. Vernon played Monroe Woodbury. (Neither team was given an option. I was at Mt. Vernon at the time, and Coach Wright wanted to play JFK (Bronx), a school he has close ties to having coached there but was told he had to play the game because the two Section Committees agreed to the games). Don’t believe me, how about this; in 2006, New Rochelle was invited to play Bergen Catholic (the game Iona is playing in this year) in Giants Stadium, but Section 1 would not allow the game because New Rochelle had a game scheduled with Lincoln. How much better for Section 1 football would it have been to have New Rochelle play in that game, yet the “powers that be” wouldn’t allow it!
Wing-T Guy, Matthews transferred out of Purdue before his first season, allegedly to Delaware, but he never appeared on Delaware’s roster, not sure what happened after that. He was the best Section 1 QB in a while. Mr. Matthews used to post on this blog, maybe he still checks it out and can fill us in?
My mistake, the teams were St. Joe’s of Montvale, and Saunders, not Bergen and Lincoln.
Keith Fagan
Xaverian that year played St. Joseph of Montville and was blasted around 40-0. Xaverian then went winless in their first year playing up in the CHSFL AAA.
With the exception of St. Joseph by the Sea beating a strong Hudson Catholic and St. Anthony beating Delbarton last year history really shows New York/Connecticut really struggling against the NJ catholic powers. Over the years St. Anthony has been beaten by Don Bosco (Matt Simms was the QB) and St. Jospeph of Montville has beaten up Greenwich last year and they beat Newburgh during this decade. Bergen Catholic beat a CT team last year in the Meadowlands.
Keith do you think Iona Prep is making a mistake playing Bergen Catholic when they already have a demanding league schedule. Also how would you say Iona measures up with Bergen Catholic?
My biggest concerns about the Iona- Bergen game is Iona DB’s
With the move of to Desalvo to Wr from Safety, and Dunkley trying to go both ways? and the lost of James at the CB. Iona has some big shoes to fill. Iona may need to play Mack at Corner and Woodson at Safety. ????
Rice played Defense in HS , Mack may need to play Some defense to win that game. And from what I hear he is willing to do that.
I dont know if the young Junior kids they have playing CB,FS and SS are fast enough or athletic enough to handle Bergen
ionaprep crazed
Iona has two young and very talented players stepping in with more speed at those positions. Travon Malone played last year on the varsity as a sophomore and from what I could see from the camps has really become very confident and will be fine. Severin Cornelius started last year practicing on the varsity as a sophomore but the coaches felt he would be best served playing on the JV. This year he is expected to step up and play to his talent. Both of these players have more speed than Desalvo and Dunkley. By the way Dunkley should be playing both ways as WR/DB similar to how they used Darlos James. Iona does not like to play kids both ways unless it is a skilled position player.
Hoops Fan: Purcell did QB at RI. Zaukas and Brian Cleary actually faced each other in one of those classic Thanksgiving confrontations. New Rochelle, at the time, was ranked #1 in the state. They came back to win in the second half and kept their ranking. Don’t know what Zaukas did in college and Cleary was actually a better pitcher than he was QB. Tragically we lost Brian during his college years when he went to the aid of a fellow student.
The idea of Stepinac and Iona on Thanksgiving has a lot of appeal but losing the public/private same town thing would be very sad. In ‘71 Iona was forced to choose between playing Chaminade for the CHSFL championship or NR on Thanksgiving because it represented 2 games in 3 days. The coaches asked the players to decide. It was unanimous to play NR.
I assume that the CHSFL has rectified the problem because two of the oldest Thanksgiving rivalries in state take place among 4 teams in the league.
10707
Their was a big article about this on the CHSFL website as Chaminade in 1971 was awarded the CHSFL Championship.
I think if you asked the players today whether they would have wanted to play St. Anthony in the championship or New Rochelle on Thanksgiving the players would have easily chosen to play St. Anthony- Times have changed and the New Rochelle – Iona rivalry has been destroyed.
Also last year St. Joseph by the Sea and Tottenville played their first rivalry game on Thanksgiving with St. Josephs winning. They have indicated that the rivalry will continue in the future.
Iona Power,
The Catholic schools have always turned out great teams dating back to the sixties (the Bronx), with tough running backs. I think that is why I liked Ramallo,frm Rye H.S.( a cass act by the way)the last three year’s. He reminded me of guys I played with. Big. Bruising. The Catholic schools system keeps, and continues to turn out grat quarterbacks as well. We do have a young ,but in my opinion, talented team in Harrison now. Ithink they wil do well the next couple of year’s. I am a true blue Huskies fan and always will be by the way.
Navajos
A)Iona will be ok on the db’s. Joe Ricci is a returning starter and is a top 5 db in the CHSAA and he and Sev Cornelius will match up well
B)Malone is an upgrade over Desalvo. Everytime I saw Malone play, he wrecked someone, Desalvo on the other hand got burned a lot. Had St. Anthony’s recievers actually caught the ball in game 1… Iona loses the game
Thanks Keith,
I only saw him play one time when he was a senior against Ossining in the section final.
It seemed like he had a great arm and amazing ability in the offense.
The Ossining defense with their all state d end really keyed on him and Fox Lane was out coached, in my opinion.
I have always been amazed at the lack of respect that the Ossining coaches get. They have done a great job game planning over the past couple years.
Iona power, just got back from a short vacation and read all your mail to big joe, do you know that his favorite relative built and donated the Iona football field and also one of big joes sons when to IONA, he has 5 sons and they are all great atheletes one is the coach for Greenwich H.S. and you know how good they are every year and also the golf coach for SACRED HEART ,GREENWICH, another won a track scholarship to UCONN, I can go on and on but that is enough info for now
I say Iona Prep and Harrison should play on thanksgiving cause both teams im sure would love to play in a rivalry game and this could become an intense rivalry
Just throwin it out there
92 Husky
I am sure Big Joe is a very nice man and does a lot of great things for many people. All I can say was that myself and a few other loyal followers on this blog did not agree with some of his comments about Iona or any other team from the CHSFL.
Iona Power,
I do not think it is a mistake for Iona to play Bergen Catholic. As a matter of fact, I’ll take it one step further. I think they are obligated to play the game.
In my opinion, I think any time you are a quality program that is capable of beating programs that are better than you, you owe it to everyone involved to play that game, and try and win the game. I’m not saying this years’ Bergen team is better than this years’ Iona team (I do not know enough about Bergen this particular year to comment on how good they are or aren’t). But, I don’t think anyone will question that Bergen Catholic is a better program than Iona at this time.
One of the ways to get better as a program is to play and beat programs that are better than you. Playing tougher competition makes you better. No matter what happens to Iona this season, they will have become a better program by playing this game.
Keith Fagan
I agree that beating a power program like Bergen Catholic would be great for Iona and also for the Lower Hudson Valley region.
While I do not follow NJ High School football closely I would assume that Bergen Catholic at the very least is equal to or better than the typical St. Anthony team that Iona facein the CHSFL.
Do you feel that the NJ Catholic programs as a whole are ahead of the good programs around here like NEw Rochelle, Iona Prep, North Rockland and Monroe Woodbury.
Are 457 posts a record for KD’s blog site?
I TOLD BIG JOE THAT IONA RECRUITS ITS PLAYER FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND HIS COMMENT WAS ….WHAT, AND A FEW YEARS AGO EVERYONE MADE A BIG ISSUE OVER A HARRISON PLAYER WHO MOVED INTO HIS UNCLES HOUSE IN HARRISON FROM PORTCHESTER TO PLAY FOR THE HUSKIES… CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS COULD RECRUIT AND OFFER CREAM PUFFS …. I THINK THAT IONAS TUITION IS OVER 20,000 PER YEAR , WHAT A DEAL IONA HAS
What do You think about the Ablebertus and Tuckahoe game? I here both teams are lookin very good this year