Class D breakdown: Tuckahoe vs. Haldane
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- November
- 5
This if the first of five breakdowns of the Section 1 championships this weekend at Mahopac.
Class D championship
Tuckahoe (4-3) vs. Haldane (0-7)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Previous meeting: Tuckahoe defeated Haldane 18-0 on Oct. 3
How’d they get here: Well, they’re the only two teams in the conference, that’s how. It’s been that way for the past four years with Tuckahoe winning three times. The Tigers have captured five of the last six Section 1 titles.
Position-by-position analysis:
Quarterbacks: Tuckahoe has a first-year player in Kevin Garabitos, who has had some good moment passing and running this season. Haldane has a gifted athlete in Rafael Famighetti, who’s a first-year starter. Edge: Haldane
Running back: Both teams possess a durable, talented runner — Tuckahoe with junior Jarett Sommer and Haldane with senior star Derek O’Dell. The Tigers, though, have a playmaker in Gary Jennings, who has improved every week. Edge: Tuckahoe.
Receivers: Neither team throws the ball more than 5-6 times per game, so it’s hard to really get a read. Edge: Push.
Offensive line: The Tigers have a very talented front five, led by James Jubilee, P.J. Castracucco and Kevin Chen. Ryan Snavely is a force as a blocking tight end. Haldane will have perhaps the best lineman on the field in Cameron Zampino and John McGuire has come on strong this season. But the Blue Devils don’t have Tuckahoe’s depth. Edge: Tuckahoe.
Defensive line: Flip those guys to the other side of the ball and it’s not much different. Snavely is very good up front. Tuckahoe had the size and the depth. McGuire is probably a better defensive player and will give the Tigers problems between the tackles. Edge: Tuckahoe.
Linebackers: When healthy, O’Dell could probably step in and play the position on just about any team in Section 1. He’s still recorded 57 tackles in limited action and a bum ankle. Sommer is a quality run-stopper in the middle. But, with O’Dell and Famighetti, the Blue Devils have a slight advantage. Edge: Haldane.
Secondary: Jennings and Jamie Maldonado lead a deep, athletic core of Tuckahoe defensive backs. Haldane has a young but talented group with Frank Fusco and Ryder Hine. Tuckahoe’s speed will be too much.
Special teams: Neither team has found much consistency in the kicking game, but the Tigers get the advantage here because they have Jennings in the return game. Don’t be shocked if he brings one back to the house on Saturday.
Bottom line: Both teams have thin rosters that have been depleted by injuries against a grueling Class C schedule. Haldane is finally healthy and enters the game confident despite a winless record. It played Tuckahoe tough in the first meeting, allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception that set up another score. These games are always close. But I think Tuckahoe’s speed and depth wear down Haldane and lead it back into the state tournament.
Prediction: Tuckahoe 28, Haldane 13
This entry was posted
on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 11:23 pm by Kevin Devaney Jr..
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I’m laughing hysterically!!! I have no comment
I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS, a team is 0-7 and is in the finals,as 10960 put it…i am laughing also
This is kind of like Iona Prep making the playoffs at 3-5!!!
10960,
Why is it so hysterical, Haldane is a D football school who is 0-1 against comparable schools (Class D)
They probably should play a couple Section 9 schools like CHester, Liv Manor/Roscoe, Pine Plains…..
That way they could go 3-4, or 4-3
Maybe play Yonkers, Woodlands, Dover, ...
People – enough with the sarcasm and negative comments. It’s not Tuckahoe or Haldane’s fault that the section has the system set up this way. And think about the fact that these teams have seniors. For many of those kids, it will be their last game. Win or lose, they get a chance to play one last time because of their love of the sport. How many kids could have quit because of their team’s record? They didn’t. So let’s let them have the dignity they deserve and enjoy their last game without having to see these negative comments.
Kevin Devaneys Breakdown is funny.
i remember exactly 5 years ago when at least it was 3 teams in Class D…Blind Brook faced Tuckahoe in the Finals and Tuckahoe won.
Since then 3 became two, and instead of keeping a two team league the c/d leagues were practiced. The entire time since 2004 both teams have had decent records going against C schools and facing each other once in the regular season. Like it was said, Haldane is 0-1 against an actual D program.
The enrollment numbers do not favor the small schools anymore, I posted something about that in a previous blog. You look at the other 7 mainland sections, there are small schools in C and D, I mean not alot like 15 but at least 4-6.
back in 04 the D league would play a few C’s, each other, then section 9. The current scheduling makes sense and is fair..but to give Tuckahoe the Section Crown because it has a winning record and to blame Haldane for being winless in the title game is a little harsh guys.
I think back to maybe a year or two ago when Haldane won that section title, making Tuckahoe 5 of the las 6. That year Haldane lost to Tuackhoe yet again in the season, yet something magical happens-like high school football playoffs tend to give us.
Imagine Haldane wins, and goes into the D state playoffs. Or Tuckahoe can continue it’s “Dobbs Rye” dynasty as they call it…though that is where I have to question and side with the negative remarks…two team league doesn’t really give you a dynasty team.
Look we can’t take anything away from the kids. They are part of a bizarre system. I hope they do win and then beat Chester. That would be classic.
If I were the Athletic director (but Im not) of a class D school in section 1, I would go independent and do whatever I can to stimulate the football program. Perhaps create a Small School Power House.
Ofcourse, there are priorities beyond football.
If Odell is healthy Haldane wins. He will be by far the best player on the field and their record is because of his health. I know one man doesnt make a team, however, in class D a player who was in serious discussion for the super 11 ( prior to injury)can do crazy things.
I saw the Haldane game vs Tuck in 2000ish with Audwin Davis and the Virgadamo twins and that was a tremendous small school game.
freelance sounds good..but why?
they may not have a buzz but they are in the sectional finals just be default. Now if there was one D team then all things are different…however looking at the numbers, I doubt Haldane or Tuckahoe will leave D. Those two schools are very small, so that there are some schools that are nearly double the number of Tuckahoe but do not field football programs. So its safe to say there will be two teams in class D for years to come…barring any type of changes that alter the school, the program, etc.
If you look at the Developmental league and some of the C teams that lost in the playoffs, those were alot former D teams. I think the 8 playoff teams are happy in C-Bronxville doesn’t seem to have any problems-ha. But that League has a few D teams like blind brook who as recently as 2004 in class D, Valhalla who used to battle Dobbs in the D Semis and Finals back in the early 2002-2003. I mean Woodlands & dover has been c/b, pawling has been c, yonkers has been all over, but Blind Brook and Valhalla could possibly have benefited if recent times saaw them in the Lowest Class.
2007 marked the beginning of C/D Leagues in Section 1 so its kind of hard to back track and remember the exact number of D teams since 2004, but there has been anywhere from 2-5 often. The enrollment change was made to bring teams down in class, and well it worked for the most part. Alot more teams in C (not including those who dropped down for the d-league), A is bigger but still a great class, AA is back to normal with three leagues which were printed in the news paper every sunday morning for years. However perhaps another number change can bring those down one class, and have much more fuller representation.
Everyone seems to have very good observations and no one is taking anything away from the kids who do play their hearts out. It does seem a trifle unfair that these 2 teams get grandfathered into the finals every year and it does taint things a little unless one of them can win the whole state but the way the system is set up is not the kids fault. It probably helps both teams to play some of the C schools come states and it was only in the Bronxville game that Tuckahoe was not, at least, competitive and Rye Neck barely squeaked by them.
“Neither team throws the ball more than 5-6 times a game, so it’s hard to get a read”. Gotta be my favorite line. As a journalist, it has to be real tough to handle a promo like this one, and I think he did very well!
Rileygirl, you truly are a Sec 1 high school football follower.Noting the health condition of a “lowly” Class D player is unheard of on this blog. Too many bloggers look at records and dont understand just what is involved with the smaller programs.Kudos to you, Im not sure what O’Dells status is but I agree he is a game changer. He was involved in that 2007 team as a sophmore that went into the semifinal game against ticonderoga. Incidentally he was not only offensive mvp of the game but defensive mvp also. And Haldane lost 34-8! Oh, and last year he led the Section in rushing through the regular season. Im sure your aware but I know the other bloggers have negative responses so lets here them.
Haldane shouldn’t be laughed at for doing the right thing and keeping their team in the real league.
Legit programs, like Haldane, who are going thru growing pains and the normal ups and downs of high school sports, stuck it out.
At least these teams didnt duck into the developmental league. Haldane could have but didn’t. Those other teams should take their lumps like everyone else when they are down.
Dover and Vahalla won state championships. They should not be in a developemental league. Yonkers,Woodlands still only won 1 or 2 games , so there was no help there.
Good for Tuck, and Haldane for not be soft and hiding in some crap league.
BTW, how does Vahalla get ranking votes, Come on JN, do your hw and learn about that terrible league.
Had to reply to the comment about ducking into the developmental league. Most of the schools in that league just don’t have the numbers to compete with the DFs and Bronxvilles of the world. The last time DF played Blind Brook, DF had more seniors than Blind Brook had kids in uniform. Kudos to the small school powerhouses, but unless you enjoy seeing how many points they can score or how many yards the star running back can rack up, what’s the point?
HSFan
Numbers problem!? Explain how Blind Brook had 36 kids on their team this season then.
This REC-LEAGUE they developed was a scape goat.
If your program isn’t producing numbers, it’s not because of the league they’re in.