Today in The Journal News
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- November
- 7
In today’s paper, I took a close look at each of the five Section 1 championship games this weekend at Mahopac.
As many have discussed, Haldane is playing in the Class D championship despite an 0-7 record. The Blue Devils, who take on Tuckahoe today at 2, don’t care what you think about their record. They feel they could legitimately make victory No. 1 happen today.
When I look at the Class A championship game, I can’t help but marvel at what Roosevelt has accomplished. We knew they had talent. But I never believed they’d be able to survive the schedule or make a postseason run with a roster so thin. But despite so many two-way starters, the Indians just might be able to pull this off and my article explains why.
Tonight’s Class B championship game is technically a rematch from Week 3 with Nanuet taking on Sleepy Hollow. But this is hardly the same Sleepy Hollow team from late September. The Horsemen feel they’ve finally put everything together and is poised to pull off the upset (The link for this story isn’t working, but trust me it’s on lohud.com).
Tomorrow’s Class AA championship features the two best defenses in Section 1 in New Rochelle and North Rockland going head to head.
And in the Class C final, Croton-Harmon will attempt to write another chapter to its magical two-year run. The script in 2009 has followed a similar path of last year, as you can read in my article.
Back later today and tonight with a ton more.
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on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 10:48 am by Kevin Devaney Jr..
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Should be a great weekend of championship football. This is what these teams have been aiming for the entire season so may th best team win and go on to states!
Just A Fact,
The same Carmel team that laid down last week vs MV blasts Suffern..come on..give me the injury report now? Suffern was outscored 76-7 vs JJEF and Carmel and 111 points vs their 3 counterparts from North including Arlington when noone was injured?..now Im sure Demarsico is a wonderfully gifted player…but 38 points a game cant be laid on injuries to the QB and Demarsico…thats still 18-19 starting players in place vs their AA North counterparts..as I said..Arlington sat QB Sam Loussedes..their best player vs Suffern and it barely was mentioned..Schillings played injured for Carmel for weeks..JJEF played without one of the top 5 players in the section all season and noone has ever mentioned it on this site..RB/LB Kyle Taylor whos 6’1 220 who was with Coach Walsh since hes a freshman and missed 2 full seasons unfortunately to injury..hope he tries to redshirt(uh oh…I know thats frowned on) and vs Rye without 2 key players…the more I hear on this site its as if injuries have never been a part of HS football…?Yesterday I mentioned 2 Qb’s who threw for over 2,000 yards in Lakelands Dave Goodwin and Mahopacs Greg Gordon..I think I may have missed 2 more but cant confirm…Mark Saracino(St Johns) from Rye 01’ and Rob Higgle from Briarcliff 02’? Can anyone confirm that..I know both had huge numbers and it occurred to me they may have surpassed 2,000..its such an unheard of number and their names stuck in my head?
Dutchess, below is Suffern results for the year:
Schedule & Results Date Time Opponent Result
9/11/09 7:00 PM Clarkstown South (West Nyack, NY)** W 19-0
9/17/09 7:00 PM @Ramapo (Spring Valley, NY)** W 29-14
9/26/09 7:00 PM @Mamaroneck (NY)** W 28-7
10/2/09 7:00 PM North Rockland (Thiells, NY)** L 0-22
10/9/09 TBA @Clarkstown North (New City, NY)** W 41-12
10/16/09 TBA vs Arlington (LaGrangeville, NY) L 28-35
10/23/09 7:00 PM White Plains (NY) L 14-27
10/31/09 TBA @Jay (Hopewell Junction, NY) L 6-42
11/6/09 5:00 PM Carmel (NY) L 8-34
I do no think DiMarsico played past the White Plains game. On a different thread we went through what STAR players mean to a team. More so for Suffern, where there depth at the skill position this year seems like 0.
To me there is a STRONG correlation between Suffern’s record and when DiMarsico went down. If you are reading the facts above differently, please feel free to enlighten me.
I have more to say, but have to go. I will check out your response later.
Just A Fact,
I think theres also a strong correlation to playing talented teams the last 4 weeks..and Arlington was without Loussedes for that matter…again…look at how theyve been the last 6 weeks of the year…1-5 and they beat a terrible Clarkstown North team for their lone win? Can 1 kid make that much of a difference or were they playing some real bad teams…like I said..Im sure hes great…never saw him play..but did read of his exploits…but Id say my argument holds as much weight?
Dutchess,
I think the facts will support each side, the way the scheudle was set this year. When DiMarsico was healthy they won. However the teams on the schedule, when he was healthy, were WEAK teams, with the exception of Ramapo. So we both might be right in the case for ONE reason. NO cross over games early on in the season.
I hoep Section 1 can fix this mess next year. But to add to my point, when Suffern beat Ramapo, they still were a team worth competing against. I think when Suffern beat Ramapo, then Ramapo’s season spiralled out of control. Pure speculation, but we need to understand these two towns are very close to each other and Ramapo has dominated this match up of recent and probably longer.
I am going to throw this at you and see what others think, but his might be a dying thread where no one reads/responds.
How can we truly rank a top 10, and what should be the criteria? Should it be as of today? Should the first 5 weeks, which were the weeks when the money was on the table and counted towards the playoffs? Or should we take the FULL season into consideration?
Let’s remember Suffern MADE the playoffs. Carmel MADE the playoffs. Yet right now teams like Mount Vernon and RCK are playing better. Why should a team that is doing better AFTER the playoffs be ranked higher than a team that MADE the playoffs.
In theory, every game has meaning. But if we are going to be realisitc we need to look at the FACTS. If key players on a team quit after being eliminated from the playoffs, and that team loses to another team that is at full strength, is that really a fair comaprison? The last couple of years when MV beat Carmle is a perfect example. Someone brought the point when MV beat Carmel a couple of times AFTER the playoffs. Of course if MV beat Carmel during the playoffs, it would mean a lot.
Dutchess,
I think the facts will support each side, the way the schedule was set this year. When DiMarsico was healthy they won. However the teams on the schedule, when he was healthy, were WEAK teams, with the exception of Ramapo. So we both might be right in the case for ONE reason. NO CROSS OVER GAMES EARLY ON IN THE SEASON.
I hope Section 1 can fix this mess next year. But to add to my point, when Suffern beat Ramapo, Ramapo still was a team worth competing against. I think when Suffern beat Ramapo, then Ramapo’s season spiraled out of control. Pure speculation, but we need to understand these two towns are very close to each other and Ramapo has dominated this match up of recent and probably longer.
Sorry , half a double post.
So to finish, what should we use to figure out a true Top TEN for the year? Thoughts??
(sorry for the problems/spelling in my first post, the computer posted before I was finished and I did not realize my comments had posted)
Just A Fact,
Im sure you and I are the only ones keeping this going..but wouldnt it make sense that a team that had not made the playoffs might be more susceptible to players quitting even earlier than someone eliminated in the playoffs..I think the kids dont want to play and coaches find it tough argument is bogus..unless maybe youre a New Ro or North Rock where its all or nothing…look at this last decade…nobody else has advanced..Arlington gets their first bowl victory in 9 years after a heartbreaking loss to North Rockland, in The Gerry Keevins Bowl and Dematteo is quoted as saying how happy he is with where the programs at with the bowl victory and that theyre ahead of scheule, RCK gets their first bowl victory in the Don Dematteo Bowl I think in their history after just missing the playoffs when Carmel upsets JJEF..Somers beats Nyack and Ossining to win the Athletic Directors bowl game and at least take away some of the sting of the POK upset and Eastchester..without Martin and Bronner against a hungry Harrison team wins the Tony Dematteo Bowl…now how is it that given the disappoinment all 4 of those teams had in or on the cusp of the playoffs..did their coaches get them to compete…and not quit?In fact in many cases its a great way for seniors to go out on a positive note and young players to see how its done from the older players..a valuable learning opportunity for everyone..my answer is you had 1 legendary coach in Tony Dematteo, 1 very succesful established coach in Fred Decarlo, and 2 very good young coaches in Dominick Dematteo and Pat Keevins…Im sure many other teams and their coaches and AD’s(1 less sport to worry about) air mailed it the last few weeks..Lakeland wont play Rye, nobody in AA will play JJEF, Clarkstown South wont play Mahopac, Ramapo folds its tents..why the hell does Sect 1 even give anyone a choice…but the coahces above have proven to be very good leaders of young men and wouldnt let that happen…my point from the beginning..with respect to how non playoff games have been marginalized heres my thought..in the past there were always crossover games..and they were”meaningless” as well as they had no bearing on making the playoffs or not in AA but you never heard word 1..now this assinine format where you play all league games and playoofs are determined at the end of week 5 and then crossover is what has really killed this..also as mentioned above..there still are bowl games…Kevin and the Journal News have erroneously referred to any crossover as a non playoff bowl game after playoffs start..anyone whos followed football in Sect 1 for a while scratches there head..when you picture what prestige bowl games had in the 70’s and 80’s and even 90’s to some extent, referring to a classic Gorton/Lincoln matchup as a non playoff bowl game takes away from the real bowl games in my mind(how about we call them just crossover games, or week 6,7,8 games??)..For the kids and thier schools on the bowl winning squads, they get their plaque or trophy and hopefully make it to the dome next year?You have the last word!!
Dutchess,
My argument about Suffern was about INJURY, not quitting. That team has been bad for several years, but the one thing anyone who see’s Suffern kids play, they do not quit.
I still would like to know what your thoughts are for how top ten rankings should be developed. Is it really fair that two playoff teams, in Suffern and Carmel get ranked below RCK, now that there are games AFTER the playoffs? MV made the playoffs but was seed 8 and got eliminated immediately, granted it was against New Ro, where do they deserve to be ranked after winning a big game vs. Carmel, again AFTER the playoffs?
These are questions, I am not saying one way are the other at this point. I think when I have done the top ten in the past it is based on the moment (as of today), but I do not know if that is fair to teams that made the playoffs.
As for saying kids quitting after the playoffs is bogus, well then you are going to have to explain Carmel to us all. They have folded tent a couple years in a row after their team has been eliminated from the playoffs. You can’t bring up their win against a decimated one man team like Suffern to support they did not quit this year. That is not a good indicator of showing up. According to the blogs, over the last couple of years, Carmel did have players that did in fact QUIT after being eliminated from the playoffs. I do not think you can blame the coaches for that. The Carmel coaches in my mind have been pretty good with making it to the playoffs a couple of years in a row(maybe more).
I do not know what the answer is to get kids from stop quitting. It might not even be that rampant. It definitely sounds like Carmel and over here in Rockland, Ramapo.
For next year, changes in the schedule that I would like to see is:
1. some cross over games early on, week 2 or 3,
2. we need to get back to a 9 game schedule so the playoffs can be pushed back a week. That way teams will not be out of playoff contention in week 3.
3. Rivalry games should be around week 5 or 6, kids will not quit before participating in these games.
Just some thoughts.
I still you think you rank at the moment..if you pack it in..too bad…at least in AA North Carmel still lost to their rival Mahopac for only like the 2nd time in 12 years or close to it and lost to RCK..you have to take that into consideration as much as wins vs. Arlington and JJEF in my mind..and I dont know if any kids quit any teams physically, other than Padilla from Ramapo..when I reference quitting Im more talking about kids not really giving full effort as in some cases youve heard kids blowing off practices etc. Carmel is one of the few AA teams with JJCR and Ramapo I think to even make it to the championship game…after making it last year maybe the Carmel kids were just that disheartened..I dont know the answer..but I dont think theres any comparison to the program run at Carmel and at Ramapo..but Im biased..the final week of the season should be Rye/Harrison, Mahopac/Carmel,JJEF/RCK,Pleasantville/Briarcliff, not sure of the big Rockland rivalries, but maybe Suffern/Ramapo..the kids would be still looking forward to something big at the end of the year irrespective of playoffs etc..youve heard it enough , in the first 4 games I mentioned you can throw the records out and in most cases you get a real good game..plus there is a better sense of community spirit in my mind when theres a few month build up to the big game…Mahopac/Carmel, Rye Harrison in week 3 when its 72 degrees is a joke..it used to be in the 50’s and had the feel of old school football. Im not sure why they went away from the old system…it worked for years even with the state playoff system..rivalries last week, playoffs next..then bowls and states..if it aint broke dont fix it..my end of year AA top 10
New Ro
North Rock
Arlington
JJEF
WP
RCK
MV
Carmel
Suffern
Mahopac
The variable is the top 2 since its this afternoon..Id flip the top 2 depending on the outcome..but am pretty set on the others..as an example Somers lost in round 1 and has given up 33 points all year..where are they..Id say 3 in A, slightly ahead of Rye..thoughts?
I will wait until later today and give my top ten on another thread. But your’s above is good. I would put JJEF and Arlington tied for 3rd, even with JJEF head to head loss. If we are going basing top ten as of today, then you will need another team to replace Suffern. Because Suffern TODAY, cannot beat any of the Clarkstown teams in my mind. Without DiMarsico, they are the old SUFFERN until they can prove they can win without the kid.
Dutchess & Just-A-Fact:
Using the Top-10 above from A, please lay in Where you think Rye wouls land in those ten, if at all. Thanks.
Carmel deserved the win as did JJEF..we(suffern) were down quite a few injured besides demarsico…demarsico was injured before halftime of the WP game…as well as our starting qb(fredericks)...we were also down 2 starting lb’s and corner(lost 1 lb to a broken arm vs NR…lost 1 the next week and the cornerback also) we then lost last week our starting noseguard…so 4 starters on def,2 on offense(one of those being one of the most dynamic,talented players that I have ever coached)...but as someone said we didn’t lay down and quit!
1 other thing that people might not know is that Demarsico who was a 1st team all county pick as a junior last year…did more than run for us…he returned kicks,punts,could put him in slot,backfield,or under center..but he was also our starting safety and usually led the team in tackles…so his impact was huge and when we lost him lost a lot of things that coupled with the above listed injuries really tapped our bench..
,..] varsityinsider.lohudblogs.com is another great source of information on this topic,..]