Our Journal News staff did a great job putting together video highlights from Friday night’s state quarterfinal action.

I can’t figure out a way to embedd the four videos without having them all start rolling when you click on the blog (which I know you all hate). So to watch them, you should just go directly to our videos page.

Click here to access the videos. There are some great highlights on there.

Four Section 1 teams went into last night’s state quarterfinals. Only two survived.

It’s not all that surprising, either. I knew Bronxville and Nanuet would continue to cruise, and I felt Eldred was slightly better than Tuckahoe. And had I known before the game what I found out about Roosevelt after it, I probably wouldn’t have picked them to win that one.

With New Rochelle-Monroe-Woodbury less than four hours away, here’s a look back at Friday’s action:

Class A: Cornwall 31, Roosevelt 21

Disappointing doesn’t even begin to describe this one.

Roosevelt turned the ball over six times (four on careless fumbles and two on downs), had two fumbled snaps on punt attempts that gift-wrapped 10 points, and were sloppy on tackles all night.

The Indians looked like anything but the superior athletic and ultimately determined team that marched through the Class A tournament in Section 1, the one with incredible mental toughness and resolve. And they blamed nobody other than themselves. The post-game comments say it all:

“We were not prepared for this game. I think we underestimated them. I think there was a hangover from last week. There was just no fire on our guys tonight. I could sense it early.” – Coach Mike Meade

“I didn’t sense any fire in our team tonight. Everybody thought we were going to come out and just roll over this team. This is what happens when you do that. That’s how you lose.” – Roosevelt senior Donovan Walker

“We slept on them all week.” – Indians defensive end Kevin Outlaw

Those are pretty strong words. And they were universal up and down the Roosevelt sideline.

Roosevelt was admittedly overconfident after rallying from nine points down to beat Poughkeepsie in the Section 1 final. When a team that never gets here go this far, that tends to happen. They rarely win a close game.

Cornwall was a very good team, one that I’m sure could have played better. But I wasn’t overly impressed. Some have eluded to it on the blog since last night and I’ll come right out and say it:

Poughkeepsie, Somers, Nyack, Ossining, Fox Lane, Lakeland and maybe even Eastchester would have put up a better fight against Cornwall last night.

And Rye would have beaten them. No doubt about it.

Roosevelt could have beaten Cornwall, too, just not the way it played last night. Too many penalties in bad spots and the lack of execution and, on a few plays, hustle, was startling. Cornwall didn’t do anything to surprise Roosevelt — they practiced for that fake punt and the “no huddle” the Dragons used was for only two drives, both of which resulted in interceptions.

Cornwall just played harder and deserves to win because of it.

Class D: Eldred 21, Tuckahoe 14

For a while it looked like the Tigers were going to find a way to pull this one out. They led 7-0 at the half but, in the opening minute of the third quarter, their first real mistake led to the end of their season.

A fumble on the opening play of the half led to the tying touchdown and Tuckahoe’s offense never recovered. Eldred soon went to the Wildcat with halfback Ian Halloran and scored two touchdowns to go up 21-7 late. Tuckahoe got back within seven on a late touchdown but couldn’t get closer.

The Tigers end the year 5-3. The good news is that they return almost their entire team next year, including Jarett Sommer, who rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries. Getting to the Dome next year is not out of the question for Tuckahoe, and Sommer could become the school’s all-time leading rusher if he stays healthy.

Class C: Bronxville 34, Ellenville 6

The amazing thing about this game was that, in some respects, Bronxville didn’t play all that great.

At least not from an offensive standpoint. The Broncos scored on their opening drive but had to — gasp — punt on their second. They moved the ball throughout the first half but didn’t seem to have nearly the intensity they had against Croton-Harmon in the Section 1 final. Still, it was 28-0 at the half and the starters were out on defense midway through the third.

The Bronxville kids are smart and they knew Ellenville posed no threat to really score on them. I give Ellenville credit. It had a tough bunch of kids who weren’t at all afraid of the staggering size discrepency. A few of their guys took some shots but never stopped fighting.

John Shkreli, Bronxville’s middle linebacker, was awesome all game. He and Hart Mechlin were all over the field. With those two guys as good as they are, the Broncos can put six guys on the line and them control the middle of the field. It makes it incredible difficult to run on them. Shkreli had 12 tackles and I’d estimate Mechlin had 8 or 9.

The Broncos move on to the state semifinals against either Section 2’s Hoosick Falls or Section 10’s Ogdensburg. The mission to the Dome continues.

Class B: Nanuet 35, O’Neill 0

Here’s another team on a mission.

Nanuet showed zero signs of letdown in this game as it methodically picked apart O’Neill for another blowout victory. Gabe Ostrow ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and Tom Hanney ran for 94 yards and a score and threw another.

This was a game of gradual domination. Nanuet led 7-0 at the end of the first and 14-0 at the half before wearing down an overmatched O’Neill team in the third quarter.

It’s funny, but of the five teams from Section 1 entering the weekend, the one I was most confident about from a confidence and maturity standpoint was Nanuet. Bronxville has a special group of talent. Nanuet has a team of great poise and determination. If the Golden Knights do lose in the next two weeks, it will not be because of turnovers or silly mistakes. They don’t make them. The team that beats these guys will simply have to be just far more talented.

The Golden Knights move on to the semifinals where they’ll play Section 2’s Schalmont.

I’ll post information on Schalmont and the Ogendsburg-Hoosick Falls winner some time on Sunday. Remember to check back later to follow the New Rochelle game.

Follow both of the afternoon football games: Bronxville vs. Ellenville at Dietz Stadium in Kingston and Tuckahoe vs. Eldred at White Plains:

Want to impress your friends and family with extensive Section 9 football knowledge? Yeah, I know that was a silly question. Of course you do.

In today’s Journal News I had a breakdown of all five teams facing Section 1 in this weekend’s state quarterfinals. The headline of the coverage was Saturday’s showdown between New Rochelle and Monroe-Woodbury in Class AA. Check out the story here. I think you’ll really be interested in what the New Ro players and coaches had to say.

Click here to read extensive scouting reports on all the games. Included are:

The importance of containing M-W quarterback Dan Scalo (nobody can “stop” him).

Roosevelt taking on an up-and-coming Cornwall team in A.

Nanuet facing a bigger O’Neill squad

Bronxville going up against an Ellenville team that’s been here before

And Tuckahoe facing the toughest of odds this weekend when it plays Eldred in Class D.

A special thanks to Kevin Witt of the Times Herald-Record for answering my endless questions this week on Section 9. Check out his site at Varsity845.com.

In today’s THR:

A preview of the big New Rochelle vs. Monroe-Woodbury game, which includes a link to a video of the M-W vs. Warwick Section 9 final.

Witt also wrote a column about how Monroe-Woodbury enters Saturday’s game with “less pressure” than it’s had. It’s an interesting read.

There are also extensive scouting reports on the other four games.

I’ll be leaving for Kingston in a little bit. Be back later with lots of updates and info on all the games from the night.

There will be two Iona Prep players at Vermont next season.

Sandro Carissimo is the latest to commit. The 6-foot-2 senior made his oral commitment to play for the Division I Catamounts, joining 6-foot-5 Iona Prep forward Brian Voelkel on the recruit list.

Carissimo and Voelkel led Iona Prep to a CHSAA city and state championship. The Gaels were eventually beaten in the Federation semifinals by Jamesville-Dewitt in Glens Falls.

I spoke to Sandro briefly tonight and will be talking to him and Brian tomorrow for an article. Check back.

(Yes, basketball is on its way)

There aren’t many games this weekend. But there certainly are some big ones.

I’ll pick the games in reverse order this week, starting with non-playoff and bowl games and doing down to, well, the biggest game in the state:

Fordham Prep 21, Chaminade 17
Hackley 27, Kingswood-Oxford 6
Rye Country Day 28, Hopkins 27
Stepinac 35, Xavier 12
Harvey 20, New York Military 14
Fieldston 29, Sacred Heart 13
Mount St. Michael 14, St. Francis Prep 13

CHSFL AAA Division semifinal
Iona Prep 41, Holy Trinity 38: I’m calling for the upset. If anybody knows how difficult it is to get undefeated in the AAA Division, it’s Iona Prep, which accomplished the feat last season and have struggled for part of this year. The Gaels will get redemption after losing to Holy Trinity four weeks ago. Iona’s Tyrae Woodson-Samuels and Jeff Mack are back at 100-percent and the tandem is poised to lead the resurgent Gaels back to the championship game.

State quarterfinal games
Friday
Class D: Tuckahoe vs. Eldred. The Tigers face one of the best Class D teams to come out of Section 9 in a long time. Eldred has a terrific quarterback in Bryan Henry, who’s thrown for 824 yards passing and completed 68-percent of his throws. Ian Halloran is a good back who’s rushed for 1,086 yards and 18 touchdowns and is the ideal back for Eldred’s double-tight, pound-it-out style. Look for Eldred to control the clock and hold Tuckahoe down just long enough. PREDICTION: ELDRED 16, TUCKAHOE 14

Class C: Bronxville vs. Ellenville. From what I’ve been told, Ellenville is big a team for Section 9. But it’s nowhere near the size of Bronxville, nor does it have the same type of speed. Brian Murray ran for 250 yards last week running behind some stellar blocking. If he gets 15 carries this week, he could approach those numbers. PREDICTION: BRONXVILLE 35, ELLENVILLE 7

Class B: Nanuet vs. O’Neill. Nobody expected O’Neill to get this point, not with Highland sitting near the top of the state rankings in Class B all year. That alone makes O’Neill a dangerous team this weekend. While bigger than Nanuet, O’Neill isn’t quite as physical or fast. Nanuet managed to slow down a bigger and faster Sleepy Hollow team last week. It should follow the blueprint and advance here, too. PREDICTION: NANUET 28, O’NEILL 7

Class A: Roosevelt vs. Cornwall. Obviously, Cornwall the school has been here many times before. But this group hardly resembles the team of the last four years, which challenged the Section 1 champion each time. Cornwall quarterback Tyler Lawlor and halfback Tyree Smallwood are both extremely talented juniors. But they haven’t been on a stage this big or faced a team anywhere close to Roosevelt’s style. As long as the Indians don’t hurt themselves with penalties and turnovers, they should get through to the semifinals. PREDICTION: ROOSEVELT 27, CORNWALL 17

And now, the biggest game in the state:

Class AA: New Rochelle vs. Monroe-Woodbury. If you watched last night’s edition of Varsity Central Chat, you know that I like New Rochelle to win this game. My reason is simple: it’s time. If you play enough close games, you’re eventually going to come up on the wrong of one. Monroe has survived two all-out wars with New Rochelle the last three years, and probably didn’t deserve to win the last two. The Huguenots are improved defensively and are finally coming into their own on offense. Look for them to insert a few tricks into the play-calling and contain The Talented Mr. Dan Scalo just enough to bury the demons of the last three years. PREDICTION: NEW ROCHELLE 21, MONROE-WOODBURY 17

I’d love to hear your predictions for all the games this weekend. I’ll have extensive scouting reports in tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News. I’ll post them as soon as they’re online.

Off to Dietz to cover all three games on Friday and Saturday. Mike Dougherty and Rick Carpiniello will hold down the fort at White Plains. If you plan on going to the games, bring a rain slicker. It could get wet.

I inquired with my editors this week but was informed last night that we will not be broadcasting any of the weekend’s football action on lohud.com.

There’s still resistence and concern from Section 1 regarding the use of live streaming of video of high school athletes. They’re also worried about how much the broadcasts could impact revenue and attendance.

At the moment, we do have plans to broadcast next week’s state semifinals and the state championship games (if we have a team still playing) in Syracuse. Although, that could change.

The next four Game Balls are here. The Player and Coach of the Week will be revealed on tonight’s edition of Varsity Central Chat, which starts at 7 p.m. Click here to watch.

5. Greg Caneparo, Nanuet: As I wrote in my Tuesday “Fifth Quarter” article, Nanuet suffered its first serious injury of the season in Saturday’s Class B final when Greg Mooney, one of 10 two-way starters, went down with a broken leg. It was unknown how the Golden Knights would handle adversity. But Canepero, a junior defensive back who had been a limited contributor all season, was exceptional in Mooney’s place. He recorded seven tackles in the 29-6 victory, helping Nanuet land its first Section 1 title since 1994.
4. Brian Murray, Bronxville: What more could you ask out of your star running back in a championship game? Murray wisely followed a wall of blockers and sliced through the Croton defense for a season-high 251 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries as the Broncos claimed the Class C crown, 35-20. Murray broke to long touchdown runs in the first quarter and had 181 yards rushing before halftime.
3. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels, Iona Prep: In the words of all the remaining teams in the CHSFL: “Uh oh.” Look at what the senior quarterback did this weekend and you’ll agree. In the opening round of the CHSFL AAA tournament, Woodson-Samuels completed 33 of 37 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns as the Gaels beat St. Joseph by the Sea, 40-29. It’s his fourth straight 300-yard-plus game. In that span, he’s a combined 109 for 144 passing (77 percent) with 10 touchdowns and one interception.
2. Hart Mechlin and Luke Nichols, Bronxville: Murray gets credit for all the yardage. And the size of the offensive line made many mouths drop this weekend at Mahopac. But to me, the unsung heroes of this Bronxville team are the two fullbacks, Mechlin and Nichols. They were dominant in Sunday’s Class C final win, plowing through the Croton defense to create a path for Murray. Mechlin and Nichols also ran the ball well themselves. Mechlin ran for 77 yards on five carries and Nichols gained 51 yards and a touchdown on five attempts. Mechlin was also a beat defensively at middle linebacker as the Broncos completely shut down the Croton rushing attack.

The Player and Coach of the Week will be revealed in a little bit. Check back on the show to find out who won.

We’ll do these quick so we can release the Player and Coach of the Week on tonight’s edition of Varsity Central Chat. I tried to mix the bowl games in with the CHSFL playoffs and Section 1 championship games. Here’s what I came up with:

Honorable mention: Derrick Hunter, Arlington; P.J. Castracucco, Tuckahoe; A.J. Pritchett, Roosevelt; Carpi Corn, New Rochelle; Lewis Edney, New Rochelle; Sal Sulla, North Rockland; Tareek Turner, Clarkstown North; Colin Muldoon, Scarsdale; John Meaney, Valhalla; Adam Parker, Hackley; Peter Lodini, North Rockland; Matt Wheeler, Scarsdale; Bobby Small, Sleepy Hollow; Erik Pfiffner, Somers; Connor Eck, Rye.

Top 10 performances
10. Ben Spiegelmanm, Scarsdale: The Raiders quarterback had a huge night in the season-finale. He rushed for 79 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, and threw for 121 yards and a score on 8-of-14 passing as Scarsdale defeated Clarkstown South 27-21.
9. Rob Carinci, Eastchester: Who? Exactly. This sophomore was a junior varsity call-up to an Eastchester backfield depleted by injuries. And Carinci used his debut as a showcase for the future, rushing for 212 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles beat Harrison 28-16. The Eastchester line deserves a ton of credit for this, obviously. But when you see a JV kid get called up for the final game and he runs for 212 yards, it begs the question: Where’s he been all year?
8. Jarett Sommer, Tuckahoe: The junior fullback was just as good running the football as he was running down Haldane backs at linebacker. Sommer rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries and anchored a defense that was superb for three-and-a-half quarters before Haldane scored twice in the 21-12 Class D final. Sommer is healthy for the first time since the first few weeks of the year and is Tuckahoe’s key to get to the Dome.
7. Lou DiRienzo, Xavier Walker and Jonny McGhee, New Rochelle: Why these three? Well, because they made history. The senior trio became the first players to ever win three straight Class AA sectional titles. DiRienzo did the most in the 38-0 rout of North Rockland. He completely shutting down the middle of the field and then putting the cap on a brilliant Section 1 career with two interception returns for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. McGhee and Walker were both solid in the secondary, as well.
6. Brian Crosby, Sacred Heart: The quarterback carried the Irish into the Hudson Valley Football League championship game for the second year in a row. In Saturday’s win over Harvey, Crosby rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 89 yards and two touchdown. Sacred Heart, the tiny little Catholic school in Yonkers, will play Fieldston in the league championship on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Check back in a bit for the next four Game Balls. The Player and Coach of the Week will be on tonight’s show at 7 p.m.

We’ll be live in our studio tonight at 7 p.m. for Varsity Central Chat: State Tournament Edition. Click here to watch live.

I’ll recap last weekend’s thrilling Section 1 championships and give a preview of the state quarterfinal opponents for all five local teams.

Don’t worry, I’ll be posting this week’s Game Balls very shortly and will name a Player and Coach of the Week during tonight’s show. If you have any last-second nominees, please post them now.

See you at 7.

I spoke for a while last night with Rye senior Brendan Nagle, who last week orally committed to play next season for Elon College.

Elon is a premier Division I-AA school in North Carolina. Click here to find the team’s website. Currently, Elon is 8-1 and ranked sixth in the nation in the Football Championship Subdivision. Its only loss was to I-A Wake Forest.

Nagle was a two-year starter at defensive end/linebacker for Rye and the starting fullback this season. He’s 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and will likely play outside linebacker in college.

“They said they’ll evaluate me when I get down there and see where I fit in the best,” Nagle said. “I think of myself as an outside linebacker. I’ve always loved to play defense a bit more than offense. I think when I get down there I’ll continue to play linebacker.”

Elon offered Nagle “preferred walk-on” status for next season, which essentially means he’ll be on the team but won’t receive a scholarship. If he plays well, he could eventually get money from the school.

I profiled Nagle in an article I wrote last season during Rye’s run to the Class B state championship. He’s a Type 1 Diabetic, a serious condition that effects 3 million people in American (there are 20 million who have Type 2).

Nagle brings an insulin pack and a blood-sugar meter everywhere he goes, even during games. He’ll usually have it on the sideline and inject himself with insulin regularly during football and basketball games.

If you’re diabetic, or have a child who’s diabetic, Nagle should serve as a good role model. I know people who have diabetes and they sometimes use it as an excuse to not do physical or athletic things. Nagle is about to play Division I-AA football and has said he’d never let it hinder his athletic career.

We’ll introduced a new weekly feature in Tuesday’s edition of Journal News and on lohud.com called “The Fifth Quarter.”

It’s essentially a wrap-up of the weekend in high school football (and in the winter, basketball). You can read it by clicking the link here.

Tuesday’s version highlights a Nanuet backup who starred on Saturday night, history made by a couple of New Rochelle seniors and a look at just how far Roosevelt came to win a Section 1 championship.

If there’s something from this coming weekend’s games that you feel we overlooked in our coverage, please be sure to let us know and we’ll include it in The Fifth Quarter next Tuesday.

Here’s the official schedule for this weekend:

State quarterfinal schedule
Friday
at White Plains High School
Class D
Tuckahoe (5-3) vs. Section 9’s Eldred (9-1), 4:30 p.m.
Class B
Nanuet (9-0) vs. Section 9’s O’Neill (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
at Dietz Stadium, Kingston
Class C
Bronxville (9-0) vs. Section 9’s Ellenville (9-1), 4 p.m.
Class A
Roosevelt (8-1) vs. Section 9’s Cornwall (7-2), 8 p.m.

Saturday
Class AA
at Dietz Stadium, Kingston
New Rochelle (9-0) vs. Section 9’s Monroe Woodbury (10-0), 7:30 p.m.

It was a long weekend up at Mahopac. Before I hit the pillow and sleep for a few days, let’s take a quick look back on what went down on Section 1 Championship Weekend:

Class D: Tuckahoe 21, Haldane 12

The game gets little atttention and, when one of the team’s playing is 0-7, it gets even less respect.

But it shouldn’t be that way. Tuckahoe deserves some praise for what it does on a year to year basis. This was the Tigers’ sixth title in seven years and, once again, they did it with a small senior class and a very thin roster.

Jarett Sommer, a junior fullback, was terrific running the ball, rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns to earn MVP honors for Tuckahoe, which will play Eldred of Section 9 in Friday’s state quarterfinal.

Now let’s get to Haldane. I’m not going to dwell on this because many of you won’t listen anyway. But I think this group deserves a tremendous amount of credit. It’s a tiny school with a roster of 15 guys, and they went into this game with a glaring 0-7 record. They could have packed it in and not even played the game. And they could have let the clock tick down when they trailed 21-0 late in the fourth quarter. But they fought, just like they have all season, and came dangerously close to putting a serious scare in Tuckahoe.

There’s a lesson to be learned here. All playoffs I saw some very good teams get down and essentially give up in the fourth quarter. Haldane refused. The 0-8 record means nothing. This team has my respect.

Class A: Roosevelt 23, Poughkeepsie 19

Sticking with the theme of Class A of 2009, we were treated to a thrilling four quarters and a jaw-dropping finish.

Let me start with this: When Poughkeepsie led 19-10 late in the fourth quarter, I didn’t think Roosevelt had a prayer in the world of coming back. Not a chance. The offense was getting worn down and the defense wasn’t going to be able to make the stops it needed.

But as the Indians started to move the ball on their first scoring drive at the end, I reminded myself of the article I WROTE in Friday’s paper, about Roosevelt “defying depth” and dominating the fourth quarter of almost every game it played this season.

Dave Thomas was extraordinary. He rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. Donovan Walker threw for 114 yards and ran for 58, and A.J. Pritchett caught five passes for 71 yards as Roosevelt scored twice in the final 6:37 to cap a miraculous championship season.

I’ll come out and say it: I couldn’t have been more wrong about my predictions in Class A all season. At one point, I didn’t even have Roosevelt ranked in the Top 10 in Class A. Now they’re champs. And I don’t think their run ends here, either.

Class B: Nanuet 29, Sleepy Hollow 6

This one looked like it was going to be a game after each team scored on their opening possessions. Then, with one minor adjustment, a Nanuet defense that has been so incredible all season started to play like it.

Outside linebackers Gabe Ostrow and Lyle Birrittella closed off the perimeter, bottled Sleepy Hollow’s running game to the middle of the field, and battered the Horsemen for their first sectional title since 1994.

Ostrow ran for 125 yards and quarterback Tom Hanney expertly managed the offense while delivering two devastating hits as a safety in a very complete effort for Nanuet.

Kevin Willison and Tyler Esposito were very good on both sides of the line, and Greg Caneparo was excellent filling in for injured Greg Mooney in the secondary.

Sleepy Hollow senior Bobby Small really proved what type of runner he is last night. Even though he was held in check in the second half, he is such a special talent. He has great feet and you can tell his instincts tell him what’s going to happen on a play before it develops. He could definitely be an impact college player.

You hate to get ahead of yourself, but Nanuet really looks like a state final-caliber team at this point. I said that after watching it beat Pleasantville a month ago and believe it moreso now. There’s no letdown with this group, very few mistakes and high level of maturity and resiliency. It seems like they’re a team on a mission.

Class AA: New Rochelle 38, North Rockland 0

This was a weird game. You could say the score didn’t reflect what the game was really all about. But the stats definitely point to this being a 38-0 game — if not worse.

New Rochelle outgained North Rockland 396-75 and held it to just three first downs (all in the second half). Many of those yards went to waste for the Huguenots, who had too many penalties and offensive lapses to finish drives. They had only two touchdowns that weren’t by the defense or with serious help from good field position.

The defense, however, more than made up for it. Louis DiRienzo returned two interceptions for touchdowns as New Rochelle scored 24 points in the final eight minutes. It forced five turnovers and added to the Stat of the Year:

Touchdowns scored by the first-team New Rochelle defense: 8
Touchdowns allowed by the first team New Rochelle defense: 5

The Huguenots now advance to the state tournament to take on some team called “Monroe Woodbury” who is apparently pretty good. I’ll have to check the archives to see if they’ve ever played before.

(Note: I’m well aware they’ve played the last three years with Monroe dealing the Huguenots a heartbreaking defeat in each)

Class C: Bronxville 35, Croton-Harmon 20

The last game of the weekend provided the most entertaining half of football. The teams combined for 48 points before halftime before the big, bad and unblockable Broncos seized control.

Brian Murray rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors, a plaque they really should have broken into 11-15 peices for all those who contributed to his numbers. The Bronxville offense was a machine tonight, led by an overpowering offensive line and some stellar lead-blocking by fullbacks Hart Mechlin and Luke Nichols.

If you know football, you know the Broncos essentially ran 4-5 plays in this game. Yet they amassed 515 yards of total offense and scored on five of their first six possessions of the game.

Croton tried to keep pace, led by Tyler Dorien, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. But you can only run side-by-side with a bull before he eventually tramples you in your path.

As great as Murray ran tonight, he couldn’t have done it without Mechlin. The senior was at the front of all the “25 blast” play-calls. The play is where Murray takes a handoff and breaks around the left side where guard Steven Shoemaker pulls and Mechlin clears a path. Mechlin pretty much put a Croton defender on their back on every play.

Like Nanuet, Bronxville looks to me like a team that will be playing indoors on Thanksgiving. Right now, the Broncos look like Section 1’s best shot to win a title, as well.

Next up is Ellenville of Section 9. I’ll be back tomorrow with some info on them and the rest of Section 1’s opponents for state quarterfinal weekend.

Follow the last game here: