Peekskill of to Rousing Start; Lakeland’s Rader Wins Con Ed

Greeley, Pleasantville put Section 1 on Blast

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

In order to foster a winning culture, a coach must first earn the respect of his players, and the coach needs to return mutual regard to his players. Total commitment – from both sides – comes next before a unit can forge a winning culture. It takes time, but when you see a change in culture you can sense it through the fortunes of winning, and the pride and fulfillment that comes with taking the field. Peekskill High Coach Jonathan ‘JP’ Iasillo should be commended for having done so with the state-ranked (No.6) Red Devils, who have been shot out of a cannon this fall.

“There is no bigger story on the local scene than Peekskill,” Lakeland Coach Tim Hourahan said of the now 7-1 Red Devils, who have outscored opponents 31-6.

Peekskill’s one loss came to SOMERS, a 1-0 setback in a game where Somers Coach Brian Lanzetta’s Tuskers got the early goal and held on for dear life. Peekskill should be a 12/14 win team this year when the regular season concludes, and should be taking a high seed into the Class AA tournament, which looks much deeper than originally anticipated.

Peekskill (7-1), MAHOPAC (3-1), TZ (5-2), GREELEY (4-1-2), FOX LANE (4-2), CARMEL (3-1-2) and YORKTOWN (3-2-1) are viable contenders with top-notch capabilities, but Peekskill has the early leg up.

“This is the best Peekskill team in 25 years, it’s not close,” Hourahan said. “These Peekskill kids can play and Coach Jp Iasillo should get massive recognition for what he has done with that program: Consistency, accountability and building a soccer culture that has stuck in that community. I’m so happy for him for what he has accomplished. His team reminds me a bit of how those great Port Chester teams used to play back in the early 2000s, and they have a star scoring for them as well.”

That aforementioned star is Umaru Conteh, who scored four goals in a 7-1 win over neighboring HEN HUD. Conteh is a skillful son-of-a-gun, who has been popping off regularly. Andres Cabrera (1G), Chris Chalco (1G), Juan Ventura (1G), Ariel Tenezaca (1A), Kevin Cajamarca-Ayora (1A), Randy Tapia (1A) and Daniel Farez Sierra (1A) all found the stat sheet in an otherwise balanced attack.

Matt Espinoza (assisted by Juan Ventura), Chalco (PK) and Randy Tapia all scored for the Red Devils in a 3-0 shutout of BREWSTER.

“It’s pretty incredible what Peekskill has done so far,” Byram Hills Coach Matty Allen said.

The change in culture should keep the Red Devs from resting on their laurels, and time will surely tell, but it’s been a heck of a start…

Another big story of the week, without question, is the alarming amount of Cautions/Red Cards given out across the board.

“I think losing a week of tryouts has some teams still in scrimmage mode,” Allen said…

There is more good coming out of LAKELAND where junior G Oban Rader became the first Con Ed Award (on and off-field excellence) winner in Hourahan’s lengthy tenure (20 years) at the Hornets’ Hive.

“My man Oban Rader is a special kid with a special story for Lakeland soccer,” Hourahan said.

Rader, who also plays high-level lax, was sidelined for a spell while he kicked cancer’s ass and is having a phenomenal season. Anyone that’s ever met Rader, or seen him play, knows he’s a winner both on and off the field.

“He’s only given up three goals in seven games and was just named Con Ed award winner,” Hourahan said. “They could not have picked a better human being. He’s as inspiring a person as you will ever meet.”

Lakeland, ranked 20th in NYS Class A, has been inspiring on the field as well. State-ranked (No.14) Ardsley (6-1), No.5 BYRAM HILLS (5-0-2), Eastchester (3-3-1) and No.9 Rye (5-1) are believed to be firmly in the mix, but Rader, as the last line of defense, has the Hornets (5-1-1) cracking down defensively with four shutouts in six games.

In Lakeland’s 5-1 win over HALDANE, Jonathan Lage (2G), Owen Becker (2G), Vinny Karaqi (1G, 2A), Brendan Friedel (1A) and Joe Delionado (1A) all figured in on the scoring. Matt Silhavy scored the lone goal for the Blue Devils (1-3).

And don’t snooze on PLEASANTVILLE. The Panthers (4-1-1) are trending north. Pleasantville is now in Class A, and, after a big win over a strong BRIARCLIFF club, is serving notice.  The Panthers were set to play another Class B powerhouse in Bronxville (yesterday).

The Panthers blanked Class B Briarcliff, 3-0, turning the section’s attention on P’Ville as the Panthers (4-1-1) claimed the coveted Mt. Pleasant Cup in dominant fashion Saturday.

Pleasantville really turned the tide this week in the win over Class B Briarcliff, doing so behind goals from Erik Nanaj (assisted by Nick Tassier), James Winn (assisted by Erik Nanaj) and Kai Martens-Wallace (unassisted). Sometimes, it takes a big win to get noticed. The Panthers, who also defeated Magnus, 5-2, behind Nanaj (1G, 3A), Schuyler Brown (2G) and Martens-Wallace (1G), did just that last week, adding a 2-1 win over Dobbs Ferry when Nick Tassier (1G), Nanaj (1G), Martens-Wallace (1A) and Vincent Shahinllari (1A) found the stat sheet.

Get the Panthers on your bingo card.

BYRAM HILLS waxed Nanuet, 7-1, when Seb Olego (2G), Chris Amenedo (1G, 1A), Harry Boyd (1G, 1A), Owen Lee (1G), Ryan Jakubek (1G), Ryan Pero (1G) and Jacob Berland (2A) had their way. The 2023 NYS Class A runner-up Bobcats also burned Eastchester, 3-2, and tied Harrison, 1-1. The Bobcats are for real.

Somers tied North Salem and defeated PANAS, 3-0, to improve to 5-3-2 after a shaky start the Tuskers have put behind them, going 4-0-1 in the last five, including a scoreless stalemate with North Salem. Against Panas, Daniel Nikac (1G, 2A), Noah Hechler (1G and Harper Ritson (1G) all tickled the twine. The Panthers dipped to 1-3-2.

Somers slaughtered Nanuet, 7-1, behind a hatty from Connor Van Tassel.

CLASS B

Here’s the thing; earlier in the week Class B runner-up Briarcliff knocked off defending Section 1 champion Keio, 2-1, behind a pair of goals from Nathaniel Rohde and eight saves from G Conall Torres. Rhode banked two unanswered goals, hitting the winner with 11 minutes to go.

“There’s no doubt this was a big win for us,” Briarcliff Coach Paul Bordonaro said. “We have nothing but the highest respect for Keio and who they are as a program. They outplayed and outperformed us for long stretches, but we held onto our shape and looked for chances to strike.

The Bears and Unicorns could potentially see each other again in the postseason.

“A lot of emotion carries over from last year, so the motivation was unquestioned from our guys,” Bordonaro said. “This win definitely boosts confidence, however, we know there’s so much left to fix. There’s so much more work to do because we know fully well that every team, especially Keio, will improve as the season continues. The joy of this win will be embraced, but it’s right back to work tomorrow. We remain humble in our quest to be our best selves in preparation for late October.”

Blind Brook, Keio and Briarcliff (2-1-3) are solid squads, but most coaches like the appeal of Keio, which always seems to be playing its best soccer in late October #Playoffs. The Bears would argue otherwise.

If you’re not paying attention to WESTLAKE, that would be a mistake. The Wildcats (4-0-2) remained unbeaten after a 3-0 win over Yonkers Montessori behind a pair of goals from Cian Kelly (1A). Joseph Vulcano added another and G Jozsef Varadi had five saves for the shutout. The Wildcats will get their first big tests of the season this week against Rye Neck, Byram and Briarcliff. We’ll know by then if they are for real.

VALHALLA was outscored 17-4 in three otherwise ugly losses last week, falling to 2-4-1.’

CROTON and PUTNAM VALLEY remain winless.

CLASS AA

Safe to say HORACE GREELEY put us on notice this week after Coach Camp Shropshire’s Quakers (4-1-2) blasted Port Chester, 5-1, after taking down rival FOX LANE, 2-1, and tying YORKTOWN, 1-1 to open the week.

Greeley’s senior day was the blowout of the Rams. Senior captain Ryder Goodman bagged himself a hat trick. The Quakers also got goals from Isaac Carillo and Maxi Kolev (unassisted). Jack Metzger came up with assists on three goals and AJ Brenneman had one assist.

Sleep on MAHOPAC at your own peril. The Wolf Pac pitched a shutout in a 2-0 win over Clarkstown North behind goals from Oliver Filip and Paulo Miguel, one off assist from Kody Booth. It’s about as physical and skilled a Mahopac team as we’ve seen in a decade or more.

CARMEL blitzed Brewster, 6-2, to improve to 3-1-3 behind a balanced scoring effort. Andy Kozlowicz (1G,1A), Kevin Hernandez (1G), Christian Matera (1G), Brandon Portilo (1G), Casey Magglio (1G) and Adrian Krasniqi (1G) all scored for the Rams. Brewster fell to 1-4. Matera scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Arlington B. G Alex Berrardi (5 saves) notched the shutout, his third of the year.

YORKTOWN posted a 7-0 win over Poughkeepsie and tied Greeley, 1-1.

Haniel Flores (1G, 2A) and Colin Worden (1G 1A) had multiple points for the Huskers (3-2-1), who get Mahopac on Oct. 1 in a game both clubs are looking forward to.

CLASS AA

WHITE PLAINS made short work of Lincoln, 5-0, when Eric Garcia logged a hat trick for the Tigers (2-3-1). Jeremiah Rojas and Francis Foku Nkoutche each scored.

OSSINING (3-0-2) tied Scarsdale 1-1 when senior forward Brando Tuba scored the Pride’s lone goal. The Pride also defeated Port Chester 1-0 on an Alex Lenaghan tally (assist to Gabe Robinson) and five saves from Andrew Nieves. The Pride have a couple of doozies this week against league rivals Fox Lane and Greeley. We’ll know more about Ossining after those two.

Time was of the essence this week and the weekly poll will find its way back next week #Apologies.

ANDY JACONS/DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ PHOTOS