Class AA Carmel, Class A Somers Romp in Sectional Semis
Rams Rumble vs. Arlington in Finals, Tuskers Tackle Rye
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
RICH MONETTI PHOTO.
Three Examiner-area teams clinched a spot in the Section 1 finals after romping through Friday’s semifinal round, including Class B Pleasantville, Class A Somers and Class AA Carmel. All three will vie for their respective championships this weekend at Arlington High, as will Class D Haldane in its annual matchup with rival Tuckahoe.
CLASS A
MAHOPAC, ranked No.25 in the NYS Class A rankings, gave No.6 Rye (10-0) everything it had in Friday’s 17-14 semifinal loss to the host Garnets (8-0), who came from down 14 points to prevail over the upset-minded Indians (6-3) when Tommaso Grani’s 26-yard field goal sealed the deal in overtime. Despite three-straight denials from the one-yard line by a stout No.2-North-seeded Mahopac defense, Rye advanced to Friday’s sectional finals at Arlington where the No.1-South-seeded Garnets will face No.1-North seeded SOMERS, a 35-6 winner over No.2-South Pelham.
Somers will play Rye Friday at 7 p.m. Rye ended the Tuskers’ 2019 season, beating them in the sectional semis.
The state-ranked Tuskers (No.11) dominated from start to finish, pulling their starters after taking a 35-0 lead into the break. Speedy junior RB Ravi Dass Jr. rushed for 104 yards on a mere three totes, including a 65-yard scoring jaunt without a hand laid on him for a 21-0 lead. Previously, WR Trey Mancuso (3 grabs, 81 yards) opened the scoring, snaring a 41-yard TD pass from QB Matt Fitzsimons (8 of 11, 201 yards, 2 TDs), who torched the Pelicans (7-2) repeatedly. Somers RB Matt Kapica (4 rushes, 29 yards) followed with the first of two rushing scores, providing a 28-0 edge. WR Michael Bookhall (2 catches, 57 yards) concluded the scoring with a 14-yard TD grab.
“It feels great and what’s even better is that we can all share in the contribution to our success,” Mancuso said. “You never know who it’s gonna be on any given Friday and that’s awesome. I love being a part of this team. It’s truly a team!”
The Tuskers barely threw the ball again in the second half, in which the Pelicans asked for running time with little chance against a Dylan Faller-led defense. The senior DE racked up seven sticks (4 for loss) and a sack. Ethan Krauss added four tackles (2 for loss) and a sack, both doing so in a half of football.
Rye, which needed extra time to knock off Mahopac, will have its hands full with a Somers team that has a locomotive feel to it at just the right time. Fitzsimons has emerged beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, setting new standards and breaking school records with regularity.
“This all feels great, all my teammates around me are ‘all in’ and everyone is clicking,” Fitzsimons said. “We are putting in the work to get the job done and no one on this team is satisfied yet. To have the opportunity to be in the finals and make history is one of the greatest feelings I have had. Now all we gotta do is pull through and get it done.”
MAHOPAC had its finest season in three years end in heartbreaking fashion when the Garnets marched to the one-yard line in overtime before kicking the game-winning field goal. Mahopac junior RB Joey Koch had 23 carries for 119 yards, including 109 yards and a touchdown (his 16th of the year) in the first quarter, but the rushing lanes were nearly non-existent from that point forward despite Koch having averaged seven yards per carry and coming up just 38 yards shy of 1,000 for the year. He finished with a team-best 16 TDs on the year.
The Indians recorded five sacks, including two apiece by seniors Steven Perrone and Anthony Porco, making it tough for Rye to get any traction prior to its game-tying, fourth-quarter drive, capped by QB Owen Kovacs’ two-yard score with 2:02 left in regulation.
Mahopac had the ball first in overtime and was held scoreless when LB Jack Garnett blocked the go-ahead field goal try.
Mahopac QB Anthony DeMatteo (4 of 7 for 30 yards) connected with Perrone for a 6-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive, but, after Koch spotted the Indians a 14-0 lead, the sledding got tougher on each ensuing drive. Ryan Rondeau blocked a punt and scored for the Indians.
Mahopac’s season concluded in gut-wrenching fashion but finished as the No.3 team in Class A in the opinion of many observers.
“This was such a special group of kids,” Mahopac Coach Dominick DeMatteo said. “They carried our program, our school and our community so far this season. At the end of the day, Rye made more plays than us. They have some special players. However, our kids showed tremendous resiliency and grit against Rye and throughout their high school careers. I could not be more proud.”
CLASS AA
CARMEL is climbing the state polls, to the point where the eighth-ranked Rams (9-0) are the second-ranked team in the upcoming NYSPHSAA tournament after Coach Todd Cayea’s club ransacked visiting Suffern, 42-7. Only Section 5’s McQuaid, ranked No.5 in NYS, comes in higher among the teams in the state playoffs. There’s a ton of work to do before we sink our teeth into the possibility of this kind of matchup on the #RoadToCuse, and that begins with Saturday’s Class AA title match with No.3B seeded host Arlington, which No.1B Carmel rocked back in Week 1 to the tune of 34-7.
After Suffern marched the length of the field for a score, the Mounties were the first team to do so all season on the stingy Carmel defense. Of the five TDs the Rams have allowed all season, four were on big plays, so this drive was a bit concerning as the teams went into the half with Carmel holding a 21-7 lead.
Coach Cayea told the Rams to trust the game-plan and their abilities at the break and Carmel went back to work, taking over defensively before running up three more second-half scores.
“Make no mistake, Suffern was no joke,” Carmel RB/LB Josh Massi exclaimed! “None of the teams we play are a joke. They are all well coached, and we respect all of our football brothers within the section. But when it comes to game time, we come to compete. We only need to be reminded of a mistake, and attempt to adjust immediately. Coach Cayea merely encouraged us to stay on our assignments and trust our abilities. We always want to play to our full potential and give the other team and spectators a good, clean game. We’re humbled to be where we are.”
Massi amassed 160 yards and three first-half touchdowns on 19 carries. Thomas Keating and Nick Rosaforte added touchdowns for the Rams.
Carmel has now won 12 straight and 14 of 15 going back to its 2019 Class AA championship loss to New Rochelle. All that said, Arlington has seen a shift in its strategum as the father/son tandem of Assistant Coach Mike Rescigno and sophomore QB Mike Jr. has evolved into a multi-faceted operation with a six-game win streak in tow. Coach Rescigno, a Carmel graduate and former Yorktown High head coach, adds an element that has taken the Admirals to the next level.
Carmel has sought and found that level since Day 1, according to RB/LB Dylan Shields.
“The very first day of camp, the players and coaching staff all sat down and discussed our vision and where we wanted to go this season,” said Shields, who had four carries for 70 yards and a score. “It’s amazing that we have finally met our goal that we talked about since day one. We’ve been taking it one game at a time and focusing on getting better as a team. We work hard every day and play with confidence each game. We’re very excited for this game Saturday night, not only for us but for our community.”
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
