Class AA Grid Notebook- Mahopac Routs Arlington, 28-14; Preps for No.1 New Ro’
So I spent the better part of Friday night watching Mahopac dismantle an underwhelming Arlington club in a splendiferous Homecoming Day affair (complete with fireworks and a capacity crowd), and then turned around on Saturday and headed over to Carmel for its Homecoming Day festivities as well. It was like night and day; mostly because one team – Mahoapc – kicked but, while the other team – Carmel – got butt-kicked.
I got news for you folks in and about Carmel: Mahopac (2-2) didn’t even need to hang around until halftime of the Rams’ devastating 41-0 blowout loss to Clarkstown North, before the Indians found themselves as disinterested as any bystander not wearing Clarkstown North colors. Carmel failed in every facet of play, including snap-count discipline, which was shocking. Carmel (3-1) had a slew of penalties, and Clarkstown broke just as many tackles in a game that, unfortunately, may have showed Carmel’s true colors, unless this was the aberration Ram Nation hopes it was.
“It was ugly but we’re getting past it,” Rams LB Steve McNerney said.
Everything Carmel could have done wrong, it did wrong. Turnovers, mental mistakes, playing behind the chains, missed tackles, etc. It was everything you’re not supposed to do to win football games; things you would not expect from a club that came in 3-0 before an estimated crowd of 2,500 Rama Lama Ding Dongs.
“Clarkstown physically took it to us, we had a couple of kids banged up (in the first quarter) today, so it was a nightmare,” Rams Coach Todd Cayea told Rick “Carp” Carpiniello …
In My Book: It’s never too early to look ahead to any Carmel vs. Mahopac matchup, and the one that looms in Week 7 could be ALL MAHOPAC, unless Coach Cayea figures out a way to break it down and rebuild it within the next 12 days; otherwise, Mahopac will have its way on Saturday, October 20th.
Mahopac’s 28-14 win over winless Arlington was easier than most expected as the Indians built a 14-0 halftime lead on the back senior Mike Simone’s high-flying six-yard TD grab from junior QB Ethan Ryan. It was at that point where most Mahopac observers knew they had it in the bag.
“Coach just gave the red zone pass call and I tried to find a spot to sit in space,” Simone said. “Ethan put a perfect ball up and I didn’t want to drop his first touchdown pass on varsity.”
Mahopac’s other QB, senior Chris Rhue, ran roughshod on the Admirals, going for a career-high 190 yards and two scores on a paltry 15 carries behind an offensive line that dominated the trenches. Rhue’s first TD came from 10 yards out and he featured an 80-yard run on first play from scrimmage to set it up for a 7-0 Mahopac leads. QB Ryan passed for 61 yards. The Indian’ defensive effort was vintage, holding the Admirals to 33 rushing yards on 20 carries and just 32 yards through the air. Special teams did allow a costly 93-yard return to the house.
Mahopac now turns its attention to visiting New Rochelle this Friday night in a game that could make or break the Indians’ season. The former five-time defending champion Huguenots (4-0) are ranked No.7 in NYS and appear to have a leg up on most, if not all, Section 1 clubs after their 12-6 win over reigning champion North Rockland (No.13).
Mahopac has the athletes to hang with New Ro’, but beating a team of this ilk is a tall order, particularly when you factor in SPEED. I get the feeling Mahopac won’t be intimidated, and will be a persistent thorn in New Ro’s side, but it’s going to take a Herculian effort to take the dragon down.
“We believe we can hang with anyone if we just play as a team and execute,” Mahopac senior DB Brandon Fitzpatrick said. “We respect them a lot; they are a very good team.”
As for Carmel; you laid an egg. Get over it, or Week 7 is going to be a laugher, and the last thing you want is them cats from Mahopac turning up their noses at you because you can’t tackle, can’t contain the edge, can’t get set before a snap or, God forbid, don’t care if you get your butts whipped. There was nothing good to say coming out of that loss to Clarkstown North (unless you can find a moral victory in a haystack), #NOTHING POSITIVE!
So let me be the first to put this out there for those in Carmel to read: Mahopac wins, by as many as three scores in Week 7. Go ahead: Blow it up, pin that on your bulletin boards and use it as fodder # PROVE ME WRONG! #IS IT IN YOU.
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.
