Fast Start Propels Carmel to NYSPHSAA Class AA Finals
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Rams Upend CBA (Albany), 35-27, in Semis, Will Face CBA (Syracuse) at JMA Dome
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
MIDDLETOWN – State-ranked (No.9) Carmel High (11-1) scored the game’s first 14 points before senior QB Christian Nunez went under center for the Rams’ first snap, thus setting the tone for Saturday’s 35-27 NYSPHSAA Class AA semifinal win over state-ranked (No.8) Section 2 champion Christian Brothers Academy (10-2) at Faller Field.
Likable Carmel senior DL Liam Forster scored the first TD of his career with a pick-six for the game’s first touchdown, and the Rams were off and running.
“I just saw it come straight at me, picked it off and I was gone,” said Forster, who added four tackles. “We’ve stayed dedicated and just grind at practice, lock in and stay focused. Our coaches have kept us focused. Going back to the dome is just the best way to end my senior season. It’s just the best.”
After CBA tied the game at 7-all with a short TD pass with 8:17 left in the first, Carmel junior RB Tristan Werlau took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, displaying his eye-popping speed through the gut of the gridiron for a 14-7 lead with 8:04 left in the first.
CBA did not go quietly, adding a final scoring drive in the waning minutes of the fourth, but 2021 NYS champion Carmel, behind the hammer of senior captain Matt Risley, lowered the boom with a pair of first-down conversions to milk enough clock to advance to the state finals for the second time in three years where they will face Section 3’s Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse) in Sunday’s Class AA state finals at 3 p.m. in the JMA Dome in Syracuse. State-ranked (No.5) CBA (Syracuse) knocked off 2022 Class AA state champion Bennett (ranked No.4), 21-8, in the other state semifinal matchup.
“Our mindset is to get paid after every game,” sophomore DE/LB King Mercer said. “We work from Monday through Thursday to get paid on the weekend. This feels great for me, personally, (assistant) coach (Jeff) Hughes believed in me, and now we’re not done yet. We gotta keep on going and working for these kids who brought me along.”
In the second quarter, the Rams began to overpower CBA up front, laying the wood behind Werlau, who bowled over a CBA defender on a 12-yard TD run for a 21-7 lead with 8:31 left before the half. Werlau finished with 57 yards on 15 carries, and added a 32-yard catch.
Leo Venables had a team-high 75 rushing yards and a key fourth-quarter touchdown on 12 carries. Nunez completed 4 of 6 passes for 64 yards, and added 62 more yards and a one-yard touchdown run. Ram WR Ryan Aabel (3 catches, 60 yards), and TE Teddy Galbraith (1 for 15 yards) helped move the chains while DB Damien Santiago had an interception and four tackles (1 TFL).
“It was an electric start,” said Risley, who added a team-high 10 tackles. “The guys came out firing. It’s hard to stop a team like this when we come out like that. It was a little nerve-racking in the end, but I know my guys are going to come through. My guys have my back and this is amazing, no better feeling than to be going back to the dome, and doing it with my best friends only makes it better. I couldn’t write a book better than what’s happening right now. The way we approached things has given us the drive to get back and it’s paying off.”
It paid off early on, the Rams entering the game with a purpose, like a program who understood what it took to advance.
“I said to our coaches, ‘we’re up 14-0 and our offense hasn’t hit the field yet; have you guys ever been in this situation’,” Carmel Coach Tom Donahoe asked? “That was crazy. We’ve talked all year long about playing as a team and picking each other up. There’s a big difference between a bunch of guys in the same uniform and a bunch of guys playing as a team. This is a team in every sense of the word.”
Carmel K Jared Navidad was 5 for 5 on PATs and could be a central figure in the climate-controlled dome where he can hit from 40 under the right conditions.
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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.
