Playoffs on Tap: Class A Somers, B Westlake Secure Top Seeds

Byram Hills to Meet Pleasantville in Class B Playoffs; PV vs. Valhalla in Class C Finale

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Direct Rays

The stage is set. A regular season full of preparation is now a win or go home scenario as the Section 1 grid playoffs are on tap in Classes AA, A and B, with Class C getting their playoff ducks in a row with one more week of regular season games to finalize the seeding.

CLASS A

Two-time defending NYS Class A champion SOMERS, winners of 21 straight games, secured the No.1 seed within the North League as it paid a nasty visit to LAKELAND in 49-0 beatdown, in which Somers senior QB Miguel Iglesias hit on 13 of 17 passes for 254 yards and four TD strikes, two of which went to senior RB Mason Kelly (3 catches, 105 yards). Kelly, a Brown University lax commit, also hit paydirt on a 10-yard jaunt.

Why anyone would kick or punt directly to Somers junior Dean Palazzolo is another question, but he did make Lakeland pay dearly when he took a punt 56 yards to the house. The speedster also reeled in six passes for 107 yards and another score. The Tuskers (8-0) also saw Will Marcus and Bret Kennedy score their first TDs of the season.

YORKTOWN secured No.2-North League seed in its 31-24 win over visiting BREWSTER Friday. Husker junior RB Tyler Galante had himself a career day, breaking Thomas Costello’s all-time regular season receiving TD record after his ninth TD catch of the season. The three-sport stud (hoops, baseball) also tied Thomas’ single season reception record with 40. Galante finished the night with four catches for 74 yards and two scores and picked off a pass on defense.

The Swiss-army-knife kid they call “Tybo” (affectionately dubbed by his uncle) has done more than his fair share in every aspect of football, according to Huskers Coach Pantelis Ypsilantis.

“Tybo is special in every sense of the word on the football field,” the coach said. “He’s a rare breed who gets it done on offense, defense, and special teams. On offense he has played every single skill position for us from RB, H-Back, Slot, and WR. Defensively he plays both corner and safety. He had an impactful year for us as a sophomore, and we had high hopes coming into this season, but he has exceeded even those expectations. He gives 110% every rep he’s out there, which is essentially the entire game, and is a big play waiting to happen every single time the ball is in his hands. His statistics this season have been incredible, but that only tells part of the story. You’d be hard pressed to find someone in Section 1 who does more for their team in every phase of the game.”

Husker senior QB Kaden Gonzlaez hit on 12 of 25 passes for 161 yards and two TD strikes. RB Tyler Caricati rushed for 85 yards on 19 totes and Chad Bowen rushed for a pair of scores. Roccoe Lore (sack) and Michael Desiderio each had six tackles for the Huskers (5-3).

Yorktown will host No.3-South seed Eastchester Friday night in the opening round of the Class A playoffs.

Brewster’s Chase Prohaszka rushed for two TDs and threw for a third. Brewster responded to Yorktown’s opening score with a 61-yard double reverse pass from Prohaszka to Tre Ficcarra to bring the ball to the Yorktown 10 where Prohaszka ran around right end to knot the score. The teams traded field goals in the second quarter as Bear Jacob Ercole connected from 22 yards out to tie the score at 10-10 going into the half. Yorktown appeared to take control in the third quarter, scoring two TDs to take a commanding 24-10 lead but the Bears fought back.

Marco Parrello had an interception for the Bears (5-3). On the next possession, the Bears had a fourth and two from their own 23 yard line and chose to go for it. Prohaska snapped off tackle and cut back for an electric 77-yard TD run, bringing the packed bleachers to their feet. Prohaszka then hit Abe Sanchez with a game-tying TD pass, but Yorktown moved the ball down the field and scored with 1:30 left to seal the deal.

“Our kids play hard week in and week out,” Mulvihill said. “They give us their all. We’ve cut down on a lot of our mistakes and we are giving ourselves a chance to win tight games.”

The Bears’ loss was costly in terms of playoff seeds as they tumbled to No.4-North and will open up with No.1-South Rye, ranked No.3 in NYS, Friday (7pm).

“Rye is a defending state champion and an elite program and has been for years,” Mulvihill said. “We’ll have to play our best to contend with them.”

While the loss was costly, the homecoming event was one to behold, according to Brewster Coach Ed Mulvihill.

“Homecoming 2024 was an event not to be missed,” the coach said. “A huge bonfire, a raucous enthusiastic crowd, a great game and an incredible fireworks show after the game made it a memorable night for all. Athletic Director Dean Berardo, first year Superintendent Michelle Gosh and the Board of Education made this happen and they can’t be thanked enough.”

MAHOPAC (5-3) suffered a 14-0 setback at Clarkstown South but still secured the No.3-North seed and will visit No.2-South Harrison (4-3) in the opening round. If Mahopac doesn’t advance, the peanut gallery will erupt; simple as that.

FOX LANE suffered a costly 43-7 setback to visiting John Jay CR, which had but one win coming in. The banged-up Foxes, who were forced to play without the services of QB John Czernyk two-way stud Will Rudolph, closed the regular season at 3-4, just short of qualifying for the playoffs.

“We just couldn’t sustain it,” Fox Lane Coach Andrew Giuliano said. “Plus John Jay played really well, not going to take anything away from them. They were physical and played a great game. Not making excuses but is what it is. We had such potential this year. Really feel bad for the seniors. They are a great group and they’ll be fine, but I would have liked to see how things would have shaken out if our QB plus those other guys didn’t go down.”

CLASS AA

CARMEL’s 32-6 win over New Rochelle averted catastrophe and secured the No.4-A seed in the upcoming playoffs where the Rams will host No.5 Arlington Friday. Efficient Carmel QB Brian McGrory hit on 16 of 20 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of TD strikes to senior WR Aiden White, who went for a career-high 11 catches and 176 yards. RB Tamba Kassoh carried 18 times for 94 yards and a score. Ram TE Teddy Galbraith had a 22-yard touchdown reception and two tackles for loss while sophomore Willy Melikian made six tackles and rushed for a 22-yard score.

OSSINING, yes Ossining, finished the regular season at 6-1, but the competition will increase incrementally as the No.1B-League champs will now face the upper crust from here on out, including an opening round battle at No.2A Scarsdale.

Pride RB Jyquis Ramirez went for 79 yards and a tuddy on 19 carries while Amare Ibarra picked up 104 yards on 14 carries in a 6-0 win at East Ramapo Friday. The athletic Pride have benefited from a sub-power league schedule and will be highly tested from this point on.

CLASS B

WESTLAKE, ranked No.17 in NYS, silenced any doubts in Saturday’s 21-0 win over PLEASANTVILLE, thus securing the No.1 seed and a visit from No.8 Nanuet in the opening round of the playoffs. The Wildcats (7-0) have allowed just seven points in the last four games #Incredible.

The offense was firing behind QB Brayden Lingeza, who trotted to paydirt on an 8-yard first-quarter scamper. He was a wiz on defense as well, picking off a pair of passes and taking one for a pick-6. Wildcat RB Harry Hudd scooted 30 yards for a third-quarter score after recovering a fumble earlier in the first half. Cole Barnett also had an interception for the Wildcats and Nicholas DiNapoli rushed for over 75 yards.

“Our offensive and defensive lines were stout throughout the game,” Wildcat Coach Mark Castellano said.

While the Wildcats have the No.1 seed in the section, state pollsters are still calling state-ranked (No.6) Bronxville (7-0) the team to beat and represent Section 1 in the state tourney #CollisionCourse.

No.4 Pleasantville will host No.5 BYRAM HILLS in the opening round after the Bobcats handled Nanuet, 28-21, when speedster Tyler Marescot scored the go-ahead touchdown with four minutes left. Daniel Leff was a beast on both sides of the ball, getting 12 tackles (1TFL) and going for a rushing and  receiving TD on offense. Michael Bordoni tied the game up in the third quarter with an electrifying 70-yard catch and run for the Bobcats (6-2).

Byram Coach Simon Berk also cited the efforts of standout efforts on defense and special teams from Michael Nezaj (blocked punt and two passes batted down) and Danny Farrelly and Evan Petta (each recording sacks and special teams tackles).

Byram defeated Pleasantville just two weeks ago, 26-22, in a nailbiter. Expect another.

CLASS C

PUTNAM VALLEY set all kinds of school records Friday night, including points scored in a game, in its 62-35 win over visiting Dobbs Ferry. Tiger QB Mateo Dobra fired five TD passes (a school record), including a pair to senior WR/RB Caden Glenn, who also rushed for a pair of scores. Glenn surpassed Anthony Gentile’s (Class of 2012) single-season touchdown record of 14 TDs. Glenn sits at nine rushing and eight receiving TDs for 17 TDs. He is tied with Ricky Mesiter (Class of 2024) for career touchdowns at 21. Glenn is 89 receiving yards away from the single season receiving yards record for the school.

Dobra has surpassed Connor Gembecki (Class of 2012) in single season passing yards. Gembecki was at 794 and Dobra is now sitting at 1,030 yards. He is the first QB to throw for over 1,000 yards in PV history.

Dobra has the record for most TD passes thrown in a single game for PV and is three touchdown passes away from the career touchdown pass record for PV, which is held by Zack Nolan (Class of 2015).

The Tigers (5-2) also saw RB Andre Tarrant (eight carries, 118 yards) rush for a score and haul in another TD strike from Dobra. WR Jay Constantino had two receiving TDs and 85 yards, and Andrew Grippo ran a kickoff back for a TD. John Alfaro was 8 for 8 on PATs and has proven to be a weapon on specials.

“This was a big test for us,” PV Coach Ryan Elsasser said. “Dobbs Ferry is always well coached and can bring it. We told the kids that they needed to bring their best, and I think that for the most part they did just that. We definitely need to clean things up and get ready for Valhalla next week. OC Anthony Capozzi had the offense moving and we were able to get a lot of different athletes touching the ball this game. I think that it was obvious that Caden Glenn set the tone early in the game and kept at it for four quarters. He is one of a few kids on our roster that I do not feel has received the notice that he deserves. He showed how dynamic he is this game with 150 yards on the ground and 108 in the air with four touchdowns. The best part of our team is that we have a lot of guys that can get after it. Andre Tarrant added a rushing and receiving touchdown and 14 tackles, Jay Constantino brought in two touchdowns, and Andrew Grippo was explosive on returns running one back. I am very proud of the entire group and how they rose up to the challenge this week. We will be working hard to come out with that same energy against Valhalla. We enjoyed the win especially at home, and now we are back on the grind for next week.”

VALHALLA RB Luke Foisett needed just six carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns in the state-ranked (No.9) Vikings 42-14 romp of Woodlands. The Valhalla rushing attack was, once again, absurdly proficient behind a beastly O-line, as RB Bryan Moulard (7 tackles on D) added 104 yards and a score on just five carries and Tyler Ratti made the most of his five totes, adding 69 yards and two TDs. RB Josh Bergey needed just three rushes for 36 yards and one TD. Luca Cavallo sacked the QB twice and Keelan Mahon (6 for 6 PATs) was perfect on the night. Both clubs are looking forward to a solid week of preparation before the Vikings visit the Tigers Friday (6 pm).

“We know we’ve got our hands full for sure,” Viking Coach Dan DeMatteo said. “It’s going to be fun.”

CLASS D

While tuning up for its eventual sectional title playdate with Tuckahoe, HALDANE worked a 35-0 win over Hastings, doing so behind two TD passes from QB David Powlis (4 of 5, 109 yards). Brody Corless, Merrick Williams and Jake Thomas each rushed for a score. Thomas and Corless each snagged a touchdown pass. Mikey Philips (9 tackles, 3 sacks) was a menace on defense.

 

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/NINA ESPOSITO PHOTOS