Pleasantville Wins Again by Shutting Out the Tigers
Patrick Bathon might have been seven inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than his counterpart on the other side of the ball, but the Pleasantville cornerback was hardly intimidated.
Facing Putnam Valley’s 6-foot-3 receiver, Jelani Bell-Isaac, on a crucial fourth down, the 5-8 Bathon broke up a floating pass into the end zone from Tigers quarterback Mike Walsh, jamming Bell-Isaac at the line and not giving the junior wide out any space to display his vertical advantage. The ball was batted down, resulting in a turnover and preserving a seven-point lead for the Panthers.
“I feel like I’m stronger and I can jump higher than most of those guys,” Bathon said of the height differential. “I have more of an advantage with my tenacity.”
It’s a tenacity the entire Panthers defense brought to Parkway Field Friday night, shutting down the Tigers at every turn in dominating fashion on the way to a 7-0 home-opening win to move to 2-1 on the year. While the Pleasantville offense struggled providing points, the defense made certain to not allow any. The shutout was the second one in succession for the Panthers, who were riding on the coattails of a 39-0 drubbing of Briarcliff the previous week.
Pleasantville coach Tony Becerra said he ranted at halftime how his team should be up by at least three scores. He did make sure, though, to also recognize the only reason they were ahead at that point.
“I punctuated my statement by saying, ‘Thank God for the defense,’” Becerra said. “… In a game like this, it was the difference.”
Throughout the first half, Pleasantville frustrated Walsh and the rest of the Putnam Valley offense. In the Tigers’ first four possesions, they were forced to punt each time and didn’t pick up one first down. When Putnam Valley finally moved the chains late in the second quarter, the Panthers were able to force a fumble a few plays later that was recovered by Pleasantville’s Kevin Barile.
The only time the Tigers threatened in the first half was when they started with the ball inside the Panther 40 after Pleasantville turned it over on downs. But once again the defense answered the bell with both Cameron Burns and Charlie Montgomery sacking Walsh on the drive.
With the frequency that Walsh was flushed out of the pocket and knocked down, defensive coordinator Chris Degrazia didn’t hesitate to give credit to the defensive line.
“Our (defensive line) are physical, they take a lot of pride in what they do, they’re very disciplined,” Degrazia said. “We try not to put them up field too much and they take control of the offensive line.”
While Putnam Valley sputtered to move the ball, Pleasantville actually showed promise early on. On their second possession, the Panthers trucked their way down the field, courtesy of running back Nick Greto. On a fourth and two, Greto pushed his way forward to move the chains. Two plays later, he went left and bounced to the outside for a 30-yard touchdown run. For the game, the senior captain finished with 89 rushing yards.
Pleasantville had other opportunities to add comfort to a tight 7-0 lead, but each time yellow flags led to disappointing drives. In the third quarter, it appeared fullback Enrico Ruotolo had scored a rushing touchdown, only to be denied by a holding penalty. Another running play pushed the ball to the Tigers’ one-yard line, but again was brought back due to a holding call against the Panthers.
Despite the struggle the Pleasantville offense had trying to increase the lead, Bathon insisted the defense doesn’t feel any additional pressure.
“I think we’re used to it. I think we can handle it,” Bathon said. “But our offense needs to get going because we can’t do this forever.”
For now, though, Bathon and the rest of the defensive unit have held their ground and been a staple for the Panthers’ early season success. Whether Pleasantville can wind up with another shutout against Nanuet next Saturday remains to be seen, but the confidence is undoubtedly there.
“I definitely think so,” Bathon said of a possible third straight shutout. “Our defense can do it.”
Andy is a sports editor at Examiner Media, covering seven high schools in the mid-Westchester region with a notebook and camera. He began there in the fall of 2007 following 15 years as a candid photographer for the largest school picture company in the tri-state area.
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