Grid Notebook

Carmel Excels in All Facets of 51-0 Win; Yorktown Survives Panas

There were some succinct giveaways and takeaways in Week 1 of the Section 1 grid season, and we’re here to feature some of them. Hopes that were high along the local campaign trail to open the year, and some may have taken a hit in what was a weekend of washouts and blowouts with the depths of disparity already revealed among the haves and the have nots. Here’s the give and take after one week of action.

CLASS AA

There was a perfect storm in CARMEL last Friday night and the end result saw Coach Todd Cayea’s Rams perform in every phase of the game in a 51-0 League North-West raid of visiting Suffern on opening day. Offense, defense, special teams… you name it, the Rams (1-0) executed.

Shifty junior RB James Cox had 10 carries for 155 yards and a TD, shoring up the ground game. Carmel QB Peyton Cayea went 6 for 8 for 57 yards and 2 TD passes while rushing for 33 yards and another score. Sleek junior RB/DB Alex Beauchesne took a short pass for a 30-yard score, rushed for one TD and snared a 70-yard pick-six to the house. RB Sam Duke added another TD and a crunching block on Beauchesne’s INT.

“Overall, it was a great team effort,” Carmel Coach Todd Cayea said. “James Cox really stepped up at running back. He gives us another shifty back with great speed. We have been trying to find someone to complement Duke, and he made a great first impression. Defensively, led by McCabe and Parisi, we were able to hold the run game in check and force them to throw. We got a couple of turnovers, which is something we have been stressing since day one of camp. We’ve got lots of work to be done but a good start.”

The Giveaway: Cox and Beauchesne, who flew somewhat under the radar going in, will now be a major focus of opposing defensive coordinators, who will certainly lose some sleep in the weeks ahead as they try to choke the throttle of this potent, multi-pronged attack.

The Takeaway: The Rams looked every bit the part of a legit contender in dismantling Suffern, serving serious notice to the rest of Section 1, but they will get a legit test in Week 2 against visiting Arlington, a 60-6 winner over Ramapo.

MAHOPAC took a 21-0 League North-West setback on the chin from visiting John Jay EF, breaking down throughout the second half of a 7-0 halftime game. The Indians (0-1) struggled to get the ball downfield with consistency.

“It was not such a good night for us,” second-year Mahopac Coach Dominick DeMatteo admitted. “We played solid defense in the first half and moved the ball at times. However, we were just too inconsistent on offense. In the second half we really struggled to get anything going. Then, we wore down.

The Giveaway: Senior QB Anthony Corrado (5 of 16 for 28 yards passing, 29 rush yards) and senior WR Reahl Allen (3 receptions, 18 yards) connected for a few quick hitters, but the timing was off down field, mostly due to breakdowns up front that allowed for mega-pressure by the Patriots.

The Takeaway: Mahopac senior RB Tim Cegielski (11 rushes, 79 yards) was the most consistent player for the Indians, who have a ton of work to do if they are going compete and challenge for one of eight playoff spots.

OSSINING (1-0) provided outgoing Coach Dan Ricci with some opening-night hope in 21-14 win over the visiting Yonkers Force.

The Giveaway: The Force is in its first season as a combined program, and its going to take more than this win to believe the Pride are legit league title contenders, but any win is a great win in Ricci’s swan-song season.

The Takeaway: Ossining RB John Turnquist, who shook off rust and rushed for two touchdowns after missing last season with a broken hip, provides a sweet 1-2 punch with bruising RB Izaiah Steen.

CLASS A

HEN HUD (0-1) may have lost the battle, 27-25, to Spring Valley, but Coach Mike Lynch’s Sailors may be in the war for one of the eight Class A playoff spots after the qualifying round of 16 is complete.

The Giveaway: Spring Valley is just one of three extremely difficult foes right out of the gate, and it only gets tougher when Lourdes and reigning sectional champ Yorktown come calling in Week’s 2-3, respectively. Hen Hud better strap on its collective big boy pads early and embrace smash-mouth football in both trenches in order to make some stops on defense and get stud senior RB Jordan Grullon (5 carries, 3 yards) going in the run game.

The Takeaway: The Sailors can, apparently, line up and play some smash-mouth football on the offensive side of the ball, given that senior QB Manny Carbone hit on 20 off 33 passes for 255 yards and three TD passes to senior TE Mike Fasolino (5 grabs, 102 yards, TD), junior WR Marcus Lenz (7 catches, 72 yards, TD) and Grullon (4 receptions, 41 yards, TD). Carbone added 14 carries, 82 yards and a TD on the ground.

YORKTOWN (1-0), the reigning Section 1 champ and NYS runner-up, had to run for cover in the fourth against a furious comeback bid from visiting WALTER PANAS (0-1) in a 27-25 Cornhusker League B win.

The Giveaway: The Huskers will need their new leadership corps to keep the unit focused for four quarters. “It was a weird ending,” Husker boss Mike ‘House’ Rescigno said. “It made the win feel junky. It was not an acceptable ending to a good start. You cannot play to merely survive. We gotta play the whole game all-in. I can tell you that our kids understand that now. Hats off to Panas and Coach Patronik for their perseverance.”
The Panthers, if nothing else, proved they can’t afford slow starts but have the firepower and some gadgetry to score points in bunches.

The Takeaway: Yorktown may have found the two dudes who can try to fill the shoes of departed Brett Makar when RB Nick Campanaro chugged for 166 yards on the ground, including a pair of TD scoots, and sophomore RB Keith Boyer gashed the Panthers for another 131 yards on just 10 totes, including a TD trot. The Huskers rushed for 380 yards, including 70 by QB Tommy Weaver. The coach cited Naim Sinanaj and Ben Robinson for blocking very well, and the defensive efforts of Reese Andrews and Alex Debenedictus.

The Panthers have to feel pretty good about hanging more than tough with the defending champs and should get better with time. “We did start slow but the kids played through injuries and early mental mistakes to make it a game,” Patronik said. “David Louis, Sean Laukaitis and Lucas Feliciano played terrific and really us in it.”

SOMERS (0-1) could do nothing to contain John Jay QB Bryce Ford, who rushed 26 times for a staggering 269 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another 120 yards and two TDs in an impressive 34-20 win over the host Tuskers.

The Giveaway: The Tuskers clearly have work to do if they are going to remain among the elite in Class A, which they have pretty much been since the turn of the century. All things being cyclical, maybe, just maybe, the Tuskers come back to the pack this season, if only for a year.

The Takeaway: Somers FB Jack Kaiser had 17 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns, so it appears as though veteran Coach Tony DeMatteo has a workhorse back he can trust. Tusker DL Logan D’Anna (three tackles for loss and forced a fumble, which was returned 55 yards for a score by teammate Kevin Graber) got great push up front.

BREWSTER (1-0) came out rocking in a 46-20 win over visiting Sleepy Hollow last Friday.

The Giveaway: Sleepy is far and away one of the weakest foes on the Bears;’ schedule, so the sledding will get tougher from here on out.

The Takeaway: When Bears QB Brendan Fox rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another, it became clear that the Bears have a leader who can spread the ball around (five different Bears scored) and showed great poise in front of a raucous crowd.

LAKELAND (0-1) had to know that visiting Lourdes would be among the toughest home openers in the section and its 48-6 loss to a Warriors team that many are touting as legit sectional title contenders, was ample proof of that.

The Giveaway: Lourdes will seriously challenge Clarkstown South for the No.1 seed in Class A this season, and youthful Lakeland, which is already banged up, will be in a battle to reach the field of 16.

The Takeaway: Lakeland brought it to Lourdes on its first two drives, doing so as sophomore QB Tyler Santucci hit on 6 of 10 passing for 88 yards and a 26-yard score to Robert Hart for a 6-0 lead.

CLASS B

Host PUTNAM VALLEY (0-1) suffered a 14-8 league setback to reigning Section 1 Class C champion Albertus Magnus (now a lead dog in Class B) last Friday night.

The Giveaway: If the Tigers were seriously going to contend for the Class B crown, they were going to need a home victory on opening night against one of the top contenders, but Class B is more open than ever given two-time defending champion Pleasantville’s 34-6 loss to Ardsley, which may have just assumed the role of favorites.

The Takeaway: PV senior RB/LB John Listwan will give opposing defenders nightmares. On film, they will fret his load, on gameday they will hope to gang tackle better than the Falcons did Friday when Listwan went for 132 yards and a score on 19 carries. The captain also added 14 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble on the other side of the ball. Throw in Pleasantville’s loss to Ardsley and all is NOT lost. The show must go on!

“John was a bruiser,” PV Coach Ryan Elsasser said. “He was a high-impact player. He was not only running by players, but he was also running through them. Unfortunately, our youth showed this week. We had some younger players making some mistakes offensively that cost us a few possessions. All in all, the game came down to special teams and Albertus Magnus outplayed us in that area of the game. We saw both good and bad things Friday night, and we will need to push the good and polish up the bad. I think we have the possibility of being much better.”