NCN LAX/BASKETBALL BLOG

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We were having issues with our server.

Everything looks to be in order now.

Check out the new Gridiron Stars: Yorktown vs. Greeley.

Again, sorry for the glitch.

Thanks for checking out the blog.

-Isaac

1) Ossining (3-0)
Let down? What let down? Following Ossining’s nail biting 14-13 win over Somers two weeks ago, there was a possibility for a let down in their most recent game against Brewster. However, that wasn’t quite the case, as they came out firing on all cylinders, torching the Bears by a score of 34-6 on Thursday, September 20. Glancing in closer at the stat sheet, it was apparent that Ossining scored all 34 of their points in the first half, which led Coach Ricci to sit his starters the entire second half. Kreamer, who is quickly gaining a reputation with his arm, is looking better every game, as he threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 6-of-9 passing. -IC

We all knew a Jajuan Perez-led defense would be stifling, as they have let up a measly 11 points per game. But with the emergence of Kreamer under center and James Brundage (51 yard, 1 TD, in one half of play) coming out of the backfield, they appear to have the firepower on offense to win in a shootout. I am looking forward to their October 5 match-up with standout out quarterback Mike Matthews and the rest of Fox Lane’s dynamic offense. -IC

2) John Jay (2-1)
After a heartbreaking triple OT loss to New Rochelle, John Jay got back to their winning ways, taking down Mamaroneck, 24-14. Although a win is a win, it was far from a convincing victory, as Mamaroneck hung with the Indians throughout the contest.

With a marquee match-up against Gorton looming on September 29, the Indians will have to revert to the way they played against New Rochelle.

The bulldozing running of junior Alan Filauro was a bright spot for the Indians during their win over the Tigers. Look for him to continue progressing.

Quarterback Chris Bocklet, who suffered a head injury against Mamaroneck, is currently listed as day-to-day. He has performed excellently thus far in a pretty complex offense. His talents will be sorely missed if he doesn’t play on Saturday against Gorton.

Back up quarterback Tom Cylenica is slated to go if Bocklet can’t. -IC

3) Somers (2-1)
Somers got back on track this week beating Lakeland 28-14 at home. Rob Lombardo was a beast rushing for 139 yards and a whopping four touchdowns. Lombardo also made a key stop at the goal line at the end of the first half, stuffing Matt Semenza. Semenza was held to a season-low 69 yards on 19 carries as the Tuskers stepped it up on defense. Somers takes on JFK this week at homecoming as they look to improve to 3-1. -RD

4) Mahopac (3-0)
Mahopac and Fox Lane did their best to re-create last week’s high scoring Browns vs. Bengals match-up, as the Indians took down the Foxes, 46-39, in an old school AFL shootout. ’Pac’s offense, who have put up an eye popping 39 points per game over the first three games of season, are clearly one of the upper echelon offenses in all of Section I. They are exhibiting the tendencies of the 2000 Rams, earning the moniker of ‘the greatest show on turf.’

Justin Autera continued his assault on the stat sheet, rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. However, the X-factor coming out of Mahopac’s backfield was Tyler Perrelle. Perrelle, who is on the smaller side but is lightning quick, rushed for 59 yards on six carries and scored two touchdowns (one of which was receiving). Quarterback Anthony Castellitto had a Carson Palmer like evening, throwing for a season best 171 yards and two touchdowns. What makes it even more impressive is that he achieved the numbers while only throwing 10 passes – seven of which went for completions. Yes, folks: he threw for a ridiculous 24 yards per completion.

The only blemish on the Indians’ resume is their propensity to give up points, as they have relinquished an average of 39 of them per game. Tightening up the screws on defense will vault this squad up in the rankings. -IC

5) Yorktown (2-1)
Welcome to the top five, Huskers. It has been a couple of years since the silver and black, wait, I mean, green and black, have had a winning football team. With the stands jam packed on Thursday night in a 22-7 upset win over visiting Greeley; the winning vibes seem to be reverberating once again. Husker John Fennessy was a complete beast on both sides of the ball, recording a sack on offense and rushing for 116 yards and two pounding touchdowns on offense. He, by far, is the heart and soul of ‘Town’s resurgence. With underwhelming Lincoln, who have been outscored a combined 113-6 over the first the games of the season, coming to ‘Town for homecoming this weekend, there is a good chance the Huskers will find themselves at 3-1 going into a week four showdown with White Plains. -IC

6) Lakeland (1-2)
The Hornets have had a tough go of it in the fiercely competitive League A, which includes such powerhouses as Ossining, Somers and Fox Lane. Although the 28-14 loss to Somers may indicate a lopsided affair, that wasn’t quite the case. Lakeland, bearing down on the end zone with time elapsing in the first half, had a chance to tie the game up at 21-21. But the Tuskers’ goal line stand, spearheaded by Rob Lombardo, turned the visiting Hornets away. This, clearly, was a major momentum changer in the game. Matt Semenza, who had averaged 171 yards over the first two games of the season, was held in check, as he rushed for a season-low 69 yards. Don’t read too much into the 1-2 record, the Hornets are in every single game that they play. I see them bouncing back big time against Greeley, which could leap frog them right back into the top five over neighboring Yorktown. -IC

7) Briarcliff (3-0)
The Bears won a nail biter in double OT over the 0-3 Ardsley team by a 10-7 final. Junior Matt Tompkins kicked the game winning 21 yard-field goal in the second overtime. In the fourth quarter, senior standout Garth Muratori returned a punt 65 yards for Briarcliff’s only touchdown of the game. Briarcliff has their work cut out for them this week as they take on a Pleasantville team that has destroyed their competition outscoring their opponents 119-25 in their three wins. -RD

8) Putnam Valley (2-1)
The Tigers continued their winning ways edging Edgemont 21-7. Putnam Valley’s defense has been outstanding holding teams to an average of seven points per game. Hugh O’Gorman led the Tigers on the ground again rushing for 154 yards on 23 carries. 3-1 is calling the Tigers name as they take on Peekskill this week. -RD

9) Hen Hud (2-1)
The Sailors struggled for most of the game to get anything going against Panas as they were down 6-0 heading into the fourth. After a Panas fumble, Hen Hud capitalized on a beautifully orchestrated screen pass to DeSilva for a 45 yard touchdown. DeSilva would go on to run one in to put the game away. The defense stepped it up big time as Andrew Nieminski was an animal as he totaled 20 tackles. That Matt DeSilva sure can bomb out a punt or two and wow…that kid is fast. The Sailors run into powerhouse Ossining this week but the momentum from this comeback-win could make for an interesting contest. -RD

10) Croton (1-2)
I really thought the Tigers would take down rival Haldane this past Thursday. I guess I was wrong, as they fell, 21-12 to the Blue Devils. They will look to stop the bleeding this Saturday at home against Rye Neck (2-1). -IC

11) JFK (1-2)
Kennedy Catholic falls a bit in the rankings after getting blown out by an angry Nanuet squad 36-8. Nanuet lost to Putnam Valley last week 12-0, so it was like they were taking out their frustrations on poor Kennedy this week. It doesn’t get any easier for the Gaels as they travel to local rival Somers this week for their homecoming. -RD

12) Lincoln Hall (1-2)
The United fell to Bronxville this past week 27-20. Sir Aaron Taylor accounted for two of the Hall’s touchdowns. They take on Valhalla this week. -RD

13) Walter Panas (0-3)
Panas fought tooth and nail with Hen Hud and really dominated the play until it all fell apart for them in the fourth quarter. The Panthers had a 6-0 lead all the way through as they really showed plenty of heart and toughness. Panas moves up a spot as they take on a very tough Fox Lane team this week. -RD

14) Peekskill (0-3)
Peekskill lost to Lourdes by a final of 27-8. They take on Putnam Valley this week. -RD

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Alright, let’s hear what you guys think. You have the floor …

1.Ossining (2-0)
Welcome to #1, Ossining. Justin Kreamer’s game winning 71-yard pass to Jesse Drinks sealed Ossining’s win over Somers and vaulted them into the number one slot of the NCN football poll. Drinks, who is looking more and more like a Santana Moss clone, picked up a total of 117 yards on four receptions. The combination of Drinks and James Brundage – who racked up 154 yards on 26 carries in the win over Somers – is proving to be a dynamic threat for team’s to deal with. Kraemer has a cannon of and arm and he’ll only get more comfortable with the offense as the season progresses. Sure, you could say that the game against Somers could have gone either way and that the two teams are practically even, but in the non-fiction world, it is all about head-to-head wins and losses.

2. John Jay (1-1)
Said by many to be the game of the year, John Jay played their hearts out in a triple overtime, 23-22 loss to reigning Class AA Section One champion New Rochelle. Keep in mind that this game was played sans their best middle linebacker and number one option at TE: James Whalen. Bocklet, playing like a man possessed, ran for 76 yards and passed for 176, which included a 32-yard TD pass to Alan Filauro. Evidenced by Bocklet’s 18 completions, it appears that he is becoming more and more comfortable with the spread offense, which is an anomaly in high school football. If Jay can continue to progress, they have a shot at running the table the rest of the regular season. A re-match with New Rochelle in the playoffs looms ominously in their future …

3. Somers (1-1)
Somers fell in a heartbreaker to Ossining this past Saturday night by a final of 14-13. It looked like the Tuskers had the game in their grasp until Ossining quarterback Justin Kreamer bombed it out to Jesse Drinks for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Tusker running game had some trouble getting going against the monstrous defensive line of Ossining. They had two long runs by Matt Deiana and Rob Lombardo (one of those a 64 yard touchdown run), but beyond that it was a struggle. Somers looks to rebound against a gritty Lakeland team this week on their home turf.

4. Mahopac (2-0)
The combination of Mahopac’s burly line and the beastly running of junior HB Justin Autera is a nightmare in the making for future opponents. Autera, who is only a junior, was ripping off monster runs in a 38-22 win over Ketcham and he averaged a staggering 12.3 yards per carry. With size, speed and strength, Autera is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. In between the tackles he can grind out the yards and has a burst to blow past the secondary. Combine his talents with the strong, steady play of quarterback Anthony Castellitto and the red zone prowess of senior TE Anthony Del Bianco, and you have a formidable offense that should be able to outscore most squads.

5. Lakeland (1-1)
Matt Semenza, who ran for 217 yards and one TD as Hornets shut out the Panthers 24-0, is the most bruising running back within our coverage area. We are talking Earl Campbell-esque. He has the stamina and strength to carry Lakeland on his shoulders. Combine his style of running with scat backs Owen Rice and Chris Leonard, and you have a three-headed monster coming out of the backfield. Even more impressive is the shutout of the Panas offense, which has a very good quarterback in Mike DiDomizio. Joe Mustafa and Semenza both led the unit. Lakeland’s upcoming game on Thursday against Somers will be a marquee match-up.

6. Briarcliff (2-0)
Briarcliff defeated John F. Kennedy Catholic 21-14. The Bears defense looked very impressive as they shut Kennedy out in the second half and forced a fumble for the game winning touchdown recovery. Garth Muratori had a touchdown catch and he also would have had a touchdown return on a kickoff but it was called for holding. Briarcliff takes on Ardsley this week.

7. Yorktown
Yorktown found a weapon in WR Brendan Brunelle, as he scored three TD’s and had 149 yards receiving. The connection of John Froats at quarterback and Brunelle at WR could be the yin to the yang of John Fennesy and Brett Cabrielle running the ball. ’Town will look to get their heads above .500 when they battle the physically imposing Greeeley at home under the lights on Thursday night. This is a huge game for the Huskers, who thought they let one get away in John Jay two weekends ago.

8. Croton (1-1)
Losing to Dobbs Ferry, the defending state champions, 34-7, is nothing to hang your head over. Tigers QB Nick Maniero, who threw a 10-yard TD pass to Tyler Keppler, showed his ability in the loss. He also ran for 82-yards on 13 carries. Hopefully, the game will prove as a valuable learning experience for the inexperienced Tigers. I think they get back on track and take down rival Haldane on Thursday.

9. Putnam Valley (1-1)
Putnam Valley blanked a strong Nanuet squad by a 12-0 final. Their defense was stellar in the shutout, holding Nanuet to a paltry 54 total yards. Senior running back Hugh O’Gorman paced the Tigers on the ground with 18 carries for 123 yards and one touchdown.Pat Considine had three sacks and a fumble recovery on the defensive side of the pigskin. Putnam Valley travels to Edgement this Thursday for a 4:30 p.m. start.

10. Hen Hud (1-1)
The Sailors rebounded nicely this week by blowing out Port Chester 30-8. Halfback Matt DeSilva had 81 rush yards on eight carries and three touchdowns. DeSilva booted a 22 yard field goal, kicked the extra points, and caught two passes for 27 yards. The kid does it all. The defense looked very strong as well led by Mike Billings with 10 tackles. Hen Hud. The Sailors look to keep their winning streak going this week against Panas.

11. John F. Kennedy Catholic (1-1)
The Gaels fell to Briarcliff 21-14. It was a very tightly contested game as Kennedy showed plenty of determination. It could have really gone either way. For the lack of players this team has, they definitely make up for it with heart. Kennedy travels to Nanuet this week.

12. Lincoln Hall (1-1)
Lincoln Hall defeated Haldane in a nail biter with a final score of 27-26. The United showed their tenacity with this first win. Running back Jamal Johney had a 65 yard touchdown run. Quarterback Sir Aaron Taylor had a three yard touchdown pass and ran one in. The United looked much improved and will take on Bronxville this week.

13. Peekskill (0-2)
Peekskill showed signs of improvement this week as they move up a spot. They fell to Albertus Magnus 27-12 but went down with a fight. Quarterback Sergey Cappozzelli had a one-yard touchdown run as well as a touchdown pass to William Zeboris. Peekskill takes on Lourdes this week.

14. Walter Panas (0-2)
Panas got shut-out by Lakeland 24-0 this past week. They take on Hen Hud this week at home.

Alright, this is the newest GRIDIRON STARS.

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This is the season premiere of GRIDIRON STARS.

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