Tappan Zee set to travel, hopes to slow down John Jay

Dutchmen’s no-name defense will face a stiff challenge when it goes against the high-octane Indians

BY MARC MATURO 

The vaunted no-name defense that has anchored the Tappan Zee High School football team will have its hand full Saturday night when it travels across the river to challenge high-scoring John Jay.

The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

The Dutchmen, coming off a convincing 20-0 victory over Port Washington, have won four of five contests, holding their opponents to less than six points a game on average.

The host Indians, who have a seemingly so-so 3-2 mark, are coming off a 41-0 thrashing of Pearl River, which fell to Tappan Zee in the Orange Bowl, 25-7.

John Jay – featuring a no-huddle go-get-’em offense – is averaging 29 points a game. It remains to be seen if Tappan Zee, whose only loss was at Walter Panas (14-10), can do anything to slow down the Indians.

The Indians, led by veteran coach Jimmy Clark, have many weapons offensively, including returnee Jackson Rieger, a wide receiver whose older brother now plays lacrosse at the University of Richmond. John Jay, in fact, has many players on the roster who also play lacrosse, which perhaps accounts for the team’s offensive prowess.

Thor Adamec, another returnee, is a dual threat as a rusher and receiver while Benji Gecha is a 265-pound two-way tackle.

Tappan Zee, which is averaging 21 points, is led by running back Nick Violetto and Tommy McGivney, a touchdown threat as a receiver.

GRIDIRON RECAPS

Scarsdale 31, North Rockland 7: The once-beaten host Raiders ran over the once-formidable 2-3 Red Raiders behind Nick Leone’s 200-plus rushing yards. Cameron Lewis had 46 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for North Rockland, with sophomore Jeffrey Abrams going 8 of 15 for 96 yards. North Rockland’s faithful will again be put to the test when Clarkstown North comes to call on October 8 at 1:30 p.m.

New Rochelle 39, Clarkstown South 18: The powerhouse Huguenots came to West Nyack and made it five for five on the season with relative ease against the previously unbeaten Vikings.  Samuel Mistretta scored on a 45-yard interception return, while quarterback Matt Jung had a 36-yard TD toss to Kyle Samuels and Michael Tagaris booted a 40-yard field goal.

Arlington 38, Spring Valley 14: The Admirals stopped the Tigers’ running game in raising their record to 5-0 and another game closer to earning the top seed in the Class AA playoffs. Isaish Dean and Michael Maynes scored for Spring Valley. Coach Andrew Delva’s squad, which suffered its first loss in five contests, expects to rebound at home on October 8 against Ketcham at 1:30 p.m.

Clarkstown North 33, Suffern 7: The Rams had too much firepower for the Mounties, especially in the form of Eric Maurer, who rushed for 190 yards and three TDs, and also caught a TD pass from Jake Katz. North looks for its fifth victory of the season at North Rockland on October 8 at 1:30 p.m. The Mounties will be looking for their second win when they visit Mamaroneck on October 7 at 7 p.m.

Somers 48, Nyack 13: Coach Tony DeMatteo has the Tuskers off to a 5-1 start following a rout at MacCalman Field. The Indians, struggling at 1-4 against a daunting schedule, face yet another tough opponent on October 7 when they visit unblemished (5-0) Yorktown for a 7 p.m. contest.

Westlake 35, Nanuet 8: The mighty, unbeaten Wildcats, led by veteran one-time Nyack coach John Castellano, spotted the visiting Golden Knights an early lead before rolling to their fifth victory in a rematch of last year’s Section 1 Class B championship. Jake Stein led Nanuet with 56 rushing yards and Connor Breit, who had to leave the game with a leg injury, scored on a 2-yard plunge. Quarterback Thomas Fay also was lost for much of the game due to a concussion protocol. The Golden Knights (3-2)   travel to Putnam Valley on October 7 for a 7 p.m. contest.

Albertus Magnus 35, Croton-Harmon 0: Following a lopsided victory on the road, the Falcons (3-2) meet Hastings (4-2) on October 7 at 7:30 p.m.

John Jay 41, Pearl River 0: The Pirates (2-3) were overwhelmed at home, and the schedule gets even more oppressive on October 7 when Coach Mike Oliva and Co. meet powerhouse Somers at 7 p.m. in Lincolndale.

White Plains 44, Ramapo 22: The visiting Gryphons were unable to stop Glenmour Osbourne, who had 205 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. Ramapo (1-4) hosts Mount Vernon on October 7 at 7 p.m.

COLLEGIATE CLIPS: Clarkstown South HS alum Shane Cronin of West Nyack made a 34-yard tiebreaking field goal with 26 seconds remaining as Cortland rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat Hartwick, 50-47, in an Empire 8 game in Oneonta. Donny Davis of New City carried the ball 15 times for 107 yards and two TDs as the Red Dragons improved to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Cortland hosts Buffalo State on October 8, at 1 p.m. … Former North Rockland High School trackman Liam Joyce of Stony Point is running his first season on the cross country team at SUNY Potsdam. The Bears are pointing toward the Hamilton Short Course Meet on October 22 at Clinton, starting at 11 a.m. … Led by Darren Guzman of Teaneck, N.J., the Dominican College men’s cross country team placed seventh at the Queensborough CC Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.. Guzman clocked 29:11.9 over the 8.05k race, followed by freshman Andrew Souza of New London, Conn., and Rollens Florvil of Spring Valley. The Chargers travel to Caldwell, N.J., on October 15 to compete at the Cougar Chase at 3 p.m. … The Dominican College men’s soccer team hosts Goldey Beacom College on October 8 at 2:30 p.m. Steven Hegner of Pomona is a senior goaltender while Tom Kcira of New City is a junior defensemen for the Chargers. … Sophomore forward Chris Estevez of Garnerville has five goals on the men’s soccer team at St. Thomas Aquinas College, while Nicholas Fiore of New City is a defensive back for the Spartans. STAC meets Molloy College on October 8 at 2 p.m. at its home turn field off Route 340 in Sparkill.

THIS & THAT: Former Yankees public relations honcho Marty Appel heads a list of inductees into the Spring Valley High School Sports Hall of Fame, which will take place Saturday night, October 8 at the Crown Plaza in Suffern beginning at 6 p.m. Also being inducted:  Howie Allen, Dwight Berry, John Boykin Sr., Joe Carbone,  Lisa Kane Contremi, Perry Genovese, Kathleen Haubner, Jeff Levy, Russell Roefs, Quana Phillips Torres, former NFL player Charlie White, and posthumously Robert Goff and Geoffrey Miller. For additional info, contact Soreida Ashcroft at vicaro-ashcroft@live.com. … The 8^th annual Tappan Zee High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held on Sunday night, November 27 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Blauvelt beginning at 5 p.m. The new inductees: Dick Loughlin, Class of 1957; Charles Hogan, 1959; Ranieri Rotelli, 1963; Paul Gibaldi, 1979;  Carol Duke-Habel, 1981; Patrick Linehan, 1990; Coach Hugh Short; 1958-59 boys championship basketball team. For additional info, call 845-680-1640. … Bob Wirz has spent a lifetime in Major League Baseball, including a stint as public relations direction with the Yankees. “The Passion of Baseball,” his latest book (Ravenwood Publishing), tells the headline-making, celebrity-filled story of living out the dream of a tiny town lad who grew up in the  sand hills of Nebraska and went on to head up MLB’s media fishbowl for more than a decade in New York City.  “The Passion of Baseball” ($20.95) may be ordered via Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo or WirzandAssociates.com.  eBooks also are available from B&N and Amazon. … The Rockland County Softball Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony will be held October 7 at 7 p.m. at Pasta Cucina restaurant in Suffern. Tickets at the door are $35, which includes dinner. The inductees: Steve Wishner, James Parker, Lynn Pinkson, Chuck Todd and Bruce Gebhardt, players; Ed Micklos, manager; Company B, team. For additional info contact Andre Chiavelli at andrechiavelli@yahoo.com