ARMONK - A quarterback volunteering to move to the offensive line, a key player forced to miss a game for family reasons, and underclassmen being pushed into big roles -- these aren't ideal situations for the Byram Hills Bobcats, but neither was their halftime deficit against Briarcliff/Hamilton.
While it wasn't the position Byram Hills would've liked, it didn't want to leave room for any excuses or regrets either. Although the visiting Bears gave them trouble to start the game, the Bobcats regrouped and shut out Briarcliff/Hamilton in the second half to win, 20-10, and stay unbeaten.
"Briarcliff came out prepared, and I think we got caught lagging a little bit," Byram Hills coach Simon Berk said. "We didn't put our best foot forward in the first half and we saw you can't sleep on anybody. Skip Stevens runs a great program at Briarcliff. Our guys responded in the second half better on defense. We still weren't finishing drives, but thankfully, we had Luke Weiler kick a couple field goals, George Gjelaj and our defense was huge, and we grinded out a good one."
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Briarcliff/Hamilton denied Byram Hills entry to the end zone in the final seconds of the first half to preserve a 10-7 lead going into the break.
The Bears were able to drive on the Bobcats, and their defense flustered the Bobcats, forcing numerous three-and-outs to start.
"It was a tough one," Gjelaj said. "I feel like we underestimated them at the beginning. They really did punch us in the mouth. We went into the locker room, we spoke about it, and came out firing on all pistons in the second half."
The Bobcats regained the lead on a couple of Weiler field goals, adding a late touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Briarcliff/Hamilton remained resilient. Although it converted on a couple of third and fourth down plays and pushed the Bobcats to the end, it was unable to find the end zone for the remainder of the game.
"I thought we played so much better, we're getting better each and every week, considering the injuries we had from last week's game and the injury we got early with one of our younger guys," Briarcliff/Hamilton coach Skip Stevens said. "We rallied and played really well. I think we got worn down in the fourth quarter, and it's kind of tough, because we're playing ironman football, but I thought we did a really good job. I take away that we're going to be able to play a lot of teams going forward, if we can continuously get better and healthy, we're going to make a little noise here and there with some teams."
What it means
The Bobcats stay unbeaten and will get their shot at defending Section 1 Class B champion Pleasantville next week. They'll see where they stack up against the Panthers in what could potentially be a playoff preview.
"It's gonna be a great matchup," Gjelaj said. "I'm very excited, personally, I've always wanted to go against them. They seem like a very good team, and I can't wait to bring the fire to them."
As for Briarcliff/Hamilton, although it is the team's third straight loss, it's a promising result. After suffering lopsided losses and giving up a combined 93 points to Bronxville and Ardsley, this game was a step in the right direction for the Bears and proof of their growth. The Bears started strong against an undefeated team and will now focus on being able to close out games moving forward.
Player of the game
Luke Weiler, Byram Hills: The Bobcats sophom*ore stepped up in light of big absences, and chipped in everywhere. He had some big tackles defensively, ran for a team-high 74 yards on eight carries, made a couple of receptions and went 2 for 2 in field goal attempts, converting from 36 and 24 yards out.
By the numbers
Byram Hills (4-0) — Jon Accurso completed 17 of 29 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Leff ran the ball 13 times for 63 yards, and made three catches for 33 more yards. Sean Siegel had 63 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Luca Scali had four receptions for 33 yards, including a five-yard touchdown on a shovel pass. Scott Miller added 46 receiving yards on two receptions. Gjelaj batted down four passes from the line of scrimmage. The Bobcats committed 11 penalties for 100 yards. Byram Hills outgained Briarcliff/Hamilton, 352-149.
Briarcliff/Hamilton (1-3) — Desmond Saw had 31 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also caught four passes for 15 yards. Ben Raphael completed 9 of 22 passes for 90 yards. Lucas Proctor made a 23-yard reception that set up the Bears' lone touchdown in the second quarter. Adam Harris had a strip sack and recovered a fumble. Daniel Satran made a 30-yard field goal.
They said it
"We just had to step up, and I knew that our team, everyone, was gonna be good," Weiler said. "We got the job done, and I'm proud of everyone. We have athletes everywhere, and everyone can pretty much play any position."
"We all know who we play next week, and we can warn against it as coaches and players, but we're human — I think everyone's excited for next Saturday (at Pleasantville)," Berk said. "You can't sleep on Class B. It's incredibly competitive, Coach Stevens does a great job and a ton of credit goes to Briarcliff, they didn't go away right until the very end."
Up next
Both teams will return to action on the road next Saturday, Oct. 1. Briarcliff/Hamilton travels to Pearl River for a 2:30 p.m. game, while Byram Hills heads to Pleasantville for a showdown with the defending Section 1 Class B champs. That game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at@erapay5and on Instagram at@byeugenerapay.
