- #PJTop3: Three of the top football performances in Week Three. Nominate performances by using #PJTop3 on Twitter.
- Jaheim Jones, Lourdes: The sophom*ore rushed for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Warriors in a 54-19 win over Hendrick Hudson. Jones, who is also a track star, broke a 73-yard TD run.
- Phil DeSantis, Marlboro: The running back ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns in the Iron Dukes' 50-20 win over Red Hook on Saturday.
- Kabongo Barry, Spackenkill: The speedster returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and, at cornerback, returned an interception 55 yards for a score in the Spartans' 52-12 win over Pine Plains.
Join us, won’t you, in raising a glass. (Chocolate milk for the children, of course.) Let’s toast to the grunts who operate beyond the spotlight, whose success often is measured in the glory that others receive.
Indeed, a hearty salute to football’s big fellas.
Asked to sum up the performance of the backs after John Jay High School’s victory over intradistrict rival Roy C. Ketcham on Friday, in which the Patriots ran wild and scored five touchdowns, tailback Danny Diedrich was blunt.
“We did nothing,” said the senior, who amassed 186 yards. “I didn’t even get touched on the first run of the second half for a touchdown. That wasn’t me. It’s my linemen.”
He then went on to shout out his offensive linemen: Anthony Mauro, Besmir Latifaj, Chris Callaghan, Anthony Mascia and John Ryan.
“If you ain't got the big boys to block for you,” Arlington right tackle Jordan Valerius said, “you ain’t going anywhere.”
That was evident again this week, with Arlington's fourth consecutive win and Our Lady of Lourdes' bounce-back triumph serving as additional examples.
Gaudy stats and spectacular plays naturally catch our attention as spectators.But really, that stuff is secondary.
Before a ball is handed off or a pass is even attempted, blocks are made. That strenuous battle at the line of scrimmage, from the outset, determines the potential success of a play. It’s an incontrovertible fact, but one that still manages to go overlooked sometimes.
“I do feel that line play gets underrated because nobody sees what's happening behind the big picture,” said Valerius, whose play on both lines has helped Arlington win its first four games. “Being a lineman isn't easy and I think people look at the star players and assume they do all the work.”
Marlboro, Red Hook both aim for improvement after Class B clash
There’s nothing glamorous about blocking technique. A left guard making a second-level clear on a trap pull, impressive as it might be, won’t elicit the same reaction as a leaping catch on a fade route, or even a linebacker making a big tackle.
Aside from tallying pancake blocks, there aren’t many stats to quantify the work of the offensive line, particularly at the scholastic level. That’s the nature of the position. With all that factored, it’s sometimes easy for those contributions to go unnoticed by outsiders. So props to Diedrich for issuing a reminder.
And seconds after he spoke, Ryan stepped forward.
“It just feels good to get some credit for all the yards these guys get,” the Patriots left tackle said. “Everyone sees the skinny kids scoring. But us big guys are what’s allowing them to run for those yards.”
That was said half-jokingly, but he was right. Diedrich and Dylan Burnett each scored twice and Jai’von Reynolds added a touchdown run as John Jay beat Ketcham, 34-0. Time and time again, the edges were sealed and the line created creases for the “skinny kids” to scamper through, relatively unimpeded.
Burnett said in order for a back to succeed, he must have the utmost trust in his line. And surely, the Patriots’ Big Blue Wall has inspired that this season.
For teams like Arlington, Marlboro, John Jay and Our Lady of Lourdes — each of which features a quarterback in his first season starting — that blocking is all the more important. Inexperienced signal-callers, especially, need time to scan the defense, along with and a clean and comfortable pocket.
“(When) a running back, quarterback or fullback sees the offensive line dominating, they get more confidence,” said Anthony D’Urso, left tackle for Lourdes. “When someone is confident and protected, they play better.”
It couldn’t get much better for the Warriors than it did on Friday, when the defending Section 1 Class A champs throttled Hendrick Hudson, 54-19. Jaheim Jones, in his first year on varsity, racked up 165 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yard burst. Joe Scaglione, who had missed the previous three games with a broken arm, returned to rush for 155 yards and two scores. All told, Lourdes ripped up 416 yards on the ground.
Solid work by the backs. Which meant a heck of a job by D’Urso, Cam Jones, John Stefano, Kevin Johansson and Dan Napolitano.
It shouldn’t be ignored that even the proudest linemen, more often than not, fancied themselves quarterbacks and ball carriers at some point. But in many cases, nature (and good food) dismissed those dreams.
D’Urso has been playing offensive line since the second grade, back when he was a center on his flag football team. “I was a large child,” said the junior, who now stands 6-foot-3. “I was the biggest kid on my team.”
He got to carry the ball once —and only once —running in a two-point conversion for the Southern Dutchess Packers. Those few seconds of glory as a 7-year-old, he joked, “was the best moment of my life.”
Now, he said, pride comes from seeing the success of the players he’s tasked with blocking for.
Valerius began playing offensive line in the ninth grade. Initially, he “wasn’t very fond of the position.” But that changed in time, as he grew to learn more about the value of his role.
“Throughout the years I've seen what a team can do if they have a great 'O'-line,” he said. “Teams with intelligent linemen who work hard are the ones that usually win the most games.”
So, yes, raise the glass. And take a bite of that apple cider doughnut. Because football in autumn is big dude season.
Top Week Four game
Beacon 26, Byram Hills 21 — Manny Garner recovered a fumble and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown with a minute left as the Bulldogs rallied from behind late. Andre Davis' 3-yard touchdown run had pulled Beacon within a point with three minutes left. Byram Hills attempted to convert a fourth-and-2 to run out the clock, but fumbled, allowing Garner to win it for Beacon.
Week Four scoreboard
John Jay 34, Ketcham 0
Marlboro 50, Red Hook 20
Arlington 38, Mahopac 8
Beacon 26, Byram Hills 21
Spackenkill 52, Pine Plains 12
Lourdes 54, Hendrick Hudson 19
Pawling 20, Haldane
Wallkill 12, Poughkeepsie 6
Lakeland 3, Highland 0
Washingtonville 43, Roosevelt 7
Dobbs Ferry 42, Millbrook 12
O'Neill 78, Dover 40
Burke14, New Paltz 6
T op Week Five matchup
Arlington at Spring Valley, at 7 p.m.Friday— At this point, Arlington's games have become must-watch, at least until its unexpected undefeated streak comes to an end.The Admirals pulled out their first two wins in dramatic fashion, but they've won the last twodecisively. Can they keep it going against a quality opponent in Spring Valley?
Week Fiveschedule
Friday
Highland at New Paltz, 5 p.m.
Roosevelt at Kingston, 7 p.m.
Poughkeepsie at Port Jervis, 7 p.m.
Ellenville at Pine Plains, 7 p.m.
Fallsburg at Millbrook, 7 p.m
Marlboro at Rondout Valley, 7 p.m.
Fox Lane at John Jay, 7 p.m.
Arlington at Spring Valley, 7 p.m.
Saturday
O'Neill at Spackenkill, 3 p.m.
Haldane at Rye Neck, 3 p.m.
Lourdes at Byram Hills, 3 p.m.
Carmel at Ketcham, 3 p.m.
Eastchester at Beacon, 3 p.m.
Goshen at Red Hook, 7 p.m.
Dover at Liberty, 7 p.m.
Football Huddle appears every Monday in thePoughkeepsie Journal, breaking down the weekly stories on the gridiron. Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
