State-Ranked No. 1 Panthers Seek 2nd NYS Title Since 2019

Westlake, P’ville Gridders Advance to Section Finals; P’ville Harriers Trek to States By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor Ranked No. 1 in NYS, the Class B PLEASANTVILLE Panthers took their show on the road last week, working their way back to Pantherland with a NYS regional championship and another forthcoming road trip to the NYSPHSAA Final 4 at Cortland High School Saturday (2:30 p.m.) after defeating Section 8’s Carle Place, 6-0, Sunday at Farmingdale State College. The finals are slated for Sunday (3:00 p.m.) should the Panthers (19-1) advance beyond Section 3’s Marcellus, ranked No. 2 in NYS. The Panthers will be looking for the second state title in school history (2019). As irony would have it, Pleasantville, should it advance, might see neighboring Briarcliff in the state finals if the state-ranked (No. 12) Bears can upset Section 2’s (No. 7) Schuylerville in the other state semifinal. Against Carle Place, Pleasantville super-soph Samantha Schultz had a hand in all six Panther tallies, scoring a pure hat trick to start the game, before adding a fourth, in addition to setting up a pair of tallies by prolific senior Faith Brown, who also assisted on one of Schultz’s goals. The dynamic duo would not be denied on the state stage. “The entire team is so excited to go to states because we have worked so hard all season for this,” said Schultz, who will ultimately go down as one of the state’s all-time scorers when all is said and done. “Before the game everyone was a little nervous, but we knew that we were well prepared and ready for this game. I’m so happy that we get another week together because I really don’t want this season to end. The girls and the coaches are making this season so special, and I think we worked really hard for this win today and we are all really excited for the next step.” The Panthers have allowed just eight goals all season behind sophomore keeper Willa King, who went over 150 career saves last week, and a stout back line of Emma Perry, Gemma Vecchiariello, Alexandra Bowins, Kate Moscato and others. With the finish line in sight, the entire unit is focused on the only thing that matters: securing the program’s second state title. “Our postseason run has been so exciting so far and we can’t wait to continue in Cortland next week,” Brown exclaimed! “The group of girls we have this year is so special. We’ve worked so hard to get into the position we are in now and it’s been so rewarding so far. As much as the scores are high, I do think there’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes by our entire team, including our coaches, that allows us to be in the spot we are in. The culture we’ve developed in this program is unmatched, and everyone is bonded by the desire to win and the love for the sport. Marcellus will definitely be exciting because they are an incredibly talented team. It’s crazy how the brackets turned out but regardless of the team, we’re excited to compete.” In the 7-0 win over Section 9 champion Burke Catholic, Brown and Schultz each had two goals and two assists while senior Avery Dahan and junior Nehla Sauthoff each added a goal and an assist. Freshman Anna Davidson scored another and sophomore Kate Moscato had an assist. King notched six saves in the shutout. P’ville biggest test – some in the know have suggested – will be the semifinal matchup with Marcellus. The Mustangs come equipped with similar firepower, including senior forward Lexie Fragnito (57G, 11A) while the Mustangs have scored over 100 goals this season. FOOTBALL All-NYS Valhalla RB Luke Foisset may have put up the glossiest numbers of the night, rushing for 233 yards and a pair of scores while racking up 11 tackles on defense, but it was PLEASANTVILLE who shall continue to dance its way into the Section 1 Class C finals after holding on for a 17-13 semifinal victory at a swampy Parkway Field Friday night. When Panther junior QB Sevan Arduino fired a dart to the pylon, and RB Connor Day snared the remarkable diving catch on fourth-down to close out the first half, the Panthers took a 10-7 lead into the intermission. It changed everything, swinging momentum firmly in the Panthers’ favor. “I really just think it started with the hard work we put in during our work week,” said Day, a senior captain and primary focus of opponents. “We’ve practiced that play a bunch. It was a phenomenal throw by Arduino. We attended a QB camp in Jersey every spring and summer together, preparing just for special moments like this. That win was fueled on the intensity and grit we brought to practice that week and will be carried on to prepare for the section championship.” Pleasantville head coach Tony Becerra, one of the most respected and well-liked figures in the Section 1 coaching ranks, said before the season that the goal was simple: to be playing for the championship against Bronxville. “Super proud of this bunch,” Becerra said. “This one, obviously, could’ve gone either way and we knew it would be a close one. The weather/field conditions somewhat limited us, but we were able to ‘weather the storm’.  Foisset is such an explosive player that apart from moving the chains and eating clock he has the ability at any time to break a long run, which is just as effective as an offense throwing a deep ball. Our guys were able to limit the chunk plays and force them to earn their points. We were able to throw the ball enough to help our cause, and then we had Connor Day put us on his back to carry us the rest of the way.” State-ranked (No. 3) WESTLAKE will carry its spotless 10-0 record into the Section 1 Class B championship game against No. 9 Pelham on Saturday at North Rockland High School (3 p.m.) after escaping Friday night’s semifinal with a 23-17 victory over No. 17 Pearl River. Second-seeded Pelham punched its ticket to the title game with a convincing 27-7 win over state-ranked (No. 20) and fourth-seeded Byram Hills earlier Friday. Westlake’s path to the finals included one of the most remarkable momentum swings in recent Section 1 memory. The Wildcats enjoyed a sequence rarely, if ever, seen in Section 1 football history, erupting for 15 points in just 17 seconds before halftime to seize control of a game that appeared to be slipping away. Westlake had uncharacteristically failed to score in the first 29 minutes and 33 seconds of the first half but stormed into the intermission with a 15-10 lead after Westlake DL Charlie Hudd (6 tackles) crushed Pirate QB Luke DiFabio on fourth down, and then watched gleefully as sophomore Luke Ciliberti snagged the ensuing fumble and raced untouched for a 36-yard scoop-and-score TD as time expired in the first half. Prior to that big play, senior RB James Meyer had an eight-yard TD catch from QB James Horan (9-12, 86 yards, TD) for the Wildcats’ first points with 17 seconds left in the first half, before adding a two-point conversion off Ciliberti’s TD, sending the Wildcats into the break with the kind of momentum rarely seen. “It was nuts,” said Meyer (4 catches, 50 yards, TD, plus 5 rushes, 33 yards, 2 2-point PATs. 7 tackles). “Our team knew they had to make something happen before the end of the first half and that’s what we did.” Riding that surge, Hudd delivered a game-sealing 16-yard touchdown run for a 23-10 lead. “Definitely one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of,” Henry Hudd admitted after  taking 25 carries for 130 yards and a score, not to mention six tackles. “Everything happened so fast, and seeing Ciliberti scoop that ball up and take it to the house was insane. The whole team went crazy and the energy was unreal. Just an awesome moment for all of us and definitely a game I’ll never forget.” There was sickness up front with the hogs getting it done – Justin Jativa, Ian Callahan, Gavin Fitzpatrick, Joe Marto, Charlie Hudd and George Krasnici – getting it done. BOYS X-C The Pleasantville High School boys cross country team won the Section 1 Class C champi