Kaden Gonzalez threw four TD passes, leading Yorktown to a surprise win over Harrison

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS - Who are these guys?

It only took one game for Yorktown to go from sneaky good to potential contender. Kaden Gonzalez threw four touchdowns Saturday, leading the Huskers to a 26-8 win against Harrison. Call it an upset. The Huskies came into the game No. 7 in the lohud preseason rankings.

Tyler Galante caught three of the scoring passes and the defense made quite an impression with timely stop after timely stop.

"It's means everything to play like this," Yorktown defensive tackle Rocco Lore said. "Last year, Harrison took away our shot to make a Section 1 final. We came back fired up."

The Huskies won that back-and-forth Class A semifinal last November by a 24-21 margin. Sometimes a short memory is beneficial. Sometimes a lasting grudge is motivational. Harrison struggled to match the intensity the Huskers played with from the start.

Confidence wasn't an issue for the Huskers, either.

"This was a perfect Week 0 game for us," Harrison coach Jay Ciraco said of the fact that this result will not hurt playoff standing. "We knew exactly who they were going to be. We knew they were going to be tough. Just because we have some guys who may have bigger names, it doesn't really matter. ... Those guys came in and you could just tell they wanted this way more than we did."

What it means

Yorktown is heading for Somers on Friday and will have an even better understanding of where it stands in Section 1 when that game is over. It's a heated rivalry. The Huskers understand they will have to be even better on both sides of the ball to upend the repeat state champions.

"We're going to stay ready and stay humble, but we're putting the rest of the section on notice," Lore added.

Gonzalez was the only headliner on this roster when the season opened, but a number of playmakers flashed potential Saturday, especially on the defensive line. The emergence of the speedy Galante is a major boost for this offense, too.

"I think even last year, I knew he was going to be my go-to," Gonzalez said. "He was always in the backfield last season, but he's a versatile player and just a stud."

Game balls

▶ Gonzalez was on target any time he threw a touch pass. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns.

▶ The Huskers defense made eight tackles for a loss, gave up four first downs and limited Harrison to 107 total yards.

▶ Galante caught nine passes for 171 yards and three TDs.

They said it

"After losing to them in the semifinals, we hoped they would be on the schedule this season," Gonzalez said. "We wanted to get back at them. I don't know how to explain the feeling, but this game just felt different."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Kaden Gonzalez threw four TD passes, leading Yorktown to a surprise win over Harrison