NEW ROCHELLE – The playbook is dog-eared. The approach is distinctly old school.
Scarsdale is officially a throwback.
Ryan Gilligan barreled into the end zone twice in the second half Saturday to help the Raiders get a mundane 28-7 victory at New Rochelle.
And that’s not an indictment.
Winning creates excitement and Scarsdale is off to a 4-0 start. There's no reason to change tried and true schemes that fit this roster so well.
“I think we knew what we were capable of this season,” Gilligan said. “I mean, 4-0 is a dream start for us and I think we were ready if we had to deal with a loss, but this group has really come together so I don’t think it’s a surprise to any of us.”
The Raiders run option sets that go way back.
Defenses have to be alert to find the ball. Nick Ebner Borst, Alex Krupkin and Gilligan are in play on every snap. And if Scarsdale is playing with a lead this team is dangerous.
This defense is mettlesome.
“They realize that anybody can go to the house on us on any given play,” Raiders coach Any Verboys said. “So everybody has to do their job. And sometimes a good defense can be a slow, march down the field offense.”
What it means
There is real parity in Class AA this season, but Scarsdale is unbeaten for a reason. There's a No. 1 seed waiting at the end of the rainbow. Any team that is going to beat the Raiders in the weeks ahead will likely need a two-touchdown cushion in the second half to make this offense pick up the pace. That’s not an easy task.
“Scarsdale isn’t really known for football anymore,” Andre Duval said. “A lot of people are saying they are surprised that we haven’t lost, but the guys we have, we’re not surprised. We all worked really hard in the offseason. We’re capable of winning every week.”
Play of the game
Gilligan did not have a single carry in the first half, but Scarsdale’s leading rusher quickly extended a 14-7 halftime lead when he rambled 20 yards for a TD on the Raiders’ third play from scrimmage after the break.
Game balls
▶ Gilligan had 99 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries in the second half.
▶ The entire Scarsdale defense was on the ball, limiting New Rochelle to 123 yards and the one touchdown, but the middle of the defense was especially good. Gilligan and Colin Brennan are the linebackers and Duval is a 5-foot-7 impact nose guard.
▶ Tahjir Fernand got loose for a 29-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, knotting the score and giving the Hugenots some hope.
They said it
“It comes down to experience and we don’t have a lot,” said New Rochelle coach Raymond Rhett, whose team is looking for its first win of the season. “It’s a good group of kids. They are giving everything they have. The coaches are doing everything we can. It’s new being on the other end of this and it’s painful.”
(This story has been updated to add new information, photos and video.)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Section 1 football: Scarsdale topples New Rochelle, 28-7
Local News
Comments / 0