Ardsley holds on to beat Nyack in Class B back-and-forth football thriller
NYACK - There are several new teams that have moved down from Class A into Class B, making for a competitive race to the top and an intriguing new dynamic. Regardless of the challenger, however, expect Ardsley to be ready.
The Panthers have made it to at least the Section 1 Class B semifinals every year dating back to 2016, with section titles in 2018 and 2019, and they plan on remaining in contention, especially with a group that's older and wiser than last season's team.
"I feel like we have a lot more depth, and I feel like we had no big game experience going into last year," Ardsley lineman Shane Speckman said. "We had zero starters returning, but this year, we have a whole bunch of guys that can really fill any position, and I feel that mentally, we're much stronger and ready to face anybody."
That mental toughness was put on display in a game that could have been a potential playoff preview. The Panthers faced Class B newcomer Nyack in a back-and-forth affair on Friday night. Ardsley was able to win its Week 1 matchup on the road and hold off the resilient RedHawks, 23-20.
"I can't be any more proud of my entire team after tonight, I truly believe that no one thought we were going to be come up here and do this," Ardsley coach Dan DiFalco said. "That was the message to our guys. (Nyack) is a big, fast, physical team, and we were able to step up and get the job done. We were down, but guys never quit, and it just proves what the potential is for this team. We didn't play a clean game by any means, we made a whole lot of mistakes, so if we can clean everything up, I can't want to see what we can do."
Ardsley was able to shut out Nyack in the first half, but the RedHawks started to build momentum and take a 12-9 lead going into the fourth quarter.
There was no panic, though, and the Panthers got a couple of breaks on a Nyack miscue on special teams and an interception. They capitalized with back-to-back touchdowns by Michael Rende to take the lead for good.
Nyack didn't go away quietly, as Ty'Lyn Blackwell-Williams connected with Austyn Burgess for a 29-yard touchdown pass and the RedHawks had the ensuing two-point conversion to make it 23-20 with 3:02 left in the game.
Nyack attempted an onside kick, but Anthony Chenard recovered it and the Panthers wound down the clock to hang on.
"It felt great, because a lot of the games that we lost last year was because we weren't prepared for these tough situations, but now with the added experience, we're able to calm down and really go at it and win this game," Rende said. "We were telling each other not to give up. We believe in each other, but the trust that we have is the most important thing."
As for Nyack, it will look to regroup quickly. The missed opportunities sting, but Class B is a loaded gauntlet this year with not much time to dwell on past regrets and many more challengers ahead.
"(Ardsley) is a quality team, and we gave them a lot of short fields," Nyack coach Dan Berkowitz said. "A lot of turnovers, penalties, things like touching the ball on a punt that was dead already and letting the other team get the ball on the 20-yard line. ... I think we hurt ourselves. We had control at one point when we came back, but then we turned it over. Ardsley's a good team, they're well-coached, really well-coached and they don't give up."
What it means
There's plenty of season left, but the Panthers are here to stay and a formidable unit in Class B. Their scrappiness and unrelenting attitude will make them a tough foe to take down.
As for Nyack, the potential is there to vastly improve on last season's 1-8 campaign, especially with plenty of returners and impact transfers, but it will need to cut down on mental mistakes moving forward. For a Week 1 matchup, it's an early glimpse at how competitive and interesting the Class B landscape will be this season.
Game balls
Michael Rende, Ardsley: The two-way senior made big plays on both sides of the ball. He had two rushing touchdowns and threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Chenard. He also made two interceptions on defense, picking off a pass at the Ardsley 3-yard line to keep Nyack scoreless in the first half and another in the fourth quarter to fuel the Panthers' back-to-back scoring drives to turn the tide of the game.
Ardsley's offensive and defensive lines: They might not have been as big, but they were definitely tenacious on both sides of the ball and set the tone in the trenches.
Sean Clermont, Nyack: He didn't get to punch it in, but Nyack couldn't have had its scoring plays without him. He was hard to take down on his runs up the middle. Clermont ran for 102 yards on 14 carries and set up Nyack with first-and-goals.
By the numbers
Ardsley (2-0): Ben Silverman ran for 75 yards on 13 carries. Anthony Chenard caught two passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. Shane Speckman had a sack. The Panthers forced a safety on a blocked punt that deflected out the back of the endzone to help give them a 9-0 lead going into halftime.
Nyack (0-1): Ty'Lyn Blackwell-Williams completed 13 of 20 passes for 119 yards. He had a 29-yard touchdown pass to Austyn Burgess and had two interceptions. Blackwell-Williams and Abdulrasaq Durosinmi also had added rushing touchdowns. Mateo Massey had a sack and Cooper Comito recovered a fumble. The RedHawks gave away possession four times, including two instances where the punt return team accidentally touched the ball and Ardsley recovered.
They said it
"I'm proud of my kids who even though we fell behind, they kept on fighting and got another touchdown," Berkowitz said of his RedHawks. "I think we're a team that's still learning how to win. I think we'll be back. Last year, we were 1-8. It's about learning every game and getting better. I think over time, you'll see us grow, but these hurt. These games are the ones you want to win because they're close and within reach, so to lose it, that hurts."
"There's a lot of talk about all these teams coming down (to Class B) and us not being able to live up to their expectations, but we proved not only that we can, but we can come back from adversity," Rende said. "I think we're gonna be a really scrappy team. We might not be the biggest or the strongest, but we have the toughness to go at it with anybody."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud high school football: Ardsley holds on to beat Nyack
