Football: In adversity-filled season, Carmel finds its footing again, tops Mamaroneck

CARMEL - After all that the Carmel Rams have endured throughout the season, a halftime deficit was nothing to be worried about.

"Who doesn't want to be in a dogfight, right?" Carmel senior Matt Risley said. "Instead of being down on ourselves, we enjoy it, go out, ball out and have fun playing football. You can't focus too much on the bad, we wanted to go out and have fun. It's homecoming, seniors last homecoming, gotta go out no matter what and have fun."

The Rams stormed ahead in the second half on a rainy homecoming night, which also served as a Section 1 Class AA finals rematch against visiting Mamaroneck. Both teams entered Saturday with something to prove, and in the end, Carmel came out on top, 17-6.

"It's the first time we'd been down like that, and just to see them have a good gut-check, play hard and come back in the second half after being down, it's just how the guys are," said Carmel coach Tom Donahoe. "It wasn't a surprise to the coaches, it's just how the kids are.

"It's really hard to put (the last few weeks) into words. A whirlwind would be putting it very mildly. The kids are resilient, there hasn't been a normal 24-hour period since camp started, and I think a lot of them really want to play for Coach Cayea, who they really wish could be out there with them."

Carmel has found its footing again, after a difficult Week 2 that saw the departure of longtime coach Todd Cayea, who stepped down for health reasons, and a lopsided loss to Arlington.

Donahoe, who was new to the coaching staff this summer, originally thought he'd be a volunteer assistant this season. In the wake of Cayea's need to address his health, Donahoe has taken up the head coaching position.

They've turned the page, together, since then.

"We've been going through a lot, every single week there's something else, but we're just staying together as a team, always locked in and focused," Carmel junior Tristan Werlau said. "We had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, when it comes to game day, we're all locked in and ready to go."

Donahoe places most of the credit on his players, and it was evident why on Saturday night, where big plays came from different areas of the Rams' lineup.

Carmel snatched the lead midway through the third quarter on a Leo Venables touchdown, Then, quarterback Christian Nunez put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter with an insurance touchdown after several big Werlau runs to set it up.

Offensively, the Rams garnered 465 yards of total offense, highlighted by Werlau's 311 yards and the offensive line having fun in the rain. They're used to it after all the time they spend in "the pit" a muddy area below their turf field that houses their practice sleds.

"It's great, it always brings more energy in the rain," Carmel lineman Adam Boeheim said. "Throwing people around, everybody loves it."

Defensively, the Rams were tough to crack. While Mamaroneck got on the board with a big special teams play to give the Tigers a 6-3 halftime lead off a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown by Mika Barry-Thouez, Carmel didn't allow much else.

"They're a good football team, and we knew it was their homecoming, so they were going to be fired up for this," Mamaroneck coach Anthony Vitti said. "I'm proud of my kids for matching that challenge as long as they could and fighting to the very end. Carmel is very sound defensively, very physical up front, they do a lot of great things that show up on film and it was certainly on display tonight. We knew it was going to be tough sledding."

What it means

The Rams have now won three straight games since losing to Arlington. They will look to continue their winning ways on the road against the Yonkers Force next Friday, at 3:30 p.m.

The Tigers will look to bounce back against another tough opponent at home, John Jay-East Fishkill, next Friday, at 6 p.m.

Game balls

Tristan Werlau, Carmel: The junior running back was tough to take down, and no matter the distance, he seemed to deliver the timely third-down conversion or a highlight run to set up a scoring play. He never got to cross the end zone, but he racked up 311 yards on 21 carries in the winning effort.

Rams defense: Mamaroneck got a big spark on special teams just before the halftime whistle, but this unit didn't allow much else. The Rams' defense tallied four total sacks, limited Mamaroneck to 83 total yards and forced six three-and-outs.

Carmel offensive line: Coach Tom Donahoe calls them "the core" and like they have all season long, they paved the way in the trenches. The Rams wouldn't have been able to amass 465 yards of total offense (including 458 rushing yards) without them. The unit features starters Adam Boeheim, Liam Forrester, Harrison Collazo, Hayden Fragiacomo, Jayden Robles and tight ends Connor Pile and Ted Galbraith.

By the numbers

Carmel (4-1): Aside from Werlau and the defensive stats, Leo Venables ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Christian Nunez added 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Jared Navidad made a 28-yard field goal.

Mamaroneck (3-2): Mika Barry-Thouez returned a blocked field goal for a the Tigers' lone touchdown, with less than a minute left in the second quarter. Quarterback Kieran Jacobson completed 6 of 10 passes for 73 yards late in the second half.

They said it

"We have a lot of football left, and to keep their heads up, because we feel that we're getting better every week," Vitti said of his post-game message. "Obviously, it's about who's playing well at the end, and we want to be one of those teams."

"I would simply use the word 'unit,'" Risley said of Carmel's mindset on defense. "We move as one. If you watch our film, you'll see 11 hats on the ball at the end of most plays. Everybody's getting up, moving to the ball, instantly, as one."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Football: Carmel tops Mamaroneck in Section 1 Class AA finals rematch