Football: Vote for Week 4's lohud Football Team of the Week
The "Team of the Week" series aims to highlight big quality wins, possible upsets and solid team-wide performances.
Read about the Westchester, Rockland and Putnam teams that stood out in Week 4, and vote for lohud's Team of the Week. Voting closes 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Haldane
The Blue Devils punched above their weight class once again and came away with another victory in a nail-biter, this time a 35-27 result against Bronxville. Ryan Van Tassel completed 13 of 17 passes for 131 yards and three passing touchdowns to Michael Murray, Brody Corless and Jesse Tippett. Murray also finished with 10 receptions for 107 yards. Evan Giachinta led the ground game with 192 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Van Tassel also ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Mahopac
With their home turf still being worked on, the Wolf Pac have been road warriors. They've been competitive in a grueling schedule so far that includes the likes of three top-10 state-ranked Class A teams, and in their latest victory, a 20-19 thriller with Clarkstown South, they were able to win with big plays in all three facets of the game. John Kearney supplied a kick return and interception return for two touchdowns. Kyle Pinto converted on both of his field goal attempts from 24 and 37 yards out. Defensively, the Wolf Pac came up big with three turnovers (two from Kearney and another pick from Nate Mascoll, who also tied Owen Ryan for a team-high eight tackles). D.J. DeMatteo and Danny Bosio combined on a sack, but they also blocked two extra-point attempts, including the game-tying opportunity in the final moments of the game.
North Rockland
After taking a stinging loss the week before, the Red Raiders bounced back in style, shutting out undefeated Suffern in a 16-0 victory. North Rockland kept a Suffern offense that averaged 36.3 points per game off the board. The Red Raiders forced four turnovers, including interceptions from Ethan Farrar and Tristan Veit. They also got a safety. Offensively, Gamie Sauveur was a standout, rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Farrar led the Red Raiders' receiving corps with three receptions for 112 yards.
Pearl River
The Pirates are off to their best start since 2018. They improved to 3-1 with a 49-7 win over Sleepy Hollow, where five different players scored touchdowns, including a couple from the defensive side of the ball. Nick Espinal hit the end zone twice, while Sean Davin, Evan Perez and Anton Omundsen also scored rushing touchdowns. Omundsen and Aidan Lee also had fumble recovery touchdowns.
Valhalla
The Vikings went on the road and picked up a marquee 27-26 victory over Dobbs Ferry on Sunday night. Valhalla's Rob Foisset notched his 20th career touchdown in the win. The Vikings defense came up with several big plays, including two turnovers that directly set up touchdown-scoring drives. Valhalla came together to stop Dobbs Ferry's comeback attempt and stuff a two-point version attempt with 48 seconds left in the game to preserve the victory.
Westlake
The Wildcats were ready for a wild one, as they faced off against Tuckahoe in a battle of defending Section 1 champs. Westlake went on the road and staved off Tuckahoe in a 35-34 victory, where Westlake truly saw a team-wide effort in the win. There were key plays from several different contributors on both sides of the ball. Chris Kalle, Jake Zaino, Michael Pagan and Stephen DiNapoli each had touchdowns. Nick Castellano had key plays to set up scoring drives, including a deflection that was caught by C.J. Prosperino for an interception. Zaino also had the game-sealing interception in the closing moments, and Anthony Nigrelli went 5-for-5 on extra points in a game where every point mattered.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Football: Vote for Week 4's lohud Football Team of the Week
