Newburgh Free Academy football starts season with decisive win over New Rochelle
NEW ROCHELLE - Newburgh Free Academy didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
Last season, the reigning Section 9 champs dropped their Week 0 season-opener with New Rochelle in a tightly-contested battle, the beginning of an 0-2 start, before eventually running their way to Syracuse for the state finals.
This time, in another Week 0 matchup with the Huguenots, the Goldbacks were able to start their 2023 season on a high note, picking up a 28-6 road win on Friday.
"For a first game of high school football, we did some good things, but there's a lot of things we have to fix," Goldbacks coach Bill Bianco said. "But, to play a team like New Ro and get a 28-6 win, pretty happy. Thought we could've scored more to be honest, but it is what it is."
The Goldbacks have a goal of getting back to Syracuse this season, and hopefully finish on top this time around. On Friday night, they certainly played a level of defense befitting a championship contender.
They held New Rochelle to just two first downs in the first three quarters of the game.
"We're looking to go back right back to the Dome this year," Newburgh senior Jashon Thomas said. "We came so close last year. Now, we're coming back for everything. We have a lot to prove this season. ... Defensively, I feel like we executed great. We practiced all week, watched film, and we did our thing."
New Rochelle was tough defensively as well, keeping the game scoreless until late in the second quarter, when Newburgh Free Academy scored two touchdowns nine seconds apart, in part to a Huguenot turnover deep in their own territory. The Goldbacks capitalized and took a 14-0 lead at the break.
The Huguenots didn't go away quietly though, and mustered one promising drive with their final possession of the game capped by a Tahjir Fernand quarterback keeper nine-yard touchdown.
"The big question mark was the offensive line, and we got a lot of work to do, we also blew some assignments defensively," New Rochelle coach Ray Rhett said. "A lot of young guys got first game jitters, so it is what it is. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season though. We got a lot to build on and hopefully we improve each week. I think the mistakes were obvious, offensively, we never really got into a rhythm. We just got to do a better job of controlling the ball and controlling the tempo."
What it means
The two-time reigning Section 9 champs start things off on a positive note, after dropping last year's season opener to New Rochelle, 15-7. New Rochelle looked strong defensively, but will try to regroup on offense and bounce back against Suffern next Friday night, at 6 p.m.
Game balls
Jashon Thomas, Newburgh Free Academy: The two-way senior had three receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. He was also active on defense rushing the edge and picked up a couple of sacks.
Tajir Walker, Newburgh Free Academy: The scrappy running back ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
By the numbers
Newburgh Free Academy (1-0) -- Mason Hoover completed 7 of 18 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception. Bruce Montgomery added a rushing touchdown. Jun Rivas also had a touchdown reception.
New Rochelle (0-1) -- Chris Maple entered the game late and had 37 yards on back to back carries to help spark the Huguenots' lone scoring drive. Lee Hester III also reeled in a 31-yard pass from Tahjir Fernand, before Fernand ran it in for the fourth-quarter touchdown. Bryce Miller had an interception and Reyden Davis recovered a fumble.
They said it
"We can't get too big-headed," Walker said after the win. "We gotta stack the bricks, one by one, keep pushing and stay locked in."
"I was happy (with the defense) we didn't sustain the mental focus all four quarters though, those touchdowns were mental lapses on particular schemes and stuff," Rhett said. "I think we can learn from this. You gotta be locked in all four quarters, whether you're down or up. I do like Week 0 because of that. It's a learning curve, you can catch up on, see what you really have and what you need to work on. ... No quit at the end though, and I was happy with that. Kids kept going and took advantage of some things to get that last (touchdown) drive."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Newburgh Free Academy football starts season with win vs. New Rochelle
