Westlake football shuts down Dobbs Ferry in rematch of Section 1 Class C title game
THORNWOOD − Small-school football has seen the most parity in the Lower Hudson Valley in quite some time, with plenty of contenders rising up and many closely-contested battles to show for it.
Despite the different challengers that are springing up in Class C, defending Section 1 champion Westlake has consistently stood atop the division, fending off every team and passing every test that comes its way.
On Friday night, the Wildcats defeated visiting Dobbs Ferry, 8-0, in a rematch of last season's Section 1 Class C title game.
Westlake moved the ball at will in its opening drive to begin the game. Chris Kalle punched the ball in from three yards out for the lone scoring play of the night, with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter. It was a stalemate from there.
"Offensively, I kind of screwed up, I did not call a good game, and I told the kids they picked me up offensively," Westlake coach John Castellano said. "We put a solid game plan together on defense. Defensively, they bought into the gameplan and did a great job. They executed, that was a clinic defensively."
The Wildcats suffocated the Eagles, outgaining them 237-70 for the game. They forced three-and-outs in seven of the Eagles' 10 drives of the night.
Westlake brought the pressure all game long, and never allowed the Eagles to gain much traction.
"It all starts with effort," Westlake senior C.J. Prosperino said. "We're all running to the ball, we all know our assignment, and of course, we have the best coaching I could ask for."
Outside of a forfeit victory over Woodlands, three of the Wildcats' four victories were decided by a touchdown or less. They've gained confidence and composure in tight battles, and they aspire to finish on top of Section 1 Class C once again.
"We got a tight group in the locker room," Westlake senior Nick Castellano said. "Everyone has the same goal, and we all want to win. It was a good hard team win, everybody doing their jobs, and we stuck through it to the end."
As for the Eagles, they'll look to regroup from a tough loss. While their effort on defense kept them within reach, they didn't expect to be locked down on offense.
"We just struggled finding a rhythm," Dobbs Ferry coach Joe Cox said. "We struggled finding some things we can rely on. They just played a great game defensively, and it was tough for us to find rhythm. ... They played a great game. It was a very tough, physical football game, which we expected, but they were definitely better than us tonight."
What it means
Westlake remains unbeaten and improves to 5-0. It will return to action at home next Friday against Haldane. As for the Eagles, they'll take a bye week before playing Tuckahoe on the road on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Game balls
Westlake defense: It was a masterclass performance on defense for the Wildcats. They limited the Eagles to just 70 yards of total offense for the game. Raph Savino got a pair of sacks, and Darron Nelson had a game-sealing interception, but they were relentless as an 11-man unit throughout the game.
By the numbers
Westlake (5-0): Raph Savino had a pair of sacks. Darron Nelson had an interception to seal the game in the final minute of play. Chris Arrichiello had 64 yards on 12 carries. Chris Kalle finished with 56 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and he had a 62-yard touchdown run called back for a block in the back penalty.
Dobbs Ferry (3-2): Marty O'Leary recovered a fumble, and Elan Messeri had an interception at the goal line to keep it a one-touchdown game.
They said it
"If you want to climb the mountain, you gotta take it to another level," Cox said of his post-game chat with this team. "This is the toughest and deepest Class C and D has been, that I can ever remember. It's a grind week in and week out, there's no holes in anybody's schedule. You gotta execute at the highest level if you want to climb the mountain and beat all the good teams in the league."
"At first we started out shaky, but we knew we were going to get better," Prosperino said. "Each week, that was our main goal. We were going to build something each week, and that's what we're doing."
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: Westlake shuts down Dobbs Ferry in rematch
