Nyack Outlasts Eastchester in Hot and Heavy Battle

Cramps, pulled groins, bloody forearms, a power running game and big plays on a hot, late-summer afternoon made for an exciting and grueling football game when Nyack's Indians hosted the Eastchester Eagles Sunday.

Indians fullback Donald Davis, a human battering ram when carrying a football, rushed for 159 yards on 27 carries, including the opening score of the game on a 36-yard explosion through the Eagles defense, to help carry his teammates to a 41-27 victory. Nyack upped its record to 2-0 while Eastchester fell to 1-1.

"We were all cramping up and it was hot out there," said the 220-pound fullback, who carried the ball 26 times over the long afternoon. "Toward the end of the third quarter I was really tired. I felt I had to push on for my teammates. If they saw me going forward we could come back and win."

Despite jumping out an early 13-0 lead–highlighted by Nyack quarterback Brandon Richards' 17-yard touchdown toss to running back John Luizia midway through the first quarter–the Indians seemed to grow weary in the back-and-forth inside running game and players began to slow.

"We seemed to let down and let them back in and we knew Eastchester would not give us anything," Nyack coach John Castellano said. "We're a bigger team and we have some good skill players, but they never gave up–they kept coming and nearly took the game from us."

DiCarlo leads comeback

Eagles quarterback Tom DiCarlo led the shifty and resilient offense, breaking out of the option running game for a stunning 69-yard touchdown sprint to close the gap to 13-7 late in the second quarter. When the second half opened, Nyack looked worn and after the Eagles recovered a fumble on the Indians 36, it took just two plays for DiCarlo to cap another short drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Michael Louros—and a 20-20 tie for the comeback Eagles.

Eagles coach Fred DiCarlo was pleased with his undersized and undermanned team's ability to overcome adversity and mount several comebacks.

"I can't say there's moral victory when you come back to 20-20 then lose the game, so I'm disappointed," DiCarlo said. "They are big and talented–it looked like a college team playing a high school team and we never backed down. I was not happy with our conditioning early but we seemed to get stronger as we went on. Our guys can play–and they are tough–we proved that much."

When quarterback/defensive end Richards—who like most of the Indians and Eagles star players was on both sides of the ball through the oppressive heat—could no longer ignore a strained groin, Castellano inserted back-up quarterback Raydell Williams who made the biggest play of the game. Tied at 20-20 with a third-down and 11 at the Eagles 27 and in danger of giving the ball back, the diminutive Williams calmly tossed a perfectly timed 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Clavell.

"I guess when I woke up this morning I thought it would be a good game for us, but I didn't expect to throw a big touchdown pass," Williams said. "We tried the pass earlier with (Richards) but it was out of the end zone. We haven't really had that many reps in practice, but I am confident I can make throws."

The Williams-to-Clavell toss made the score 27-20 with the point after touchdown and seemed to give the Indians life. On Eastchester's next series, DiCarlo, who gained 213 yards in the game, sprinted to the Nyack 5-yard line but the Indians' defense stopped the Eagles inside its own 5-yard line, halting a chance for Eastchester to tie the score at 27-27 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

"That was a big series and if we score there we may have overtime," Coach DiCarlo said. "It was that close a game."

Big plays

Senior running back Mark Castellano, who handles punts and kickoffs for the Indians and is the son of the head coach, helped slam the door on the Eagles when he broke through the line from the Indians 6-yard line, dashed past the defensive backs and sprinted into the end zone for a 33-20 lead.

"What I wanted to do was try to get a first down and help get us out of our own end," said Castellano, who also had some problems with cramping in the first half. "When I got clear I just ran as hard as I could. Everyone was cramping on both side–both teams would not give in. They played hard–they are quick and kept coming."

The winning coach attributed the win to the ability of his players to persevere.

"I think kids can sometimes lose focus when they get ahead and start playing with the lead," Castellano said. "We have to be more consistent in games."

The Eagles showed a courageous ability to ignore the scoreboard even when it seemed the game might be over at 41-20. Senior back Guiseppe DeLuca, who ran a kickoff and a punt back form touchdowns last week in a victory over Saunders, raced 84 yards with a kickoff return to pull the Eagles to within 41-27 with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

Next game: Eastchester (1-1) visits Harrison Saturday, Sept. 24.