Hackley vs. Kennedy Catholic -- 9/7/2013

Written by Jim Garvey: With high expectations for the 2013-14 Hackley varsity football team, the Hornets took the field on a sunny late summer day in Somers, NY, home of the Kennedy Gaels, for its first game of the 2013 season. After winning the opening coin toss there was no doubt what the Hornets decision would be choosing to go with its high-powered offense.

 

On the opening kickoff, Mustafa Dais had a 20 yard return to the Hackley 30 yard line. Following a first down on two handoffs to Elijah Ngbokoli, quarterback Joey McDermott completed his first pass of the season to Jack Hogan for a 16 yard gain. On the next play, however, McDermott’s pass to Ilan Gressel was tipped and intercepted by Kennedy, but heads up play by Hogan stripped the ball and it was immediately recovered by Hackley on the Kennedy 24 yard line. Two plays later McDermott passed to freshman Winston Britton on a screen for a 29 yard touchdown. Kicker James Firpo’s first extra-point attempt was then blocked, keeping the score 6-0 Hornets.

 

Firpo’s first kickoff was to the Kennedy 20-yard line, and was brought back 10-yards. It was unclear what to expect from Kennedy’s offense, but after a five yard run on first down, Harry Lieblich and Omar Momani recorded consecutive sacks on the Kennedy quarterback, forcing them to punt. On the punt, Dais returned the ball 29 yards to the Kennedy 16 yard line, and on the next play, McDermott hit Dais for a 16 yard touchdown pass, followed by Firpo’s successful extra point attempt making the score 13-0.

 

On the ensuing kick-off, Kennedy recovered a squib kick on its own 40 yard line. But on the next play, Kennedy fumbled and Hackley recovered on the 39 yard line. At this point, the Hornets rushing game took over, with runs by McDermott, Gressel, and Ngbokoli bringing the ball to the 6 yard line, from which Gressel ran it in for a 6 yard touchdown, though once again the extra point was blocked.

 

On the next series, Kennedy once again went three and out and punted the ball out of bounds, and after a penalty Hackley started the drive on its own 26 yard line for the beginning of the second quarter. On the first play, Ngbokoli wisely took some sage advice from the stands and burst through the line up the middle for a 74 yard TD. Extra point made by Firpo, making the score 26-0 Hackley, all before Kennedy had yet to record a first down.

 

Kennedy began its next series on its 27 yard line. Kennedy recorded its first first-down of the game on a 13 yard rush. Following another first down and two running plays, Kennedy’s pass attempt was knocked down by Dylan Garvey, forcing Kennedy to punt once again. Hackley started its next drive on its own 38 yard line but fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, with Kennedy recovering on Hackley’s 19 yard line, providing Kennedy’s its first scoring opportunity. However, following a short run, Kennedy’s QB was sacked consecutively, first by Sumail Morton, and then on third down by the combination of Lieblich and Morton, pushing them back to the 26 yard line, forcing a long field goal that was missed wide left, leaving Hackley with the ball on its own 25.

 

On second down, McDermott hit Dais for a 33 yard gain on a spectacular catch, only to be stripped of the ball that Kennedy recovered on its own 14 yard line. On third and 9, a Kennedy pass was again deflected by Garvey, forcing another punt. Hackley took over on the 45 yard line, and on the fourth play of the drive, McDermott connected with Dais for a 25 yard TD. With the extra point made by Firpo, the score stood at 33-0 Hackley at halftime.

 

At this point, it was clear which team was dominant. On offense, solid blocking by the offensive line of Derek Rosenzweig, James O’Keefe, Milo Lempert, Brandon DiFalco, and Zach Reeber led to several large holes for the running backs, and enough protection for McDermott to hurl several touchdown passes. By halftime, McDermott completed 7 of 11 pass attempts for 139 yards and 3 touchdowns, enabling him to relax the rest of the game so Ryan Walker could take over at QB.

 

For the second half, it was time for the defense to control the game. Several sacks were recorded, including Omani’s linebacker blitz that sacked the Kennedy quarterback, causing a fumble that was picked up by Lieblich for a touchdown. The pressure also led to an interception and touchdown by Britton. The defensive line led by Clifford Joseph, Lempert, Lieblich, and Reeber caused constant pressure, and was fortified by aggressive tackling by Gressel, Omani, Xan Jarecki, and Walker.

 

It was an overall dominating effort by the Hornets, with contributions from many sources on both sides of the football, leading to the final 47-0 victory. The coaches clearly had the team in game shape, which will be critical heading into a short week as the team prepares for Thursday night’s contest against Briarcliff High School under the lights at SUNY Purchase at 7:00 PM.