CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - John Jay took the field against Mount Vernon on Thursday, Nov. 5, at Contest Field with one major change on the sidelines.
With Coach Connolly sidelined by a recent injury, the Wolves turned to a familiar face for one night only.
“He came in yesterday and put in a couple of things of his own from the old era of Jay,” said Steven Almstead. “It worked perfectly.”
The running back was referring to Jimmy Clark, and the longtime coach added another win to his résumé as John Jay rolled to a 35-6 victory.
The Wolves came out swinging.
James Tesi returned the opening kickoff to the 36-yard line, and quarterback Jonluke Arefieg connected with Tesi across the middle for his first completion.
With a first down at midfield, Arefieg made it two straight completions, finding Austin Schneider on a short pass to the right. Facing second-and-one, John Jay switched things up. Tesi took the snap, faked a handoff and bounced outside for a first down at the 35.
On the next play, Tesi faked to Schneider and cut up the middle to the 22. Four plays later, Arefieg returned under center and hit Schneider on a screen pass to set up third-and-one at the 13.
Tesi was unable to convert, but Mount Vernon helped the Wolves out. The Knights jumped offside on fourth down, and two plays later, Tesi did the rest. Back at quarterback, he faked a handoff to the right and took off in the opposite direction for a touchdown.
Jeremy Walery's extra point made it 7-0, and the Wolves soon had the ball back.
Kyle Halsey recorded a third-down sack, and Tesi called for a fair catch at the Mount Vernon 40.
Penalties derailed the ensuing drive, but John Jay's defense didn't let up. Mike Chiappa delivered a big first-down sack, and Mount Vernon was soon forced to punt again.
This time, Tesi took off on the return and wasn't brought down until he reached the 8-yard line. However, the Wolves couldn't capitalize, turning the ball over on downs after four unsuccessful plays.
After allowing just one first down, John Jay's defense forced another punt, giving the Wolves possession at their own 40.
A third-and-seven situation didn't look promising, but Tesi gained a step on his defender along the sideline and hauled in a perfectly lofted pass from Arefieg for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
With 10:43 remaining in the second quarter, John Jay appeared to be taking control. However, Mount Vernon returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the 9-yard line and scored on the next play.
Leading 14-6, the Wolves traded quick possessions with the Knights.
John Jay failed to convert on fourth-and-four at the Mount Vernon 46, but the defense answered. Edwin Garcia registered a second-down sack, and the Knights eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Taking over at midfield, John Jay moved the chains when Almstead ran a down-and-out route on third down, advancing the ball to the 29.
Two plays later, Tesi returned to quarterback and broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run, extending the Wolves' lead to 21-6.
That was enough to send John Jay into halftime with a comfortable advantage.
Mount Vernon didn't fare much better when play resumed. The Knights fumbled on fourth down, giving the Wolves possession just 40 yards from the end zone.
However, John Jay would have to travel considerably farther than that to score.
Schneider initially reached the end zone on a screen pass from Arefieg, but a holding penalty brought the play back to the 31.
Undeterred, the duo connected again on a pass over the middle that moved the ball to the 1-yard line. A chop-block penalty on the next play pushed the Wolves back to the 16, and the negative yardage continued to pile up.
Tesi delivered anyway.
Taking the snap at quarterback, he dropped back and executed a perfectly timed draw play for another touchdown, giving John Jay a 28-6 lead with 4:07 remaining in the third quarter.
Tesi added the Wolves' final touchdown to complete the 35-6 victory.
Afterward, the junior reflected on the team's progress this season.
“We got put in this league. It was perfect for us. We put points on the board, and our defense was way better than last year,” Tesi said.
Looking ahead, he believes the Wolves are prepared for whatever challenges await.
“I hope we can eventually go back to A, but we changed the culture,” said Tesi.
Almstead shared that optimism.
“What we built this year is going to keep going,” said the senior.
He also made sure to recognize Connolly, who watched the game remotely on FaceTime.
“We did it for him. We love our coach, he’s the best,” Almstead said.
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