Mahopac senior running back Nate Mascoll was the horse the Wolf Pac rode to victory in their 27-6 league win over host Brewster Friday night. After senior wide receiver Lorenzo Echandy hooked up with junior quarterback Ethan Dedvukaj for a 30-yard, first-quarter TD strike for a 7-0 lead, Mascoll became the focal point of the Mahopac offense, generating 152 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He also picked off a pass on defense, but it took a halftime renaissance to rally the troops.
“We knew at halftime that the scoreboard wasn’t showing the hard work we put in all week,” Mascoll said. “We came out of the half with a little extra chip and got going. Offensively, we got a little taste of just how dangerous we are in all aspects. Ethan was on point all night. Our skills [players] made some big plays on the perimeter all day, but most importantly, the O-line really came together and showed up, making my job that much easier knowing they were on point all night. Overall, it was a great team performance. We worked hard and were locked in all week. We earned that hard-fought win.”
Mascoll wouldn’t have had his big night if not for the grunts up front: Offensive linemen Max Smolinski, Peter Grishaj, Brendan Duffy, Angelo Moschetta, Johnny Feaver and captain Matt Bentivenga won the battle of the trenches, the Wolf Pac dominating on both sides up front.
“When we block like that up front for Nate, he is an amazing player,” Bentivenga said. “And forget about Lorenzo: He’s a star.”
Echandy, a captain, has proven to be a game-breaking threat. He and Dedvukaj set an early tone that created an aura of confidence within the Wolf Pac (2-1).
“It’s always nice to score first,” Echandy said after hauling in a pair of passes for 40 yards. “It lets our opponents know we are here to play hard and win. Me and Ethan’s connections are amazing. It’s going to be a good season ahead for us two, especially since we have other wide receivers who are dynamic like Ryan LaRue, Gavin O’Keefe and Gio Mirabile.”
Dedvukaj (11 of 18, 137 yards, 2 TD passes) also fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to the rangy LaRue (4 grabs, 67 yards, 3 solo tackles) for a 20-6 lead with 7:43 to go. (Mascoll had scored from four yards out on the previous drive to provide a two-score cushion.)
Brewster quarterback Chase Prohaszka entered the game as Section 1’s leading rusher, but Bentivenga (2 solo tackles, 3 assisted), senior LB Michael Trinchitella (3 solo sticks, 2 assists), junior Sal Garufi (3 solos, 1 assist), senior Dom Iacono (2 solos, 3 assists), Sullivan Hunter (2 solos), Bobby Egan (2 solos) and senior Freddy Bonet (3 solos, 3 assists) made it their priority to contain the up-and-coming signal caller. Senior defensive end Matt Reilly assisted on four tackles before injuring his hand. Kicker Aiden Nikocevic hit on all three PATs while Dedvukaj cleared an average of 53.3 yards on three punts.
After holding Brewster to 57 rushing yards on 33 attempts (1 TD) and 6-of-16 passing for 50 yards (1 INT) and 107 yards of total offense, Mahopac will visit an explosive Somers (1-2) club Friday (Sept. 26, 6:30 p.m.) in an effort to defeat the three-time reigning NYSPHSAA Class A champions and assume first place in League A-A.
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