Wolf Pac howls to homecoming win behind junior RB Egan

With the season teetering on the brink and a Homecoming Day crowd packed shoulder‑to‑shoulder along the rails, the Wolf Pac stepped onto the turf carrying the weight of a three‑game skid and whatever playoff pulse remained.

Pressure wasn’t implied; it was absolute. Mahopac needed to stop the bleeding, steady the ship, and prove it still had some fight left on Friday, Sept. 25, against visiting Brewster, which needed the win just as badly.

Coming off a 35-7 loss to state-ranked (No. 1) Somers the previous Friday, nobody knew what to expect from the Wolf Pac except maybe themselves.

With the air attack stalling — the Pac would be limited to just 12 pass attempts — coach Dominick DeMatteo dialed up the running game early and often, leaning on junior running back Jack Egan. Despite some early struggles along the front line, Egan put the Wolf Pac on his back, rushing for 98 yards and a score on 14 carries, leading Mahopac to a 14-7 win over visiting Brewster, which had a distinct size advantage.

“Brewster had a big, strong offensive and defensive line, which was hard to move, but our guys up front didn’t let up,” said Egan (4.5 tackles), who doubled as Mahopac’s top defender at linebacker. “As the game progressed, the holes were just getting bigger and bigger, allowing me to get the yards and fight for each one. Our pass blocking was also some of the best all year. (Junior OL) Gianni Montemarano had a great game at right tackle and stepped up when our player got hurt. I’m hoping this game is a step in the right direction and I am very happy with how hard we played. Now, we just have to take that to Lakeland.” 

There’s still no wiggle room for the Wolf Pac (1-3 overall, 1-2 in Section 1) when it comes to winning out and qualifying for the playoffs. Another loss in their remaining games against Lakeland (3-1), Yorktown (1-2 in Section 1), Eastchester (0-2 as of press time) or Peekskill would provide a third setback against Section 1 teams and put Mahopac’s playoff aspirations in serious jeopardy. All are winnable games if the Wolf Pac prepares accordingly.

“Collectively, we simply played better,” Mahopac coach Dominick DeMatteo said. “We still have much to improve upon, but we are headed in the right direction. Jack definitely had a night, the kind of effort we needed.” 

The Wolf Pac knows the position they are in. They know the intensity needs to be ramped up from here on out.

“The bottom half of the league is up for grabs with us, Lakeland and Yorktown, so our goal is to win out and grab a playoff spot,” said senior LB Sal Garufi, who played with a strong sense of purpose, as did junior LB Nick Minnix.

Mahopac quarterback Ethan Dedvukaj was limited in what he could do in the passing attack (9-12, 104 yards), so he tucked one under his wing for a nine-yard, game-clinching rushing score and a 14-7 lead with 8:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

“Jack really stepped up big time,” Dedvukaj said after rushing for 29 yards on seven totes. “Obviously, losing (RB) Ryan Grabeklis (injured) was something we didn’t expect. However, Jack played an amazing game on offense and was also the best player on the field for our defense. Him being a threat to run the ball definitely opened up the pass game for me.”

Junior kicker Cole Stock has been money for much of the season. He tacked on his second PAT, and the Mahopac defense stiffened from there, limiting the damage done by sophomore RB Logan Karlsson, who is going to be a good one for the Bears. Wolf Pac wide receivers Ryan LaRue (5 grabs, 61 yards) and Justin Lopez (2 catches, 26 yards) were productive in the passing game. Defensively, defensive end Jack Kadan had two sacks and 2.5 tackles. Fiery linebacker Sean Carson (4.5 tackles) and defensive lineman Johnny Fever (3 tackles) led the way for Mahopac, which will pay Lakeland a visit on Saturday, Oct. 3 (6 p.m.) before hosting Yorktown on Saturday, Oct. 10 (6 p.m.).