Football: Yorktown Get Fast Start in Win

YORKTOWN, N.Y.—Yorktown got off to a 35-14 halftime lead against visiting John Jay-Cross River on Sept. 27 as the Huskers cruised to a 49-14 victory.

“We wanted to try and start fast offensively with some tempo and balance offensively,” said Yorktown coach Pantelis Ypsilantis. “I think preparation was the key for us this week and being able to get on the board first was a big momentum boost. Our defense was able to push through some pretty difficult situations to keep our lead in good place.”

Offensively, Ypsilantis said that the Huskers want balance and be multiple. They did just that against the visitors, as numerous players put up numbers.

Kaden Gonzalez (11-18, 250 yards, 4 TDs, 3 carries, 15 yards), Tyler Galante (4 receptions, 76 yards, TD, 2 carries, 16 yards, 68-yard kick-off return), Joe Hunter (6 carries, 102 yards, 2 TDs), Tyler Caricati (10 carries, 98 yards, TD, 2 receptions, 39 yards), Brady McEnroe (33-yard TD reception), Johann Moeritz (2 receptions, 55 yards, 2 TDs), JT Carney (28-yard carry, 22-yard reception), and Chad Bowen (25-yard reception) put up the numbers for the Huskers. 

“We want our offense to keep the pedal down and be relentless,” Ypsilantis said. “Coach (Brandon) Trager called an awesome game and he and Kaden and I were in lockstep in terms of what we wanted to do and taking what the defense was giving us. We know as we matriculate through the season, teams will start to key on Galante more and that will open up opportunities for other guys to step up. And we saw Bowen, Carney, Moeritz, and McEnroe make big plays in the passing game. Hunter and Caricati ran the ball well and that opens up opportunities in the play-action passing game. 

“Of course, a ton of credit goes to the offensive line and Chad Bowen, who did a tremendous job blocking and creating opportunities for Kaden and the rest of the offense. Kaden just continues to play at an All-State level and is seeing the field well and has complete command of the offense.”

Dennis Mitchell, Luke Hanley, Michael Desiderio, Art Krasniqi, and Lucas Sabbouh made up the Huskers’ offensive line with Bowen playing F-Back, where he was basically a lead blocker and a big part of the pass protection. 

Caricati started the scoring in the first quarter with a 28-yard touchdown run. The first of seven Adam Yakout PATs made it 7-0. 

“I have been playing tackle football since second grade and I have worked hard to play with varsity since then,” Caricati said. “Kaden is a great quarterback. He handed the ball off to me and the offensive line created a big hole. I am grateful for my team. It’s an honor to be on varsity as a sophomore.”

Up 21-7 in the second quarter, a 16-yard touchdown run around the right side by Hunter, increased the Huskers’ advantage to 28-7. 

“I knew the play would be an open shot once coach Trager told it to me on the sideline,” Hunter said. “Once I got the ball all I was thinking was run hard and get in the zone.”

Gonzalez connected with Galante on a 38-yard touchdown pass, putting Yorktown up 35-14 at halftime.

“Coach Trager called a great play to where he knew there would be enough space for Kaden to throw me the ball,” Galante said. “I was very excited and it felt great to help the team.”

Scoring at that point in the game was big according to Gonzalez.

“It was really important to score before halftime because we didn’t want to let up,” Gonzalez said. “We needed to keep our momentum rolling.”

Hunter kept the momentum rolling with a 44-touchdown run in the third quarter, giving Yorktown a 42-14 lead.

“To be honest, I wasn’t thinking this play would go all the way but once I got outside and saw Tybo (Galante) blocking for me, I knew it was a home run,” Hunter said. 

Yorktown scored its final touchdown in the third stanza on a 29-yard pass from Gonzalez to Moeritz.

“It happened because we saw our guy 1 on 1, and we took a chance,” Gonzalez said. “It felt really good to score.”

Evan Kurth (6 tackles), Hunter (5 tackles, 1 for loss), Rocco Lore (5 tackles, 1 for loss), Bowen (5 tackles), Galante (4 tackles), McEnroe (3 tackles, 1 interception), Desiderio (4 tackles, 1 for loss, sack), Carney (2 tackles), and Jason Tyndal (interception) produced defensively for Yorktown. 

Yorktown (3-1) will next travel to Fox Lane at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.

“Fox Lane is a very tough team and they have given us issues in the past,” Ypsilantis said. “Coach (Andrew) Guiliano does a great job and we know they will be prepared and will play hard-nosed football and will be excited to defend their home turf. The key for us is to prepare and be locked in at practice. We know we can play with anyone, and we understand the importance of in-league games. We have to continue to grow together and be relentless in our preparation.”