Coming into the Oct. 23 showdown between Harrison and Eastchester, the stakes were clear for both teams. The winner would secure the last berth in the upcoming Class A playoffs, while the loser would see any hope for the postseason go up in smoke. With two seasons on the line, it was the Huskies who would shine brightest, turning in a terrific all-around performance to earn a 43-21 victory over the host Eagles.
After reeling off three straight wins to start the season, the Huskies were in the midst of a three-game slide heading into Saturday’s decisive showdown. But head coach Jay Ciraco—pointing to strong performances in losing efforts against Clarkstown South and Pelham—believed that the record ultimately wasn’t indicative of the team’s ability.
“We put ourself in this position, but we felt that we were better than our record said,” explained Ciraco. “When you out-gain your opponents and lose both games it’s kind of heartbreaking, but the kids really battled back and I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Harrison wasted little time imposing its will on the Eagles on Saturday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead before Eastchester was able to find the end zone on a 70-yard passing play from Gabriel D’Aversa Herbert to Frankie Provenzale. But the Huskies answered right back on the ensuing drive when sophomore Marco Citro found Ryan Young for a long touchdown strike of his own to send Harrison into halftime with a 21-6 lead.
That ability to respond became a recurring theme throughout the game.
“Offensively we challenged these guys to step up and make some big plays today,” said Ciraco. “And we saw that, even from younger guys [like Citro] who threw the ball well and moved the offense well when his number was called.”
Defensively, the Huskies were led by another sophomore, Chris McLaughlin, who managed to nab three interceptions to limit the Eagles’ ability to climb back into the game.
“[McLaughlin] is a competitor, we knew what we were getting from him,” said Ciraco. “It’s a pretty big performance on a big stage, and with him just being a sophomore, we’re excited to see what’s to come from him.”
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3-4 on the year and will play an as-yet-to-be determined opponent this week in a non-playoff matchup. Harrison (4-3) nabbed the No. 8 seed and will travel to Somers to take on the undefeated top-seeded Tuskers this week. Somers is coming off a dominant 38-0 win over Lakeland that saw quarterback Matt Fitzsimmons throw for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re expecting to see the best team in Section I football, but we’re going to prepare like it’s any other week,” said Ciraco. “We’re expecting our guys to go out and do their jobs and get ready to play against a very good football team. The expectations don’t change at all.”
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