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Tigers Football Makes History; Win League, Reach Playoffs For 1st Time
No.3 Put Valley to host No.6 Westlake Saturday
by Ray Gallagher
 | | MADCAP! -- Members of the PV High football team, including Pat Considine, Hugh O'Gorman and Antonio Soto had reason to celebrate after the Tigers locked up their first league title and their first post-season playoff appearance after Saturday's 17-0 win over host Ardsley. |
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As a relatively new high school, seven years in the making now, Putnam Valley High experiences a lot of historical firsts… you know; "That's the first 1,000-point scorer in our history, the first state title in field hockey history, the first sectional lacrosse title."
But we all knew football was going to take some time, primarily because the district never fielded a football program of any sort before the turn of the century. The school's athletic department only offered a modified soccer program for 7th-9th graders throughout the 20th century, and it wasn't until the Tigers went big time in 2000 when the first football pass in school history was thrown on any level. Under then-coach Glen Buckhout the program got off the ground, and last week under third-year Coach Frank Heitman the Tigers finally qualified for the Section 1 Class B Football Playoffs for the first time in school history.
This, though, was the "first in our history" that we've all been waiting for. The one that all the guys associated with Rich Dunphy's Putnam Valley Tackle Football program over the years were still buzzing about, some 18 hours after Heitman's Tigers (5-1) clinched the League B-II title and a No.3 playoff seed with a 17-0 victory over host Ardsley.
"Those guys started here," Dunphy shouted at his troops in a pre-game speech before the 5th-6th grade Putnam Valley team defeated SOAC's B team this past Sunday. "Remember that when you take the field today, and begin to build your own future today."
Indeed, the PV gridiron has been a treasure full of treats in recent weeks and the local folk have been taking it in. You know, all you guys gunning for seats as Supervisors, Councilman and Councilwoman within the Township of Putnam's Valley might want to get in line early to hitch on to Heitman's football bandwagon as it boards for the first ever Section 1 playoff appearance from the Putnam Valley Tigers. It took six long years for the third-seeded Tigers (5-1) to make such claim, but Saturday's win, coupled with No.8 Briarcliff's 27-0 loss to No.4 Nanuet, opened the doors. Heitman hopes to draw a large, raucous crowd this Saturday (7pm) for the Tigers' initial post-season date with No.6 Westlake, a 9-0 loser to top-seeded and unbeaten Pleasantville last Saturday. Dunphy is making it a mandatory deal that the players in his program, from grades 3-6, make it their business to be there. Be nice if the rest of the town could turn out just the same.
"That would be awesome," said Tiger OL/DL Larry Cobb. "Play that up if you can. It'll be great to see all of (Dunphy's) kids at our game. We need to hear them up in the stands. It'll be great for the town."
A win over Westlake only guarantees a trip to face unbeaten No.2 Rye, but the road would eventually lead there anyway, and y'all will get a chance to see the model program in action, what with the four consecutive Section 1 titles in tow. The Tigers will need more of the same from senior TB Huge O'Gorman, who carried 22 times for 133 yards and a touchdown. O'Gorman also blocked a punt which was recovered for a touchdown by senior Antonio Soto, who scored for the second time in as many weeks after never having scored. Big Larry Cobb booted a 27-yard field goal, and the Tigers were on the bus home by the time they had learned they were officially wearing League B-II title belts: The hootin' and hollerin' just getting started.
"We were going crazy… what a rush it was when we found out," said Cobb, who was named captain for the week. "This whole group is like a family, and we're coming together like one on and off the field. We're getting ready for the biggest game of our lives this week. We've got a lot of incentive for practice this week."
To say the least, my friend. Visit www.yourdirectrays.com to view Section 1 sports photo galleries.
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