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Are You Ready For Some Football?
Defending Class D champ Haldane, Putnam Valley set to take field
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Haldane junior RB/LB Derek O'Dell is one of many reasons why hope springs eternal on the gridiron for the defending Section 1 Class D champion Blue Devils this fall. |
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The defending Section 1 Class D champion Haldane Blue Devils and the Class B Putnam Valley Tigers will take to the gridiron this week on August 20 when Section 1 football teams get their first true look at what's in store for the 2008 season.
For Haldane (4-6 last year), optimism and promise likely run rampant as the program continues to speculate on its chances of repeating as sectional champions. Meanwhile, Putnam Valley (6-3) hopes to maintain its standard as a solid Class B foe and strong playoff contender. Coach Frank Heitman's team knows it's not in the same class as five-time defending Class B champion Rye, the defending state champs. Heck, few teams in Section 1, regardless of classification, can touch the Garnets with a 10-foot pole, but the Valley has become formidable and should find a way to continue to do so this fall, provided they've made the necessary off-season commitment.
Haldane, on the other hand, won't be sneaking up on anybody like they did last year when Coach Tony Percacciolo's Blue Devils went from also-rans (2-5 after seven weeks) to champions in the blink of an eye. Honestly, it was quite the feel-good story, one that took the Blue Devils all the way to Kingston where they were finally defeated by Ticonderoga in the second round of the state playoffs.
This year, the Blue Devils are talking about tripping off to Syracuse, home of the NYSPHSAA football championship. And why not? If you had junior FB/LB Derek O'Dell to build a unit around, you'd be talking smack too. O'Dell is dynamite, blowing up plays all over the field on defense while triggering ball-control drives on offense with a bullish head of steam. He netted just under 1,000 yards on the ground last season to go with seven scores and led the team with an average of more than 12 tackles per game. At 5'8" and 175 pounds, he's really quite astonishing.
But talk is cheap and the Blue Devils, who won their first sectional championship since 2000, will have the mark of a bulls-eye on their collective backs this season.
Nobody really knew what Haldane had last year until the Blue Devils shocked then four-time defending sectional and reining NYS champion Tuckahoe for the sectional title before knocking off previously unbeaten Eldred in the opening round of the state playoffs. This year, everybody will see Haldane coming, and they'll see the Blue Devils without skill players QB Rob Percacciolo and RB Mike Thorpe; two of the many keys to their success.
That success will be measured quickly in a Week 1 showdown with a much-improved Westlake team, which comes to Cold Spring on Saturday, September 6 (1:30 pm). Journal News scribe Kevin Devaney, the resident expert on Section 1 football, fancies Westlake a powerhouse with a No.2 Class C/D while showing no respect for unranked Haldane. In other words, Westlake wins outright, if you read between the lines, because of RB Jess Debiase. I saw this Taurus run for over 100 yards twice last season, punishing Putnam Valley along the way with six scores on bull runs or long punt returns of 65 and 70 yards. Haldane will need to gang tackle and key on No.22 or they'll go home a definitive loser in Week 1.
In Week 2 the Blue Devils will see the enigma that is Lincoln Hall and its talented QB Sir Aaron Taylor, who torched the Blue Devils for nearly 100 yards on the ground and 70 more through the air last season in a Week 2 27-26 win by the United. You think O'Dell and QB Nick Torchia want another crack at the United? You betcha!
A quick check of the Putnam Valley schedule reveals an absolutely brutal slate of games, including four teams ranked among the Top 5 in the Journal News pre-season poll, including No.4 Nanuet in Week 1, No.5 Briarcliff in Week 2, No.3 Byram Hills in Week 4 and No.2 Pleasantville in Week 5. Oh, and throw in former five-time sectional champion and three-time NYS champion (1998- 2000) Edgemont for good measure in Week 3. Hopefully, QB Walter Sherwood and WR Jimmy Vandeveerdonk, RB Dan Amato, LB Jon Kilmer and company have hit the weight room this off-season in an effort to better prepare themselves for the rigors on Class B football…
We at the PCN&R sports desk ask that all team captains and head coaches from all Haldane and Putnam Valley sports programs please send their email addresses to yourdirectrays@aol.com in an effort to give their respective teams increased press this year. Deadline for all perspective items of interest is early Monday evening.
Please visit www.directrays.com to view Section 1 sports photo galleries.
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