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After A Difficult Homecoming Loss, the Blue Devils Remain Optimistic
by Reid Thorpe
 | | Rafael Famighetti scoring the only touchdown the Devils were able to muster against Croton-Harmon. Next week the Blue Devils (4-2) travel to take on Hastings. |
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It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon on Haldane's newlydedicated Lawrence Briggati Field. The Haldane varsity Blue Devils were preparing for what was to be a tough game against the Croton Tigers. This game was the last home game for Haldane seniors Will Charkowsky, Brian Levine, Kyle Van Tassel, Justin Cornelius, Paul Grandetti, Tommy Giachinta and Mike Savastano.
The game began with a kickoff to the Blue Devils which was revived by Derek O'Dell and returned to the Devils' own 34-yard line. The opponents tried to stop Haldane's offense on the first drive, but failed. With a combination of pass and run plays to Rafael Famighetti, Derek O'Dell and Brian Levine the Blue Devils scored but were unable to earn the extra point making the score 6-0.
Haldane kicked off to Croton and the ball was returned to their own 44- yard line. After a run play which was stopped by the aggressive Blue Devils defense, including Rich Ferguson, Cameron Zampino and Bryant Dain, and a pass play over the top of the defense, Croton scored and followed up with a successful extra point making the score 7-6.
After the kickoff to the Devils, Haldane's offense came on to the field hoping to score and take the lead again. But the Blue Devils couldn't make it happen. They were forced to punt after two first downs. On the punt play to Croton, the Tigers committed a penalty against the Devils and that positioned Haldane closer to the first down marker. The Devils took a chance demonstrating drive, desire, and determination and got the first down. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils fell short of a touchdown. As their drive ended, so did the first quarter of play.
As the second quarter started, Croton began their drive downfield where the Devils left off. After a couple of plays, the Tigers were in position to score again, but after a fumble was forced, Bryant Dain took advantage of the loose ball and recovered it on the Devils' 20 yard line. Although Haldane's offense played hard, a touchdown wasn't in grasp and the ball was later turned over. While the ball was in Croton's possession, they scored again with a pass over the top and concluded the scoring drive with an extra point making the score 14-6.
The half ended three plays later and the coaches and players alike tried to gather themselves during the break. As play resumed, the Croton Tigers began their drive on their own 43-yard line. Both sides of the ball were still going at it. John McGuire had a notable performance as he came away with two solo sacks in one drive while playing nose guard. The third quarter came to a halt and the Devils still kept hope on their side by allowing no points from Croton the entire quarter.
Despite the fact that the fourth quarter began with more hard hits, big plays, and great effort by Haldane, Croton was to score twice more during the game and the final score was to be a disappointing 27-6.
Haldane may have been outweighed, out-numbered, and certainly out-sized, but showed they have heart, strength, and charisma. I've never seen Haldane give up in any way before, and I guarantee I never will. This team is strong and will rally for next week's challenge. The Blue Devils know there is no "what if…" there's only the next game, and I for one am looking forward to it.
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