Football: Pleasantville holds off Ravena in 15-7 win to advance to NYSPHSAA Class B finals
MIDDLETOWN - It's been a long journey for Pleasantville just to reach this point, one that has included plenty of close calls and big plays in crucial moments to stay unbeaten.
Those experiences have helped the Panthers grow as a team and punch their ticket to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for the Class B state finals.
They held off Section 2's Ravena/Coeymans/Selkirk in Saturday's state semifinal and won, 15-7.
"Exhausted, exhausted," Pleasantville coach Tony Becerra said, smiling. "It wasn't easy. It was a battle, but obviously, very happy for the boys. It's what they worked for all year, and they're reaping the benefits of their hard work. There's nothing like it."
Scouting reports: See lohud's breakdown of this week's NYSPHSAA state semifinals
Class A: Somers advances to NYSPHSAA finals with state playoff rematch win over Rye
Class C: Dobbs Ferry can't stop Section 2 champ Schuylerville, perfect season ends
It will be the second trip to the state finals for Pleasantville. The Panthers are hopeful that this season will end like the last time they were in Syracuse in 2017: as state champs.
"It's amazing, people have been counting us out since the beginning," Pleasantville junior Owen Mooney said. "We never stopped. We kept going, and every day we come in and we work. That's what it paid off for. We got one more week, and we just gotta keep working."
The Panthers took a 9-0 halftime lead thanks to a solid defensive effort that forced a safety and limited the Indians to just 34 yards in the first half, plus a punt return touchdown by Daniel Picart.
The Indians started to gain some traction offensively after the break, with a 50-yard touchdown reception by Ryan Southworth to cut into Pleasantville's lead and make it 9-7.
Pleasantville scored a touchdown to make it 15-7 midway through the fourth quarter, but Ravena/Coeymans/Selkirk didn't go away quietly. The Indians marched downfield and got into the red zone.
On fourth down, a reception by Southworth came close to a key conversion deep into Panther territory. Pleasantville's defense desperately swarmed to the ball to take him down. A chain measurement confirmed that the Indians were a few inches short of a first down and from keeping the game alive.
"Sometimes, I feel like we put ourselves in difficult situations just to pull ourselves back out," Pleasantville senior Kieran Cotter said. "But, obviously, we've had a few games where it's tight. We've been there, we've done that, and we know how to handle it."
After another big defensive stand for the Panthers, they ran the clock down to solidify their win and advance.
They've come a long way since finishing 3-3 last season, then 3-6 in 2019.
"We were anemic the last two years, at best, so it was a total question mark going into the season," Becerra said. "But we realized well into August practices that we had a good group of kids who bought in. It was just a matter if it all came together, we could do things, and that seems to be the case."
Turning point
Daniel Picart topped off a long eight-and-a-half minute drive for the Panthers with a touchdown. The scoring drive included three fourth-down conversions and allowed Pleasantville to take a 15-7 lead with 7:41 remaining in the game.
Player of the game
Kieran Cotter, Pleasantville: The two-way senior starter hardly took any plays off and was a crucial player on both sides of the ball. Cotter had some tough first down runs on offense, finishing with 90 yards on 27 carries. Defensively, he was a standout, swarming to the ball for key tackles and adding an interception to the winning effort.
By the numbers
Pleasantville (12-0) — Daniel Picart had 111 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also added a punt return touchdown. Quarterback Michael LaCapria had 73 yards of total offense. Pleasantville had 11 penalties for 84 yards. The Panthers outgained the Indians, 274-142.
Ravena/Coeymans/Selkirk (10-2) — Luke Misetich completed 8 of 14 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Ryan Southworth had four receptions for 88 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. The Indians were held to just 16 rushing yards for the entire game.
Quotable
"It's a dream come true," Cotter said. "I grew up watching the 2017 team go to the Dome and win it, so it's definitely a goal of ours to go there, and we're excited to go. ... It's going to be the last game for our seniors either way, win or lose, so the goal is to now go out there and win."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Football: Pleasantville holds off Ravena to advance to state finals
