Football: Ramsey, Red Hook upset Marlboro to earn first section final trip since 2006

MARLBORO — From the Red Hook perspective, an appreciation of this improbable win requires some knowledge of the history between these teams. Not just the hammer-and-nail relationship of the last decade, but even what occurred two months ago.

The Raiders were blown out by Marlboro on Sept. 12 and a frightening injury to Zac McGee left teammates shaken. The senior laid motionless on the field after an apparent head injury and eventually was transported by helicopter to a hospital.

“That put us all down,” Gavin Cole said. “After you see something like that, nobody wants to play a game. We were out of it.”

McGee recovered and eventually returned to the team last month. But, wary of the possibility of more violent collisions, Red Hook coach Scott Ricketson converted the linebacker into a defensive lineman.

“We stumbled upon something because of that injury,” Ricketson said, highlighting the serendipity. “He’s become a diamond in the rough.”

McGee helped anchor a defensive line that contained Marlboro’s vaunted running game as the third-seeded Raiders pulled a massive upset Saturday, 21-13, in the Section 9 Class B semifinals.

Landon Ramsey threw a 21-yard touchdown to Cole for the lead with 3:14 remaining, then the quarterback ran in a two-point conversion to create the margin. Carter Brown snared an interception with 1:44 left, closing out Red Hook’s first win over Marlboro since 2007.

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“This is what we’ve been drilling the last three years, from modified on up,” Ricketson said. “Trying to build our program to compete at this level against teams like that. This is a huge moment for us.”

Red Hook (8-2) faces No. 1 Port Jervis in the final Saturday at Goshen High School.

“I’ve never experienced this before and I know it’s been forever since Red Hook beat Marlboro,” Brown said. “We’ve worked so hard and done so much, hoping to get here and have a chance to do something like this. We did it.”

Marlboro flourished in the last decade, reaching the section final 11 straight seasons and winning seven titles. That, while Red Hook floundered. The Dukes had outscored them by a combined 318 points in their previous 10 meetings, dating back to 2010.

Even this fall, after the Raiders won their opener decisively and insisted this was the year they'd break through, the team was stumped by Marlboro, 29-0, the following week. The difference on Saturday, Ricketson said, was the altered defense and the ascension of Ramsey, a sophomore who has made strides in recent weeks.

Marlboro’s Trace Napoli and Ryan Durling each had three tackles for loss, stifling Red Hook’s running game. Dylan O’Banks found Colin Casey for a 16-yard touchdown that put the second-seeded Dukes up 7-0 with 8:14 left in the second quarter.

“They’re bigger and stronger than us up front,” the coach said of Marlboro, “so when the run game wasn’t working, we had something to go to. He came through for us.”

Ramsey threw two touchdowns, escaped pressure and ran for first downs, and was efficient in managing the game.

On the winning touchdown, he was flushed from the pocket and rolled right before making an excellent anticipatory throw for Cole, coming across the back of the end zone between two defenders.

“I saw Gavin coming across and I’m always confident in him,” Ramsey said. “That’s a game-changer. He was clutch for us all game.”

Cole also had two 36-yard receptions, including a spectacular one-handed catch that preceded his 2-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 7 late in the third quarter.

Ramsey’s 46-yard touchdown to Dan Wood gave Red Hook a 13-7 lead with 7:56 remaining, but Marlboro quickly answered. O’Banks hit Sam Lofaro on a fade for a 23-yard score that tied it with 5:45 left. The extra point, however, was botched after a high snap.

The Raiders then drove 80 yards for the win. Cole’s long reception off a corner route, with a Marlboro penalty added, brought Red Hook to the 14. A sack pushed them back to the 21 on third down, setting up the dramatic touchdown.

Marlboro (8-2) was impacted by injuries. They were without Matt Drake and Chinedu Okasi, and lost lineman Doug Benfer and linebacker Kevin DeSantis in the second half.

“It’s insane,” Cole said of the emotions afterwards, remembering a 50-0 loss to Marlboro in 2019. “Underdogs, as always, but we played our hearts out and believed it could be done. After seeing my brothers struggle against Marlboro, I always wanted to be on the team that finally beat them.”

Red Hook already has accomplished several items on the “first time in a long time” checklist. Its eight wins are the most since 2006, when they beat Marlboro in the section final.

Now, they’ll have a chance at glory and redemption against the other team that beat them during the regular season, defending champion Port Jervis. The Raiders beat them 28-0 in October.

“They probably would’ve won the state last season if there was one,” Ricketson said of Port Jervis, a juggernaut last spring. “I told the guys we can enjoy this for half an hour and then we have to start preparing right away. We’re not done yet.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Football: Ramsey, Cole shine as Red Hook upsets Marlboro in semifinal