Football: Sokich's go-ahead field goal late lifts Pleasantville to win over Byram Hills

PLEASANTVILLE - After last season's run to the Carrier Dome, which included many suspenseful finishes, Pleasantville parents learned to have had their nitroglycerin pills ready.

The Panthers' fall season has already had their share of close calls and epic conclusions, and Friday night's game against Byram Hills was another dramatic entry in a journey that hasn't been for the faint of heart.

The Bobcats stormed back into the game and tied it up with 1:38 to go, but the Panthers mustered one final drive. Joe Sokich hit a go-ahead 31-yard field goal with 8.7 seconds left to give Pleasantville a 17-14 win over Byram Hills in a battle of unbeatens and Class B heavyweights.

The Bobcats called a timeout just before the kick in attempt to ice him, but Sokich's mind was elsewhere and away from the pressure of the moment.

"My kicking coach went up to me and he asked me what I had for dinner, and I said chicken and mashed potatoes, then for lunch I had a sandwich, and then he was like, 'You ready for this kick?'" said Sokich, smiling. "I said yeah. He said just keep your head down, follow through, do your steps, and you'll be fine. That's what I did, and it went in. I was very excited because last game, I missed the exact same kick. I brought it back, did it again and got it."

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According to Sokich, it was the longest field goal he's ever made in a game. He chose a great time to hit it, and it had an equally big play moments before it that helped set the stage.

Pleasantville quarterback Aidan Picart shook his way out of a sack, scrambled in the pocket and threw a deep ball to Erik Coleman, who lunged forward to make a 28-yard grab to put the Panthers in field-goal range.

"(Byram Hills' George Gjelaj) made us very one-dimensional, so it was tough to throw anything long with him breathing down your neck," Pleasantville coach Tony Becerra said. "It was him and they were aggressive in their coverage, so it was tough to throw. We had a stoppage in play and the kids said we could get this one route on the back side. I trust my players, my coaches, so if they see something, I'm going to trust them.

"Aidan did a fantastic job to extend that play, I don't know how he did it, but he did. It wasn't a pretty throw, but him just getting the ball up and Erik waiting for it and coming down with it was tremendous. We knew we had to get to a yardage for Joe to have a chance."

While the Panthers stay unbeaten, it hasn't been easy. They escaped Bronxville with an overtime win, and now delivering in the clutch once again on Friday night.

"It's really about the brotherhood we have, everyone trusts each other," said Daniel Picart of the Panthers' ability to elevate their game in crunch time. "We can trust each other in the late moments of the game, we know someone will make a play, and we'll all do our jobs. We know we can get the win."

It didn't look like it would come down to the final seconds, as the Panthers built a 14-0 halftime lead and significantly outgained the Bobcats to start. However, Byram Hills emerged out of the break re-energized and found a rhythm on both sides of the ball to come back and tie it up.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, it wasn't enough, but they leave with plenty lessons learned and determination for the future.

"They were disciplined on defense and certainly gave our offense a lot of hard times," Byram Hills coach Simon Berk said. "We came back at halftime, made some adjustments, I was really happy with the way we fought second half and driving against a team like that with time winding down to score − that's what championship teams are made of. We just came up short on the defensive end. We're a team, offense didn't produce enough during the game, and it's never one play and never one thing."

What it means

The game lived up to the hype, with two undefeated Class B teams facing off. It certainly had a playoff-like atmosphere to it, and there's a chance they meet again in the postseason.

Player of the game

Daniel Picart, Pleasantville: Sokich was the hero, but Picart's production on both sides of the ball was impressive. He ran for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries, and picked off a pass on defense.

By the numbers

Pleasantville (4-0) — Aidan Picart completed 7 of 8 passes for 43 yards, including an 28-yard one to Erik Coleman to set up the game-winning field goal by Sokich. The Panthers outgained the Bobcats, 337-300.

Byram Hills (4-1) — Gavin Javorsky ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. He also caught three passes for 15 yards. Sean Siegel made seven receptions for 108 yards. Jon Accurso completed 12 of 25 passes for 123 yards and an interception.

They said it

"They're a good team, we're going to meet them in the playoffs," Daniel Picart said. "We just have to play better. We have to finish the game next time instead of letting up. We have to keep our foot on the gas to get the win even better next time."

"We knew win or lose, nothing changed," Berk said. "We're still the underdog, they're still the reigning champs. Obviously, we wanted to be on the winning side of this, but my message to them was we have three more tough games in the regular season ahead and then the playoff march begins."

Up next

Pleasantville will travel to Briarcliff High School to play Briarcliff/Hamilton at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8. Byram Hills will visit Ardsley on Friday at 7 p.m.

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Football: Sokich lifts Pleasantville to win over Byram Hills