John Jay Falls 31-21 to Rye in Section Semifinals

Even though last week’s upset win over Clarkstown South landed John Jay in the semifinals, there was no sense that these Wolves were playing with house money against third seeded Rye. A 21-17 fourth quarter lead said as much. Unfortunately, three straight plays allowed Rye to cash in their chips, and a 31-21 victory followed. But the sudden turn of events in no way defined his team, according to Coach Joe Candarelli, and while there were plenty of tears, dry eyes will eventually leave much for these young men to fall back on. 

“These kids are going to be sitting in their college dorm room watching us and will know they can be really proud of the foundation they laid,” said Candarelli.

Of course, Rye and Tommy Richardson came out with other ideas. The running back rumbled down the field and converted two fourth downs on the way to the 14.  Nonetheless, Austin Zaccagnino showed he had good hands on both sides of the ball.

The corner stepped into the passing lane and picked off AJ Miller. Unfortunately, the offense wasn’t up to speed yet, and three plays later Rye had the ball.

Picking up where they left off, two Miller completions had Rye threatening at the John Jay 41, but Miller fell prey to the collapsing pocket on the next play. Blindly, he heaved the ball underhand, and Christian Shapiro got the pick at 1:04 

Still, the offense came up blank again, and Miller was soon serving another up. On second down from the John Jay 45, the QB aimed for the sideline, and Tommy Machado’s interception gave his team the ball at the 28.

10:48 left in the half, the Wolves lasted only three plays again, and now Rye was ready to do some damage. On first down, Miller hit Rafferty McSweeney in stride for an 82 yard touchdown.

The extra point giving Rye a 7-0 lead at 7:32, the jolt did give John Jay a charge. Galea dropped back on first down, and Chris DiChiara made a leaping grab in traffic at the Rye 38.

Three Shapiro runs later, the Wolves stood first and goal, and a pass interference had the visitors knocking from the two. So a Shapiro run sounded pretty good, but he was set back and two subsequent passes didn’t do the trick either.

Rye took over, and Richardson ran his team out of the shadows.  A hold negated his run to the 32, but Rye stayed on point. Miller converted a third and three to Jack Acciavatti, and after scrambling to the 39 with 47 seconds left, he connected with Jack Bartlett to the Jay 43.

Miller hit another first down pass to the 27, and after spiking to stop the clock, Miller’s two aerials into the end zone fell flat. So one last attempt seeming in order, Rye trotted out their placekicker instead.  Shepherd Griffiths lined up and knocked it through from 45 yards.

The shock value didn’t carry over into period three, though. Shapiro got the Wolves revved up with a first down run to the 42, and Galea and Zaccagnino put the offense into overdrive. The QB dropped back and downfield his receiver had several steps. All Zaccagnino had to do was run under the ball, and a 58 yard touchdown play had the Wolves howling.

A 10-7 game at 10:40, Rye got the ball downfield again on legs of Richardson, and a fourth and three from the 38 looked like a good bet. That is until a delay of game undid the drive.The blitz sent, Miller was forced into an intentional grounding.

Of course, Rye could play that game too. A third down sack had John Jay punting, and Rye was looking to reassert.  

The Wolves would have none of that, and on first down, Mike Aiello’s hit jarred the ball loose for Michael Mendicino’s recovery.  No surprise, Candarelli opened the playbook to the same page.  Four runs by Shapiro gained first and goal, and going left, DiChiara took the step for a five yard TD pass at 3:50.

Trailing 14-10 now, Rye put on a second light show. Miller threaded a perfectly thrown bomb to McSweeney, and suddenly, the lead changed hands.

Under three left in the third, John Jay came next with the fireworks. First Galea lofted the ball into Mendicino to the twenty, and on third and six from the 15, the senior connected with Zaccagnino for six more.

The Mathias Baez extra point made it 21-17 with 56 seconds left, and the Wolves were obviously hungry for a stop. No chance, Rye was at midfield by quarter’s end, and Richardson carried his team to the 35 to start the fourth.

The back earning a breather, the airways got their due. Miller hit Bartlett to the 24, and despite a subsequent hold, Miller found Charlie Stevens between two defenders on the sideline.  First and goal from the eight, Richardson completed his exhale, and ran the ball in for a 24-21 lead.

Even so, Rye left the door open with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the play and kicked off from the 13 with 9:19 remaining.

John Jay took advantage and started 41 yards away on Zaccagnino’s return. Two Shapiro runs left a third and one, and there seemed no stopping his express. Instead, John Jay got hit with a double whammy, and Rye would score the trifecta that sealed their victory. 

Shapiro injured his ankle on his first down run, and the line was hit with a holding. Galea was then sacked on 3 and 11, and on the punt, the snap sailed long. 

Of course, Richardson ran in the touchdown to make it a ten point game, and needing two scores, John Jay didn’t answer back on offense.

All they had was each other to try to console the end. Not so bad, the hugs and support came secondhand like any other aspect of the playbook. “We stick together as a family,” said Luca Duva, and despite the heartbreak, this group showed that the memories they created will never miss a beat.

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