John Jay Loses Monumental Struggle to Mahopac

After pulling out a close one last week versus Eastchester, John Jay held third place, and victory at Mahopac meant playoffs. The Indians weren’t so obliging, though, and a monumental struggle had a full stadium on edge until the last play. Coach Joe Candarelli, on the other hand, didn’t need the whistle to signal the way he felt about the heart his boys showed on Friday night. “I’ve never been so proud of this team, he said. But the berth the Wolves were hoping to come home with was not to be.

“We are now in a tiebreaker situation with Eastchester and Mahopac,” said Candarelli following a 48-44 defeat.

Nonetheless, with some momentum in their rearview from last week, John Jay quickly sent the Mahopac offense off and came out firing. From the ten, Craig Galea hit Austin Zaccagnino on a screen right for 18 yards, and Christian Shapiro busted for 20 more. 

So John Jay continued to employ their playbook and didn’t get the expected results on the screen. Phil Colbrook stepped in and got a pick six at 9:35.

The extra point good, John Jay simply carried on. Galea hit Zaccagnino, DiChiara and Michael Mendicino, and Shapiro did his standard rumbling. Including a fourth and five conversion from the 30, the back scored from the one after Galea made his own fourth down scramble inside the ten.  

All tied on Mathias Baez’s PAT, Mahopac’s offense was yet to gear up and was soon sitting down.  They didn’t have long to wait for a return to the field, though.

Three plays to be exact - a 65 yard run by Shapiro put John Jay at the ten, and after a no gain, Galea hit DiChiara for a 14-7 lead. 

Then Mahopac’s playmakers showed up. Quarterback DJ DeMatteo got outside for a 15 yard run, and a personal foul put the Indians at the John Jay 33. Not to be outdone, Joey Koch was hemmed in on the left, but cut back and landed at the ten. His TD run on the next play tied the score at 2:17 and was far from the last time the Wolves would be left chasing.

Of course, Mahopac had much to chase too. DiChiara drew a pass interference across midfield, and a reception to the 31 had John Jay knocking again. 

However, the heroics then went Mahopac’s way. Danny Koch tippy toed the sideline with an interception at the four, and his brother and DeMatteo took it from there. 

Joey Koch’s run got Mahopac out of the shadows, and the QB hit two pass plays to the John Jay 26. Koch taking his turn next, converted a third and nine, and DeMatteo rescued the drive by scrambling for the score on a fourth and six.

4:56 left in the half, John Jay stalled, and Koch made them pay.  Five more runs and a pass reception with 12 seconds remaining had the Wolves facing a 28-14 deficit.

Intermission didn’t put John Jay on the retreat, though, and Shapiro sounded the bugle. Three runs for a total of 27 yards had

John Jay 35 yards away, and then Galea went up top. Coming down was Zaccagnino with a 29 yard reception, and Shapiro was in the end zone two plays later.

Zaccagnino made it a six point game on the two, and the momentum continued on defense. So not only did the Wolves get the stop, a hard tackle knocked DeMatteo out of the game.

Unfortunately, a roughing the kicker call eviscerated the shift and backup quarterback Danny Koch didn’t miss a beat. Trapped on the left, Koch cut back and converted a 3rd and 12 to the ten. Two plays later, Joey Koch gave the home team a 34-22 lead.

2:48 left in the third, the offenses were just getting started. Taking over at the 38, John Jay converted on third down when DiChiara came back on Galea’s under throw, and the final 33 came as no surprise. Thirteen, ten and ten were Shapiro’s numbers, and Jay now trailed 34-29 with 11:53 remaining.

The defense did their part again, and after Charlie Burt got Joey Koch in the backfield, Mahopac punted deep inside their own end. Starting at the Mahopac 40, Shapiro ran for a 36 yard touchdown on second down, and the Wolves led 37-34.

Of course, Mahopac had plenty of answers. Koch refused to go down on a 17 yard run across midfield, and on third and five, Joey Koch hit John Kearney for a 41 yard touchdown. “We were selling him out a little bit to try to stop the run, and he answered the question,” said Candarelli. “I give him credit.”

Seven minutes to go, John Jay didn’t hold back. Galea hit a fearless Zaccagnino over the middle to convert a third and 16, and Shapiro rumbled for a 50 yard touchdown.

44-41 with 5:20 remaining, John Jay needed a stop, and forcing a 3rd and 15, the Wolves were almost home. So Koch’s really put the family business in play. Danny Koch eluded the blitz, and on fourth and three, the QB shook two tackles to keep his team alive.

Danny then hit his brother for a first down, and big brother went solo from there. Joey ran 24 yards to the one and pushed it over with 49 seconds remaining.

There was no give on the other end, though. Galea hit Shapiro once and Zaccagnino twice, and there was time for one last play from the Mahopac 20. Galea dropped back, and while Zaccagnino had some open space, he was in a pocket between three defenders. Galea under threw the ball, and Adam Zimmerman got the pick.  

Still, Candarelli held his head high. “These kids battled. They believed up until the very last play that they were going to win. So I’m proud for sure,” he concluded.

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