Joe Tempestelli scored two touchdowns and Our Lady of Lourdes held on to beat top-seeded Minisink Valley, 14-12, on Friday in a Section 9 Class A semifinal.
Minisink scored with 20 seconds remaining and attempted a tying two-point conversion, but Drew Kornax deflected the pass, allowing the Warriors to escape with a nail-biting win and advance.
Fourth-seeded Lourdes (5-5) faces No. 1 Cornwall in the final Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Middletown High School. This meeting will be a rematch of last season’s final, when the Warriors pulled an upset.
“The is a resilient group of kids,” said Lourdes coach Sean Keenan, whose team lost 50-22 to Cornwall last week. “It’s great to rebound like this after getting punched in the face.”
‘Dog fight’: Arlington tops rival John Jay to reach Section 1 final
Tempestelli ran for 145 yards and scored a touchdown on the opening drive, which gave the Warriors confidence, and they took a 14-0 lead to halftime. Minisink scored on its first possession of the third quarter, but the extra point was missed, which later loomed large.
Mike Sabini made nine tackles, and Mike Domenico and Kornax each had a sack. Tempestelli had five tackles for loss, Liam Harris made seven tackles and Dane Bryan had six stops. Freshmen Michael Ramey and Hodayah Johnson started at defensive tackle and held their own, Keenan said.
“We’re very happy and proud to be one of only two teams in Dutchess County still playing football,” Keenan said, referring to Arlington, which advanced to a Section 1 final. “We graduated 22 players, so for such a young group to make it back to the final is great.”
Marlboro 20, Saugerties 0: Ryan Durling rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns as second-seeded Marlboro beat No. 3 Saugerties in a Section 9 Class B semifinal. Sal Montaperto added two field goals, including one from 47 yards.
The Iron Dukes (7-2) will face No. 1 Port Jervis in the final on Saturday, 1 p.m. at James I. O’Neill High School. Port Jervis beat Highland, 72-3, in its semifinal.
Carter Rivieccio and Sean Robertson each had an interception for Marlboro, which record its fourth shutout of the season. Ryan Emig had six tackles and a sack, Jack Drivas made seven tackles and Durling had six.
Pawling 48, Pine Plains/Rhinebeck 14: Matt Pfister returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Zeke Bernal returned a fumble for a touchdown as No. 1 Pawling beat the fifth-seeded Bombers in a Section 9 eight-man semifinal. Greyson Walker also scored a touchdown for the Tigers (8-0).
Pawling faces No. 2 Sullivan West in the final Friday, 6 p.m. at James I. O’Neill High School. The Tigers beat Sullivan West, 36-6, two weeks ago.
Spackenkill 34, New Paltz 22: Spackenkill improved to 3-7 to close its season. Nick Horowitz ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 67 yards and a score for New Paltz (1-9). Tiernan Schmitt caught a 47-yard touchdown for the Huguenots in the loss.
North Rockland 32, Ketcham 21: North Rockland improved 7-3 and Ketcham fell to 2-7 as the teams concluded their seasons on Thursday.
Stephen Haynes: [email protected]; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
2023-11-04 09:30:13
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