On Saturday night, Harrison’s football team staged its finest win of the season to date, traveling across the bridge to take on Clarkstown North in a regular season battle with huge postseason implications.
Facing a team some had believed would present a stiff test, the Huskies never faltered, keeping things close early before authoring an impressive second-half performance to down the Rams 34-28.
Harrison’s defense faced a challenging matchup on Saturday, with Clarkstown quarterback Jack Kavanagh using his legs—and arm—to move the Rams down throughout the first half. Kavanagh would finish with 122 rushing yards and 144 through the air, accounting for three of the Rams’ touchdowns on the afternoon. But Harrison’s knack for forcing timely turnovers—including a first half interception by Matt McCoy in the end zone and another pick by Jason Crupi late in the fourth quarter—was a major factor in the visitors coming away with the win.
“[Early on] our defense wasn’t the best,” admitted Crupi but we started making plays, starting keeping our eyes on our reads and kept gaining momentum.”
Offensively, Harrison had little problem moving the ball against a good Clarkstown front, with Crupi leading the way on the ground with 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Jack Badner threw for 122 yards and hit Larry Salerno, Mikey Braiotta and Cole Presto for scores as well.
Crupi was pleased with the way the offense played, especially considering that Marco Marisi—who sat out last week’s game against Somers—was limited to work on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a testament to Harrison’s depth, explained Crupi, that the team was able to effectively implement its offensive game plan regardless of personnel.
“We have a lot of guys who can step up and play,” said Crupi. “We don’t just rely on one guy.”
At 4-2 on the year, the Huskies are currently in a position to secure a postseason home game with one more win this week, when they take on a Fox Lane team that comes in with a 1-5 record. But last week’s win was an especially important one, said Crupi, as it proved the Huskies are a team that can make some serious noise in the playoffs.
“It’s a huge win,” he said. “it just means we’re here to play and we’re ready to make a run.”
The game against Fox Lane will be Harrison’s final test before they take on longtime rival Rye in the annual playing of “The Game” on Oct. 25.
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