Once again Horace Greeley has beaten North Rockland in Thiells to advance to the championship game. I knew this was going to be a fantastic game, and it lived up to every expectation. Only a dramatic finish would have made this one better. The skill on both sides was unbelievable. Between Loryn Ginley, Megan Lavecchia, Taylor Jackson, Courtney Miller, Lisa Lungaro, Sydney Rutman, Katherine Dapolito, and so many others there was never a dull moment and rarely an errant pass. Even the role players would be stars on other clubs.

A mark of a great team is that it gets to every fifty-fifty ball. You know what the mark of two great teams is? There are no fifty-fifty balls! Great teams don’t put passes up for grabs. Everything was clean today, everything was crisp. Bing bing bing — balls went from foot to foot. Not much was played over the top where anybody could redirect with a header. When somebody stole a pass, they didn’t knock it out of its path and chase after it. They bumped it down and immediately looked upfield for a quick counterattack. Just high quality soccer all around. Very fun to watch.

Not to mention the intensity level was through the roof. I was in awe watching Lavecchia pursue plays down field only to turn around and charge the other way after it got cleared. Most of the motors were revving at max RPMs for 80 minutes.

In the end, Greeley emerged 3-1 to take on another Dutchess County team in the championship. This time it’s John Jay-East Fishkill; last year Ketcham beat Greeley 3-2. I spoke to Erin Tracy, the Quakers coach, on the phone a couple hours after the game. She admitted she had barely heard my postgame questions because her head was so in the clouds and wasn’t even sure if she’d answered them. (I promised to get her back by slandering her in print, but I’m too lazy to think of any good smears so I’ll just say that if you ever hear anything bad about her, it’s definitely true.)

While her giddy clan celebrated and took team pictures on North Rockland’s field, the Red Raiders sat stoically in a circle for a long time. Eventually the underclassmen trudged away, leaving the 14 seniors to reflect on their careers. As sophomores they had come close to the pinnacle, losing to Massapequa in the state championship 1-0. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that they’d get another shot at states. But the new reality of Section 1 soccer is that, with all the old spring teams now in the fall, there are no more gimme sectional titles. Despite the consecutive eliminations at Greeley’s hands, these Red Raiders are as good as anyone around. It’s just so much harder to slug through four rounds of sectionals.

Yet expectations will always be sky-high for North Rockland girls soccer. It’s hard on the players and the coach when they don’t win it all. Steve Shepardson is one of the most even-keeled guys you’ll ever meet, and always considerate with his answers after a crushing loss, but — without getting too mushy here — you can see the disappointment in his eyes. I asked him whether the seniors were more hurt that they failed to return to states or happy that they’d been there at all.

“I think now more disappointed,” he said. “I think eventually when they have a chance to sit back and relax…they’ll hopefully look back and say ‘We got a chance to do something in our high school careers that not too many people get a chance to do.’ Right now they don’t want to hear that but I think ultimately they’ll look back.”

It’s a classic debate. They say ‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved it all. But ‘tis it really?

As I walked off the field, a little girl was releasing the red and white balloons tied to a sideline fence. They drifted over the circle of seniors and out of sight. It seemed appropriate somehow.

I know people are curious about scores. Everything we have is posted on Varsity Central, which you can link to “here”:http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/RecentScores.mxp/AffiliateID-3b52e070-c010-4528-97b3-911e1cf77245/NewYork/Girls_Varsity_Soccer_Fall_07-08/AreaID-f077e9d3-7883-4691-aaab-ae8b68828a34

If anybody was at the games and can tell us a little about what happened, please do.

All eight semifinals are set after Briarcliff knocked off North Salem 2-0 in the last quarterfinal. The Bears earned a rematch with Albertus Magnus, who they defeated a mere two games ago in the regular season finale. The winner moves on to the Class B final against either Nanuet or Rye Neck. Eric Lebowitz, who just started working at The Journal News a few weeks ago, will get his first taste of playoff soccer at Briarcliff. I’ll be at North Rockland, where two fantastic teams square off in North Rockland and Greeley. It’ll be the biggest collection of talent I’ve seen on one field since the Empire State Games. And that includes the Jets game I covered earlier this season.

It’s exciting to finally be covering multiple games after I flew solo for the first two rounds. We’re pretty short-staffed at the paper. There are two new guys, Eric and Dan Marra, who are still learning the ropes. A few more departures are on the way, including Chris Hunt, who you may know from track, and Dan Kiernan, who handles hockey and volleyball. Not to mention Mike Rose, the local sports editor who left a couple months ago and whose job was just filled last week. The nature of this business and the size of our staff lends itself toward a fair amount of turnover, but it all seems to be happening at once. Hence the small amount of coverage.

On to the semifinal predictions.

Class AA

John Jay-East Fishkill 2, Mamaroneck 1: As much as I hate picking against a local, first-ranked JJEF (16-1-1) deserves credit for its amazing season. If Hopewell Junction (where JJEF is located) was a town in Putnam County instead of southern Dutchess I’d have been singing the Patriots’ praises for months. Incidentally, there were only three Dutchess teams in the AA playoffs and No. 5 Mamaroneck (14-3-2) has drawn them all. At least it hosted the first round. This is the type of opponent where Stephanie Velez needs to become a superstar like she did against Greeley.

Class A

Hen Hud 0, Our Lady of Lourdes 0: I can’t think of a more appropriate foe for fourth-seeded Hen Hud (12-5-1) than No. 1 Lourdes (14-2-2). They spent the year dueling for the league, splitting their season series in the process. Hen Hud’s 1-0 win over Lourdes exploded it into the Class A spotlight. The Sailors will accomplish more than just publicity with a victory here. Both teams needed penalty kicks to advance to this point. I hope they remembered what they learned, because it could be necessary again.

Byram Hills 2, Pelham 1: I really liked how No. 2 Byram (15-2-2) looked in the win over Tappan Zee. Kirsten Scavone had a revamped defense looking superb, while the midfielders continue to push up at every opportunity. Even though they’ve had some scoring difficulties recently the No. 3 Pelicans (12-3-2) have yet to be shut out by anyone, so figure Christina Palmieri makes sure they get at least one goal. Question is, can they scare up a second? For what it’s worth, Byram beat Pelham 3-1 waaaaay back on opening day.

Class B

Nanuet 4, Rye Neck 1: Major props to banged-up Rye Neck (15-2-1) for edging out a hot Edgemont squad. It’s a familiar script. Rye Neck shocked Albertus Magnus in a quarterfinal last year, only to get smushed in the second half of a semifinal by Nanuet. The fifth-seeded Panthers can always be counted on to fight like hell, but ultimately their lack of depth catches up to them. No. 1 Nanuet (17-1), with all its pieces, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Eventually the Golden Knights will wear you down.

Briarcliff 1, Albertus Magnus 0: Like I said at the beginning, this is a rematch of the season finale. Nanuet coach Mike Henderson, who I saw after that game, recalled a collision between Albertus goalie Caitlin Hoffer and Briarcliff forward Savina Reid. Hoffer knocked over the smaller Reid, which he suggested set the tone for Briarcliff’s lowest scoring output of the year. Without being outright violent, the Falcons must repeat such physicality if they want to contain the flashy Bear forwards.

Class C

Solomon Schechter 5, Tuckahoe 0: You don’t often see a team lose by four goals in the regular season then beat that opponent in the playoffs. Somehow No. 4 Tuckahoe did that to Blind Brook. But the new and improved Schechter is no Blind Brook. The top-seeded Lions (10-3-1) won two regular-season meetings easily and will use the second half of this one as a warm-up for sectional finals.

Haldane 1, Valhalla 0: These two should be familiar to one another—they were the last opponent either has seen. At the time I termed it a likely playoff preview. The schedule wasted no time in making that precient. On the field they’re not far apart, but third seed Valhalla (6-9) is in a major funk right now and that could be the difference. No. 2 Haldane (10-4-3) turned Valhalla’s Kate Giberson, a top-notch dribbler, into a distributor. Giberson can make life harder for the Blue Devils by aggressively attacking the net.

Hey guys I just completed a video report on the game I covered today. Apparently, the TZ players were fired up because I said Harrison could be this year’s version of Tappan Zee, meaning the Huskies flew under the radar all season and could be poised for a great postseason run. Good to know that it takes a few words from a scribe such as myself to get a team even more focused huh? Maybe I should predict I won’t win the Mega Millions lottery.

Anyway, you can check out the report below.

In other news, here’s the scores we have reported as of 8 p.m.  I do know North Salem won on penalty kicks, just don’t have the score at this point. How about No. 10 Scarsdale blanking No. 2 John Jay-East Fishkill. Talk about upsets. What do you guys think of the tournament so far and today’s results?

Download:

I want to dedicate this post to the lovely ladies of Byram Hills soccer, who told me today they’re avid Just Kickin’ It fans. If all 22 of them read it, I figure that about doubles my readership. It was a strange feeling being recognized. Now I finally understand what big celebrities like David Beckham or George Clooney feel like. Please folks, no autographs. (Note to self: put tinted windows on Lincoln Town Car.)

No. 2 Byram’s convincing win over No. 7 Tappan Zee today, combined with Lourdes’ penalty-kick escape over Rye, elevates the Bobcats to the top tier of Class A contenders. Byram took a 2-0 lead at the 24-minute mark and never looked back. Aside from one empty net look by Jamie Kimak with 14 minutes remaining TZ really had no gasp-worthy shots. Credit a week of effective preparation by rookie coach Bryan Horn and the defense, which added midfielders Regan Marin and Carly Roth to its ranks today. Liza Falk scored both goals, the first on a nifty one-timer that popped over the keeper’s head. Reminded me of my high school hackey sack days.

It’s weird seeing TZ coach Bill Lynch out of the playoffs so soon. He’s been in the finals every year since 2003. I’m also used to the Dutchies throwing up two, three goals every game. Megan Staropoli, Kimak, and Hevyn Diers always made them one of the most skilled offensive clubs around. They’d struggled a lot this year, getting shut out seven times. That’s seven more times than 2006. It’s seven more times than 2005. They weren’t helped today by a dead start. Most of the first half they were a step slower than the Bobcats, moving listlessly and without much organization. Not sure why.

The rest of today’s slate was a lot closer. Three games went to PKs. Hen Hud, Lourdes, and Mamaroneck prevailed in the extra session. Lourdes was tied through 10 kicks and had to go to a sudden-death session before ekeing it out. You have to feel for Rye, which deserved better after putting up a tenacious fight as an eighth seed.

Rye Neck pulled an upset against Edgemont, 1-0, and gets another shot at Nanuet, who eliminated them last year.

There’s one game tomorrow: No. 7 North Salem at No. 2 Briarcliff. That’s the last quarterfinal. The Wednesday semifinals are as follows.

Class AA
No. 4 Mamaroneck at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill, TBA
No. 3 Horace Greeley at No. 2 North Rockland, 2 p.m.
Class A
No. 4 Hen Hud at No. 1 Our Lady of Lourdes, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Pelham at No. 2 Byram Hills, 3 p.m.
Class B
No. 5 Rye Neck at No. 1 Nanuet, TBA
No. 6 Albertus Magnus vs No. 7 North Salem/No. 2 Briarcliff, TBA
Class C
No. 4 Tuckahoe at No. 1 Solomon Schechter, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Valhalla at No. 2 Haldane, 3 p.m.

I want to dedicate this post to the lovely ladies of Byram Hills soccer, who told me today they’re avid Just Kickin’ It fans. If all 22 of them read it, I figure that about doubles my readership. It was a strange feeling being recognized. Now I finally understand what big celebrities like David Beckham or George Clooney feel like. Please folks, no autographs. (Note to self: put tinted windows on Lincoln Town Car.)

No. 2 Byram’s convincing win over No. 7 Tappan Zee today, combined with Lourdes’ penalty-kick escape over Rye, elevates the Bobcats to the top tier of Class A contenders. Byram took a 2-0 lead at the 24-minute mark and never looked back. Aside from one empty net look by Jamie Kimak with 14 minutes remaining TZ really had no gasp-worthy shots. Credit a week of effective preparation by rookie coach Bryan Horn and the defense, which added midfielders Regan Marin and Carly Roth to its ranks today. Liza Falk scored both goals, the first on a nifty one-timer that popped over the keeper’s head. Reminded me of my high school hackey sack days.

It’s weird seeing TZ coach Bill Lynch out of the playoffs so soon. He’s been in the finals every year since 2003. I’m also used to the Dutchies throwing up two, three goals every game. Megan Staropoli, Kimak, and Hevyn Diers always made them one of the most skilled offensive clubs around. They’d struggled a lot this year, getting shut out seven times. That’s seven more times than 2006. It’s seven more times than 2005. They weren’t helped today by a dead start. Most of the first half they were a step slower than the Bobcats, moving listlessly and without much organization. Not sure why.

The rest of today’s slate was a lot closer. Three games went to PKs. Hen Hud, Lourdes, and Mamaroneck prevailed in the extra session. Lourdes was tied through 10 kicks and had to go to a sudden-death session before ekeing it out. You have to feel for Rye, which deserved better after putting up a tenacious fight as an eighth seed.

Rye Neck pulled an upset against Edgemont, 1-0, and gets another shot at Nanuet, who eliminated them last year.

There’s one game tomorrow: No. 7 North Salem at No. 2 Briarcliff. That’s the last quarterfinal. The Wednesday semifinals are as follows.

Class AA
No. 4 Mamaroneck at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill, TBA
No. 3 Horace Greeley at No. 2 North Rockland, 2 p.m.
Class A
No. 4 Hen Hud at No. 1 Our Lady of Lourdes, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Pelham at No. 2 Byram Hills, 3 p.m.
Class B
No. 5 Rye Neck at No. 1 Nanuet, TBA
No. 6 Albertus Magnus vs No. 7 North Salem/No. 2 Briarcliff, TBA
Class C
No. 4 Tuckahoe at No. 1 Solomon Schechter, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Valhalla at No. 2 Haldane, 3 p.m.

These are from a couple days ago. I’ll be back in a bit with observations from Byram Hills’s victory and the rest of today’s slate.

“State rankings”:http://www.newyorksportswriters.org/reference/current_polls_gsoc_071021.shtml

Pretty uneventful first round in all classes. The lower seed won every game except for No. 9 John Jay, which needed overtime to beat No. 8 White Plains. That’s not so unusual for a first round of sectionals, where the disparity between clubs is usually pretty large. I think we’ll see more shakeups today in the quarterfinals.

There’s still one first-rounder left to play, as North Salem hosts Dobbs Ferry. Guess they’ll move that quarterfinal to Tuesday.

Here are my predictions. Each prediction is followed by today’s game time. All games are at the higher seed. Tappan Zee at Byram Hills, which I haven’t predicted because I’m covering, is at 3 p.m.

Class AA

John Jay-East Fishkill 1, John Jay 0: If any low seed can handle No. 1 JJEF (15-1-1) it’s the No. 9 Indians (10-4-3). Their defensive, conservative style is capable of subduing an opponent’s skill advantage. I think they keep it close, but JJEF ultimately pulls out the battle of the John Jays. (3 p.m.)

North Rockland 3, Ursuline 0: The No. 7 Koalas (12-5-1) survived a good first-round opponent in Mahopac. It doesn’t get any easier with the No. 2 Red Raiders (17-2). They have to hope North Rockland is rusty after playing only one close contest in their last 11. (2 p.m.)

Horace Greeley 4, Yorktown 2: These league foes have already faced off twice. No. 3 Greeley (16-2) won the first 3-1, then doubled up 6-2 in the sequel. This is where a young No. 6 Yorktown (13-4-2) squad bows out, though it has one of the brightest futures of anyone. (2 p.m.)

Mamaroneck 3, Arlington 2: I warned about the difficulty of Mamaroneck’s first round against Ketcham, but the defense was excellent in shutting out the defending champs on only six shots on goal. The No. 5 Tigers (14-3-2) ride that momentum to a victory over No. 4 Arlington (16-2). (3 p.m.)

Class A

Rye 1, Our Lady of Lourdes 1: Top-seed Lourdes (14-2-1) has been better throughout the season, but No. 8 Rye (11-6-2) is scorching, especially after a first-round romp. This one comes down to PKs, where the Garnets have a 50-50 shot at the shocker. (3 p.m.)

Hen Hud 1, Somers 0: Both are coming off first-round byes. They squared off in September, where No. 4 Hen Hud (12-5) got a first-half goal from Kayla Mancusi and 14 saves from Lauren Luposello for the victory. If No. 5 Somers falls, it’ll be the second reigning champ to go down. (4:30 p.m.)

Pelham 1, Eastchester 0: Another pair coming off byes. These league foes know each other well. They tied the first time and No. 3 Pelham (11-3-2) won the second time. This is a chance for No. 6 Eastchester (9-4-2) to get Pelham back for stealing its league title. (4:15 p.m.)

Class B

Nanuet 4, Westlake 1: Amy Marron is sizzling, having scored 11 goals in her last three games, including five on Saturday, to become the area’s leading scorer. She’ll have to be at her best today if No. 8 Westlake (10-6) is to have any shot against No. 1 Nanuet (16-1). (3 p.m.)

Edgemont 2, Rye Neck 0: No. 5 Rye Neck (14-2-1) desperately needed the weekend’s bye to rest Rosina Calisto. Figure Rye Neck attempts what it always does, which is pack the box and try for one counterattack goal, at which point it’ll eliminate all its forwards. No. 4 Edgemont (10-2-3), which has been quietly impressive, can negate that by scoring first. (3 p.m.)

Bronxville 0, Albertus 0: One of the best games of the day. Two defensive clubs slug it out for 110 minutes without anyone making the mistake that the other loves to prey on. Then it’s up to Christie Gietl to PK No. 3 Bronxville (15-1-1) over Caroline Burke and No. 6 Albertus (12-5-1). (2:30 p.m.)

Class C

Blind Brook 3, Tuckahoe 0: The No. 5 Trojans kick off the Class C postseason with a win over No. 4 Tuckahoe. (2 p.m.)

I covered the New Rochelle-North Rockland game and New Rochelle played a good one. The ‘good’ New Rochelle team showed up and not its alter ego. The Huguenots had plenty of quality chances and hit the crossbar twice, so the score could’ve been even more in their favor. Now, the real question is can they keep this thing rolling because, gulp, guess who’s next up: Top-seeded and defending champion Arlington! Yikes.

Here’s the rest of the scores from Sunday. What do you guys think so far? How about Suffern getting upset by Clarkstown North. I talked with North coach Byran Bentley earlier tonight and he wasn’t even at the game because he received his third yellow card of the season in the game I covered against North Rockland on Tuesday. What a surprise phone call he got from his assistant coach after the game, huh? What do you think that conversation was like?

Anyway, here you go. Thoughts?

Boys soccer
Section 1 tournament
First round
Class AA
New Rochelle 2, North Rockland 0
Horace Greeley 3, R.C. Ketcham 1
Clarkstown North 3, Suffern 2
Scarsdale 2, Ossining 1
Class A
Sleepy Hollow 2, Eastchester 1
Beacon 3, Hen Hud 2, OT
Class B
First round
Briarcliff 3, Rye Neck 1
Pleasantville 3, Nanuet 0

Shout out to Yo, Soccer fan and others who asked.

You wanted it so I am going to oblige. I wanted to wait to post this until we got as close to sectionals as possible and now we are here. So here goes.

Now as my homey Jake pointed out in one of his girls’ posts, we don’t cover Dutchess County schools. I used to cover boys soccer a bit when I worked for The Poughkeepsie Journal, a sister publication of The Journal News. But for this comprehensive report, I’m going to include the two best teams up there in Class AA this year only because we are talking about the entire section and not just schools in our coverage area when it comes to out TJN power rankings. To leave them out would be silly for a report like this.

Class AA
Contenders

Suffern: Wins over Arlington and Roy C. Ketcham early in the season had the Mounties looking strong. A three-game losing skid followed soon after, however, and there were questions about whether the Mounties, “Were who were thought they were!!!!” as Dennis Green on that famed Monday night last year when the Arizona Cardinals choked away a late-game lead and lost to the Chicago Bears. Since, Eric Garcia, Evan Shreck and company had won nine straight before losing the season finale to Newburgh. They have been shutting out opponents at a ridiculous rate. However, they might have to go without two of their top players, so we’ll see what happens if that’s the case.

John Jay-East Fishkill: I’m not going to act like I am an expert on the Patriots ‘cause I’m definitely not. But I know that when I talked to AA coaches in our area who’ve played the Patriots, they all raved about how good they were. Most seem to believe they ARE the team to beat. We’ll see if that’s the case in due time.

Arlington: Same as above, but I can tell you this: I penned an award-winning piece on Arlington’s program a few years back, so I know more about the program overall than this year’s crop. The Admirals are deep year in and year out and play a suffocating style of defense that swarms around the ball and doesn’t give opponents many (quality) shots on goal. So any team that knocks off the defending Class AA champs, who went undefeated a year ago, will have to find a way to score in key situations. They better take advantage of any chances they get.
John Jay: When most people refer to John Jay in soccer, it’s sometimes assumed they are talking about the aforementioned Patriots of Wiccopee (that’s the small hamlet JJ-EF is actually located in). But I’m here to tell you the guys who call Cross River home are right there with anyone in the class this season. Peter Neidell knew the Indians would have a solid team this year and he was right. Last year, they came up with a stunning first-round win over White Plains. This year, winning a first-round game won’t be enough. Depending on the draw and the seedings, don’t be surprised if the Indians are in the championship game.

Greeley: Experience is always a good thing in the postseason and the Quakers have good senior leadership in Dan Thau and Harrison Lewin. Playing in arguably one of the section’s toughest leagues surely doesn’t hurt, so they are sure to be battle tested thanks to facing Lakeland, John Jay and Fox Lane among others twice a season.

Don’t be surprised if: New Rochelle makes a deep run in the tournament. The Huguenots are about as talented as any team, but their hangup is consistency. They are about as up and down as you can get. Here’s an example: They totally dominate rival White Plains then proceed to lose to Mount Vernon two days later. Nothing against the Knights, who’ve had their share of good wins this season, most recently knocking off a good Scarsdale B team. But Mount Vernon is a team New Rochelle is ‘supposed’ to beat. If they play up to their potential, it could be interesting.

The pick: Arlington

Class A

Contenders

Byram Hills: We all knew the Bobcats were going to be one of the best teams in their class this year, but did anyone really think they would be as good as they’ve been without Hayden Morris and his rocket left foot? C’mon? But here the Bobcats are, preparing for what should be another deep postseason run. They made a few lineup changes, notably putting natural midfielder Stephen Paresi up front with Will Ogden to give them a solid one-two combo. They are going to be hard to stop.

Lakeland: Mike Malan missed a portion of the season with a bulging disk in his back, but there’s no question the Hornets are a different team when their emotional leader is there to lift the spirits of his teammates. The biggest thing will be Malan getting some scoring help up front because you know most teams are going to focus the bulk of their attention on him. That’s where Lou DeMello comes in. He leads the team in goals with 11.

Rye: The Garnets were another one of those teams that probably played a bit above their heads last season, making it all the way to the Class B semifinals before losing to eventual champ Albertus Magnus. Coach Jared Small has the Garnets right back in the mix this year, although they are playing in a higher class. They weren’t intimidated when they played Byram Hills earlier this and they know they can hang with any team. Now they have to prove it.

Dont’ be surprised if: Harrison turns more than a few heads. I really think the Huskies can be this year’s version of Tappan Zee. TZ caught a few people off-guard, me included, with its nice run all the way to the semifinals a season ago, where the Dutchmen lost to eventual champ Byram Hills. I’m telling you, man, look for the Huskies to be playing for a shot at Saturday’s championship game come Thursday.

The pick: Byram Hills

Class B

Contenders

Bronxville: I’ve talked all year about how the Broncos feature one of the purest goal scorers in Brian Rogers. He blew away everyone else in the area goal standings and it’s no secret he’s as good as advertised. He can still find a way to score even if defenders are draped all over him. Chris Dennen and Trent Emanuel make it hard to lock on just Rogers because if you do, they can hurt you as well.

North Salem: Brian Span caught my eye last year in the Class C finals against Blind Brook. I had to keep looking at my roster during the game with the Trojans just to make sure I was reading it right that he was actually a freshman. He’s back this year and is more seasoned, and coach Ron Hendrie has the Tigers primed for another great run. I like the way he coaches and his knowledge of the game is a great assest. These guys are good.
Hastings: Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Yellow Jackets might have shocked a few by garnering the No. 1 seed. But if you don’t know anything about them, you better know this: Aaron Markowitz is the truth and Cameron McNeil is his sidekick. This dynamic duo has done it all season and one shouldn’t expect that to change too much now, though they will have the bull’s-eye emblazoned firmly on their chest.

Edgemont: Well lookee here. The Panthers are back with a vengeance as the second seed, winning six of their final eight games going into sectionals. They have a good tandem in Justin Orden (18 goals, four assists) and Kaito Komatsu (16 goals, 6 assists). They’ve outscored their opponents 56-23 and have big wins over two aforementioned teams in Bronxville and Rye. They are probably happy they don’t have to face Eastchester anymore. The Eagles beat them twice during the regular season.

Don’t be surprised if: It’s Bronxville and North Salem in the final. The bracket is set up nicely for those two teams to meet since they are on opposite ends. It would make for a nice rematch and you don’t think the Broncos would want to avenge that early-season loss to the Tigers. I’d pay to see that one and I don’t even have to. Note: Those at the gates, please don’t remind me of this and make me fork over the dough.

The pick: Bronxville

Class C

Contenders

Blind Brook: Fresh off their 2-1 win over Valhalla to clinch the League IV-B title, it’s the Trojans who are riding high and should have plenty of confidence heading into sectionals. They await the winner of Tuesday’s matchup between No. 3 Haldane and No. 6 Hamilton and shouldn’t have much of a problem against either of those teams.

Valhalla: The Vikings are still one of the best teams I’ve had the chance to see in person this season and they will likely go as far as Paolo Luciano takes them. They’ve played up in

Don’t be surprised if: Well, you should be surprised if these two teams aren’t warming up around 1 p.m. for Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship finale at Bronxville.

The pick: Valhalla

The latest rankings have been released and include games through Monday. You can check them out here.

So what do you guys think about this latest batch? Offer your thoughts. FYI: I’ll be posting a look at the teams to keep an eye on in sectionals followed by my predictions for who will win it all in each class. You can check back in an hour or so. Hey, what else do you have to do on a rainy, cold Friday night?

You asked for it, you got it. Of course even if you hadn’t asked I would do it. These are for Saturday games only. I’ll leave out one prediction—John Jay vs White Plains—because I’m covering that game on Saturday and don’t want players saying, “You picked us to lose. We hate you. We’re going to set your car on fire.” If I had a dime for every time my car was set on fire by angry high-schoolers I’d have enough to buy a new car.

Class AA

John Jay-East Fishkill 5, New Rochelle 1: Only two of Fishkill’s 14 wins have been by less than two goals.

Mamaroneck 2, Ketcham 2: A terrible first-round matchup for the Tigers. Ketcham is the defending champ and one of the best No. 12 seeds you’ll ever encounter. Ketcham beat Mamaroneck 2-1 already. I think this comes down to penalty kicks, where a Jade Mandel kick is the difference.

Arlington 3, Scarsdale 1: Arlington can be beat, but I’m not sure if Scarsdale has the horses to do it.

Greeley 6, Saunders 0: Yonkers schools are in a tough position. In most sports—soccer being one—they just don’t have the resources or childhood programs to field competitive teams. Yet they still have to go out year after year and get smushed outside of their league. It’s got to get discouraging for the girls who are really trying to compete.

Yorktown 2, Suffern 0: It appears Gabrielle Lawrence has seized the full-time keeper job in Yorktown, though whether through competition or injury I don’t know. She may not be challenged much by a Suffern attack that too often goes cold.

Ursuline 3, Mahopac 2: One of the best contests of the first round. These two met a couple of years ago in this round and Ursuline pulled it out. The Koalas are hot, as is Ketty Ann O’Connor.

North Rockland 6, Clarkstown North 0: Poor Clarkstown North, whose 7-0 loss to North Rockland in the season finale earned it a rematch it didn’t want any part of. It’s been a solid year for Maya Kantor and Co., but I’m afraid it ends here.

Class A

Rye 3, Nyack 1: Lia Bellizzi told me she was going to take out her anger over a lost league title on Rye’s playoff opponents, and I believe her. She can’t be too happy about playing an outbracket either. Besides, Rye hasn’t lost since Sept. 26.

Tappan Zee 1, Panas 0: The Dutchies either score three goals or none—there’s no middle ground. So why am I picking a 1-0 result? Because Tiara Johnson isn’t going to get touched up for three goals. But I think if it’s a close game in the final 20 minutes, TZ will be calmer than Panas because it’s been there before.

Class B

Westlake 4, Hastings 0: Westlake and goalie Megan Maher just posted their first four shutouts of the season in their final four games. The winner gets a date with Nanuet.

Albertus 2, Dover 0: Albertus’s recent scoring troubles won’t matter here. If Dover gets more than five shots on goal I’d be surprised. If the Falcons win it’ll set up an interesting meeting with Bronxville.

North Salem 3, Dobbs Ferry 0: North Salem has a much tougher road in Class B after rocketing to the Class C finals. It and Rye Neck are the two smallest schools in the Class.

Got a call from Rye Neck’s Doug Choron as I was walking into the seeding meeting tonight. His game against Bronxville had just ended and he couldn’t wait to tell me about it. No one gets giddier than Doug after a big win. Last year I covered his first-rounder against Pleasantville in which Rye Neck got outshot something like 400-3 but held on for a 1-0 victory. He was pumping his fist, giving everyone high fives, jumping around like Charlie Bucket when he found the ticket to Willie Wonka’s factory. I strolled over to interview him and he wrapped me in a huge bear hug. I doubt he even knew who I was. Don’t go near him if he beats Edgemont on Monday; he might propose.

Anyway, Doug was so excited because he avenged a loss to Bronxville despite missing two of his best players. The 2-0 victory gave the Panthers a piece of the League IV-Central title. It was remarkable considering Bronxville beat Rye Neck at full strength. This time Rosina Calisto and Lona Speidell were out with injuries, as was the stopper. He played with one forward and had the other nine girls crowd around goalie Jessie Wright, who came up with 23 saves (a big number but I believe it, since Bronxville probably had possession 90% of the game). Jodi Rosenzweig, the last member of the Big Three, came up with a goal, as did Sam Amatuzzo.

That’s a huge win, and there’s no one better to celebrate it than Choron. Unfortunately for him, Speidell and her 27 goals are out for the year. Hard to replace the LoHud’s leading scorer. Calisto, a 2006 Journal News first-teamer, will try to make it back for Monday’s quarterfinal. The fifth-seeded Panthers should count their lucky stars they’re not playing a Saturday outbracket, which they would have if they were No. 6.

Remember when Michael Strahan got in trouble last year for showing up to a Giants meeting on time? In Tom Coughlin’s world, if a meeting starts at 9 a.m., you get there at 8:45 or you’re late. Now I know what he feels like. I got to today’s seeding meeting at 6:30, which is when it started. Except Class A had already been decided! Keep in mind, punctuality is not my strong suit. So when early becomes on-time and on-time becomes late, I’m in trouble.

Once again it was smooth sailing in determining the seeds. Ninety-five percent of the work was already done. The only thing missing was Solomon Schechter’s final record since it played today. Turns out it won and secured the top seed in Class C — a remarkable turnaround.

I’d like to put an NCAA-style bracket on here to show you more clearly who is playing who and what the potential matchups are. I’ll see if I can get our graphics department to send me the file. Until then, here’s the schedule as it stands right now, all the way through next Saturday’s finals.

First round
Saturday, Oct. 27
Class A
No. 10 Panas at No. 7 Tappan Zee
No. 9 Nyack at No. 8 Rye
Class B
No. 11 Dover at No. 6 Albertus Magnus
No. 10 Dobbs Ferry at No. 7 North Salem
No. 9 Hastings at No. 8 Westlake

Quarterfinals
Monday, Oct. 29
Class A
No. 10 Panas/No. 7 Tappan Zee at No. 2 Byram Hills
No. 9 Nyack/No. 8 Rye at No. 1 Our Lady of Lourdes
No. 6 Eastchester at No. 3 Pelham
No. 5 Somers at No. 4 Hen Hud
Class B
No. 11 Dover/No. 6 Albertus Magnus at No. 3 Bronxville
No. 10 Dobbs Ferry/No. 7 North Salem at No. 2 Briarcliff
No. 9 Hastings/No. 8 Westlake at No. 1 Nanuet
No. 5 Rye Neck at No. 4 Edgemont
Class C
No. 5 Blind Brook at No. 4 Tuckahoe

Semifinals
Wednesday, Oct. 31
Class C
No. 5 Blind Brook/No. 4 Tuckahoe at No. 1 Solomon Schechter
No. 3 Valhalla at No. 2 Haldane

Finals
Saturday, Nov. 3
at Tappan Zee
Class C: 1 p.m.
Class B: 3 p.m.
Class A: 5 p.m.
Class AA: 7 p.m.

I know this was a couple weeks ago now, but I recently got an interesting email from a coach on how Hackley would fare against Section 1 and why they don’t play more often. This is a Section 1 coach who I respect and have turned to every year for advice on players and teams to watch. He’s considered one of the best around. Here’s his take:

“Section 1 has rules about the out of Section 1 competition which affects seeding so it makes it difficult for some of the better schools from playing the Private schools who are powerful. For instance North Rockland takes a hit to play better competition, but I believe if Hackley were on that level they would definitely step on the field with them but I just don’t think there is much there for North Rockland. I have no doubt about the talents of girls who have gone through (Wamsley’s, etc) the private sector but I don’t believe for a minute that you could put them on the field with Hannah Cerrone’s Ketcham or DaCosta’s Somers and have a game. Ursuline is down this season and is rebuilding and have no doubt that Hackley did the job but if you line up some of the Elite schools I just don’t find the comparison relative unless they want to play a schedule like say Greely’s where they have to play elite teams day after day and then play Hackley…I would like to see Hackley play Yorktown, Mamaronek, Mahopac and then Greely. That would be a whole different game with wear and tear, and depth. I fought hard for years to get Westchester to play in the fall and would love nothing more than to see these schools tee it up against our best on a regular basis.”

Byram Hills (Class A), Hastings (Class B), Valhalla (Class C), and Arlington (Class AA) each earned the top seed in their respective classes for the Section 1 tournament, which begins this weekend.

Think the people who follow Our Lady of Lourdes won’t be mad when they wake up and see the Warriors missing from the bracket? They were going to garner the No. 2 seed in Class A, but the were disqualified because they played 19 games, one above the maximum allowed. Ouch. Instead, Lakeland (12-5-1) moved into the second spot.

I’ll chime in with a comprehensive look as well as my predictions for the tournament on Friday. So look for it then. In the meantime, feel free to break this bracket down. Give me your picks. Who you guys going with?

Before the playoffs begin, however, the all-section picks will be selected. The meeting, originally scheduled for next Tuesday, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Byram Hills.

Below are the matchups

Class AA
Saturday
First round
Times TBD
No. 9 New Rochelle (9-5-1) at No. 8 North Rockland (12-6)
No. 12 R.C. Ketcham (8-9) at No. 5 Greeley (12-3-1)
No. 13 Clarkstown North (8-7-2) at No. 4 Suffern (12-3)
No. 14 Mamaroneck (8-10) at No. 3 White Plains (11-3-2)
No. 11 Roosevelt (8-7-2) at No. 6 John Jay (10-2-4)
No. 10 Scarsdale (10-6) at No. 7 Ossining (11-3-2)
No. 1 Arlington, bye
No. 2 John Jay-East Fishkill, bye

Tuesday, Oct. 30
Quarterfinals
All games at 3 p.m.
No. 9 New Rochelle (9-5-1)/No. 8 North Rockland (12-6) at No. 1 Arlington
No. 12 R.C. Ketcham (8-9)/No. 5 Greeley (12-3-1) vs.
No. 13 Clarkstown North (8-7-2)/No. 4 Suffern (12-3)
No. 14 Mamaroneck (8-10)/No. 3 White Plains (11-3-2) vs. No. 11 Roosevelt (8-7-2)/No. 6 John Jay (10-2-4)
No. 10 Scarsdale (10-6)/No. 7 Ossining (11-3-2) at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill (13-2-1)

Thursday, Nov. 1
Semifinals
All games at 3 p.m.
At higher seed

Saturday, Nov. 3
Finals
At Suffern Middle School, 6:30 p.m.

Class A
Saturday
First round
Times TBD
No. 9 Beacon (10-7-1) at No. 8 Hen Hud (9-6-3)
No. 12 Pelham (6-8-2) at No. 5 Keio (11-4-2)
No. 13 Somers (6-9-2) at No. 4 Rye (12-4-2)
No. 11 Tappan Zee (9-7-1) at No. 6 Port Chester (9-4-2)
No. 10 Sleepy Hollow (9-7) at No. 7 Eastchester (10-4-2)
No. 1 Byram Hills, bye
No. 2 Lakeland, bye
No. 3 Harrison, bye

Tuesday, Oct, 30
Quarterfinals
All games at 3 p.m.
No. 12 Pelham (6-8-2)/No. 5 Keio (11-4-2) vs. No. 13 Somers (6-9-2)/No. 4 Rye (12-4-2)
No. 11 Tappan Zee (9-7-1)/No. 6 Port Chester (9-4-2) at No. 3 Harrison (12-3-2)
No. 10 Sleepy Hollow (9-7)/No. 7 Eastchester (10-4-2) at No. 2 Lakeland (12-5-1)
No. 9 Beacon (10-7-1)/No. 8 Hen Hud (9-6-3) at No. 1 Byram Hills (16-1-1)

Thursday, Nov. 1
Semifinals
All games at 3 p.m.
At higher seed

Saturday, Nov. 3
Finals
At Suffern Middle School, 1:30 p.m.

Class B
First round
No. 9 Irvington (7-8) at No. 8 Albertus Magnus (6-7-4)
No. 12 Nanuet (7-9-1) at No. 5 Pleasantville (13-5)
No. 11 Dover (6-9) at No. 6 Westlake (8-6-2)
No. 10 Rye Neck (5-8-4) at No. 7 Briarcliff (8-7-3)
No. 1 Hastings, bye
No. 2 Edgemont, bye
No. 3 Bronxville, bye
No. 4 North Salem, bye

Tuesday, Oct. 30
Quarterfinals
All games at 3 p.m.

No. 9 Irvington (7-8)/No. 8 Albertus Magnus (6-7-4) at No. 1 Hastings (12-2-1)
No. 12 Nanuet (7-9-1)/No. 5 Pleasantville (13-5) at No. 4 North Salem (12-4-1)
No. 11 Dover (6-9)/No. 6 Westlake (8-6-2) at No. 3 Bronxville (14-4)
No. 10 Rye Neck (5-8-4)/No. 7 Briarcliff (8-7-3) at No. 2 Edgemont (12-3-2)

Thursday, Nov. 1
Semifinals
All games at 3 p.m.
At higher seed

Saturday, Nov. 3
Finals
At Suffern Middle School, 4 p.m.

Class C
Tuesday, Oct. 30
Quarterfinals
All games at 3 p.m.
No. 5 Solomon Schechter at No. 4 Tuckahoe
No. 6 Hamilton at No. 3 Haldane
No. 1 Valhalla, bye
No. 2 Blind Brook, bye

Semifinals
All games at 3 p.m.
No. 5 Solomon Schechter/No. 4 Tuckahoe at
No. 1 Valhalla
No. 6 Hamilton/No. 3 Haldane at No. 2 Blind Brook

Saturday, Nov. 3
Finals
At Bronxville High School, 2 p.m.

Haldane needed this win to have a shot at the No. 1 seed in Class C. I’m still not sure whether it’ll be Haldane or Solomon Schechter who gets that distinction. It’s all about the Harbin point system, which is pretty complex. (Well, too complex for me at least.) We’ll know by tomorrow evening when the seeds for Classes A, B, and C are determined.

No. 1 in C is worth more than just the honor. Because there are three favorites (Valhalla being the third), the No. 2 and No. 3 teams will probably meet in semifinals. The top team, meanwhile, probably gets Blind Brook, which was only 2-11-1. Not to slight the bracket’s bottom three clubs (Tuckahoe, Keio, Blind Brook) but they’re going to be heavy underdogs.

Despite today’s loss, I still think Valhalla can be a factor. It played well until Emily Marsh’s penalty kick, then seemed to give up a little. In striker Katie Giberson the Vikings have a very skilled player. She and the team need to find a better way to use her.

Just got back from the seeding meeting at Nanuet, where I rushed after my game at Pelham. Class AA had an early meeting because of a possible Thursday outbracket. When the dust cleared it turned out the early meeting wasn’t needed. Exactly 16 teams qualified for AA playoffs, meaning it will start on Saturday along with A and B. Quarterfinals are Monday, semis are Wednesday, and finals are next Saturday at Tappan Zee.

The meeting, led by world-reknowned Section 1 coordinator Frank Mazzucca, went as smooth as I can remember it ever going. Usually there are a couple math errors, a game missing here or there. This time everyone showed up just to double-check Mazzucca’s work, which was spot-on. Mazzucca — half Magnum PI and half teddy bear — is now a hero to millions. And if you think I’m kissing his butt because he admitted to reading this blog, you’re dead right.

The first round matchups are as follows. I’ll post my thoughts on each game later in the week.

No. 16 New Rochelle at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill
No. 15 Clarkstown North at No. 2 North Rockland
No. 14 Saunders at No. 3 Horace Greeley
No. 13 Scarsdale at No. 4 Arlington
No. 12 R.C. Ketcham at No. 5 Mamaroneck
No. 11 Suffern at No. 6 Yorktown
No. 10 Mahopac at No. 7 Ursuline
No. 9 John Jay at No. 8 White Plains

Pelham sealed up one of two leagues that entered Tuesday without a champion. Rye, one game behind Pelham in the League III-B standings, needed a victory at Pelham to seize a piece of the league title. Though it had chances, Rye couldn’t get more than one goal against Rashidah Sherman, Juliana Carfora, and the Pelican defense. The teams ended in a 1-1 tie after a shortened overtime (because of darkness).

Rye’s talent up front with Lia Bellizzi and Alex Rimmer is impressive. Unfortunately for them, Pelham’s talent in the back was just as good. Sherman, a blazing midfielder turned marking fullback, caught up to Bellizzi like few others in the section could have. Kerry Davis, another defender, didn’t let the fancy-footed Rimmer around her. Those battles were the story of this game, especially after halftime. Opportunities were about equal in the first half, but Pelham, with its shallower bench, couldn’t mount any kind of consistent attack in the second half or overtime. Rye had more possession but Sherman and Davis and goalie Carfora (eight saves) kept the Garnets from taking the lead.

Overtime was a snoozefest. Erin McCarty’s two late corner kicks were the only things that could even be called action.

Incidentally, this was the second Pelham game in a row with a single referee. I get why Monday’s Pelham-Harrison game had only one (non-league, Harrison isn’t a playoff team, etc.). But yesterday? Come on, that was for a title. You can’t have one guy chugging up and down by himself. How’s he supposed to monitor both sidelines and make offsides calls near both endlines? Rye got whistled for a bunch of offsides in this game. There were also a few blatant shoves on both sides. Most of his calls/non-calls were right, but a few had to be off. I’m not blaming the ref, who can’t see everywhere at once. But get the guy some help in such a big game.

With III-B settled, League IV-Central is the only one left without a champion. That was supposed to be settled today too, but the Bronxville-Rye Neck game got postponed to Thursday. Bronxville is a game up on the Panthers after beating them 3-2 in their first meeting.

Man, talk about a long day. I was up at 6 a.m. this morning for my trip back home from the deep south and it feels like I haven’t stopped since. Actually, I haven’t. As soon as this blog post is done, I’m outta here for the night so here goes.

Bryan Bentley and the Clarkstown North players seem to like when I come around. When my ugly mug happens to be in the house, the Rams just happen to be a perfect 3-0. They beat Scarsdale and rival Clarkstown South on the road while I was there to witness each game, and they won again today on the road by edging North Rockland 2-1.

Man, I was thoroughly entertained by the atmosphere.

I tell you what, it reminded me of sectional game and the players and coaches seemed inclined to agree. Although it was just a regular season game, this is why I enjoy the postseason so much. As I can attest to after watching many playoff games in my years doing this sportswriting thing, there’s a different mentality and fervor surrounding sectional games. The Rams’ win was only a prelude and got my chops wet for what’s to come over the next week and a half.

Sectionals are almost here! Are you guys ready?