Cruz Calgani got into the end zone three times and the Patriots came up with a string of timely stops to stay undefeated.
MAMARONECK – John Jay-East Fishkill has been studying film, preparing for this moment since Day 1 of the season.
Those reruns of seasons past set a tone.
“During our lunch sessions in doubles, I was showing them film of the 2011 team that played in the sectional finals,” Patriots coach Jim Cancellari said. “We showed them the 2014 team that went to states, we showed them the 2018 team that lost to New Rochelle in the sectional final and gave up three touchdowns all season. All year, we’ve been kind of building toward that culture. We showed them how it’s done.”
John Jay followed in the footsteps of those teams Friday, posting a 20-14 overtime win at Mamaroneck to capture at least a share of the Class AA League A title.
It was the kind of stressful game the Patriots might’ve lost a year ago.
“We had so many games like this one last year and we didn’t win one of them so to win this one felt great,” John Jay linebacker Nicholas Procaccino said.
Cruz Calgani scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but momentum switched in the fourth quarter and the Tigers came back in a hurry. Brian Auker returned an interception 52 yards for a score and later caught a short TD pass. Calgani got his third touchdown of the game on a 12 yard sprint to the pylon in overtime to end the showdown between two undefeated teams.
Check back later for more game details.
Mike Dougherty covers football for The Journal News/lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: John Jay East Fishkill football beats Mamaroneck Section 1 battle
Category: General Sports
