WIZARDS SLIP PAST VC IN TIGHT DIVISIONAL CLASH

By TUCKER CERGOL

On Saturday, October 7th, the Washingtonville Wizards faced off against Valley Central in their homecoming football game.  This game was much more than just a homecoming game, as it would determine each team’s standing.  Fortunately, the Wizards came out on top, which allowed them to move ahead of VC in the ranks.  Now the Wizards are second in their division.  With a win next week, they will secure a home playoff game.

TUCKER CERGOL FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

As for the game, it was an explosion by the Wizards from the start. In the first play, quarterback Vinny Martello found Rob DelGuidice for a huge completion which put them into the red zone. Also, running back and senior captain Brandon Politza rumbled into the endzone twice in the first half and gave the Wizards a lot of momentum.  When asked why he believed the Wizards won the game, he replied with, “When the game started, momentum was strictly on our side. Once we scored, once we knew that we could put them away, that’s when the offense stepped up, tired out their defense, and is what ultimately won us the game.”

This explosiveness by the offense, along with the Wizard’s defense putting VC in a bind, put this game in the makings of a blowout. The first half was ultimately dominated by the athletes in blue. The Wizards were leading 17-7 at halftime. 

As the second half began, the Wizards kept going. Although it seemed like they were relying more on their passing game, they were still doing it efficiently. The offensive line was giving Martello time to scan the field and look for his open receivers.  Giving their quarterback time resulted in Vinny finding Ryan Hendricks for a huge 79-yard touchdown, and hitting Ryan Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown. 

The Wizards now led 31-7.  However, Valley Central did not count themselves out. Quarterback Chandler Toth, who some consider to be the best QB in Section 9, started finding his receivers as well,  thus breaking down Washingtonville’s defense.  Although Toth was down by 17 points as the fourth quarter began, he and his team did not give up.

In the end, the Wizard’s defense was enough to stop Toth and their offense from taking the lead. Two performances that must be highlighted from the defense are senior defensive tackle Dylan Spaulding, who recorded 4 sacks on the quarterback, and senior linebacker Daniel Luedke, who had a momentum changing interception. 

Luedke expressed his feelings about his performance. “I felt great. It was definitely a huge game changer and was certainly one of my favorite football moments in my career.”  He also gave his outlook on what he expects from the Wizards the rest of the season. “I expect big things; we learned from our mistakes from last game and we will definitely fix those.  We hope to be division champions again, get into the playoffs, and take it one game at a time.”

Many important playoff scenarios hang in the balance of this Friday’s game at Minisink.  If the Wizards win and Valley Central beats Warwick by 8 points or more,  the Wizards are division champions for the second straight season. However, if no upset occurs, the Wizards will still maintain a home field playoff game in the first round with a win.  This will give Wizard Nation a chance to show the 845 who the best student section in section 9 is one more time.