Football: Bears Look to Keep Winning; Panthers Ready for Westlake

So far, Briarcliff has enjoyed a tremendous turnaround as it has won its first three games after going 0-8 a year ago.

The Bears will now host Yonkers at 2 p.m. Sunday Oct. 2. After winning an emotional home game against previously unbeaten Edgemont 19-6 last week, Briarcliff now has to guard against a letdown against a Yonkers squad that is 0-3.

Briarcliff coach John Consorti said that won’t be a problem, especially considering where his squad was just a season ago.

“We have things we need to work on and we need to be focused and ready to go,” Consorti said. “It’s a game. You can beat yourself or the opponent can beat you and we don’t want to beat ourselves. Believe me, we respect all of our opponents because we understand what it is like to be on the other end.”

Being on the other end a season ago has been a motivating factor so far in this season’s great start.

“Last year was mentioned in the off-season, maybe early on but it is not mentioned too often,” Consorti said. “It’s something you don’t forget though, it drives you when you have moments of complacency. They are driven by the fact that last year was a humbling and disappointing season. They wanted another shot at it and so far they have done very well.”

One of those players who has enjoyed sweet redemption so far is running back Colin Orr. He showed he is a dual threat because not only can he run but he can also throw as evidenced by 75 and 40 yard-touchdown passes to Jackson Plimpton against Edgemont.

“He wants the ball when the game is on the line and not everyone is like that,” Consorti said. “He has no problem when it counts to get it done. With the capabilities that he has, he is obviously a big part of our team. He is very small in stature but plays big, he really does.”

Last week, Pleasantville’s 22-21 loss to Ardsley, which was originally supposed to be played at its home field, , was moved to Valhalla. That was because Parkway Field doesn’t hold up well in inclement weather, according to Panthers Coach Tony Becerra.

Needless to say, the Panthers are excited as all can be to be playing rival Westlake at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at Parkway Field.

“Playing on our home field is always good,” Pleasantville senior quarterback/safety Danny Schulman said. “It’s different then a lot of other fields. Playing last week at Valhalla was not the same as a home game when everyone comes down to Parkway.”

It’s especially a good feeling when everyone comes down to Parkway and the opponent is Westlake. A win against Westlake would go a long way in erasing the pain of a 0-3 start.

“It’s a very big game, it always is,” Schulman said. “We know people from Westlake, we see them on the weekends. We have played against them our whole lives. Any win against Westlake is amazing.”

If the Panthers are going to experience a win against the Wildcats, they will need another big game from Kyle O’Loughlin. O’Loughlin is coming off a 126-yard performance on the ground against Ardsley.

“He’s always big for us running the ball,” Schulman said. “Last game he was getting like six yards a carry and he also caught a touchdown pass I threw to him. He can catch, he can run, he can block, he can do everything for us.”

That touchdown reception was for 27 yards.

“A lot of times I will be rolling out and if he’s open I will give him the ball and just give him the lane and see what he can do,” Schulman said.