Bears Defeat Dutchmen for First Win

After the first six minutes of Friday’s varsity football game at , it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Bears.

Junior quarterback Brian McNeill had other ideas.

Despite two long runs by Tappan Zee's Kevin Dinnegan, which put the visiting Dutchmen ahead 14-0 in the game’s opening quarter, McNeill led Brewster to an impressive 42-34 victory, the Bears’ first of the season. 

“We just needed to settle down,” Brewster coach Dan Polverari said after the game.  “We were all pumped up, and the kids just needed to settle down and make some plays.”

Down 14-0, the Bears set up their first score of the evening when McNeill connected with senior wide receiver Collin Callahan for a 38-yard pass that put the ball deep into Tappan Zee territory. Three plays later, McNeill carried the ball himself for a 3-yard score, his first of three rushing touchdowns in the contest. The successful two-point conversion made the score 14-8.

The next Brewster score came in the second quarter, after the Bears’ defense stopped Tappan Zee on a crucial fourth down. With a short field in front of him, McNeill marched his offense down the field before again finding paydirt, this time from two yards out on fourth down to give the Bears a 16-14 lead.

On the next Bears’ possession, McNeill dropped back to find senior wideout Kamal Johnson in the corner of the end zone. He threw a beautiful touch pass that floated gracefully into Johnson’s outstretched hands for the score. The PAT was no good, but Brewster held a 22-14 lead at halftime.

“I knew that Kamal was going to beat that cornerback,” McNeill said after the game. “He had a good ten yards on him, so I just lofted it right over the corner and got him.”

Brewster opened the scoring in the third quarter with an 81-yard drive that culminated with a 16-yard touchdown run from Johnson, making the score 28-14. The key play of that drive, though, was McNeill’s strike to senior receiver Ryan Hanson, a 54-yard gain that put the Bears in Tappan Zee territory. 

But the Dutchmen would not go down quietly. Dinnegan broke a big run to open the fourth quarter, carrying the ball 37 yards to the Brewster one-yard line. Tappan Zee’s Joe Letizia powered his way into the end zone two plays later, bringing the Dutchmen within striking distance, now trailing 28-20.

The Bears increased their lead when McNeill, this time from 17 yards out, scored his third and final rushing touchdown of the game, putting the Bears up 35-20.

The Dutchmen answered back with a quick touchdown as Dinnegan showed he could throw the ball as well as he could run it. He first linked up with senior Brendan Kraemer for a 30-yard gain that put the ball on the Brewster 15. After a penalty set Tappan Zee back 10 yards, Dinnegan again found an open receiver. This time, it was senior Billy O’Shea, who hooked up with Dinnegan for a 25-yard score.

The final Brewster points came when junior running back Fernando Solis found a seam on the right edge of the Tappan Zee defense and scored on a 24-yard run, hurdling defenders en route to the end zone.

Tappan Zee scored once more on the evening when Dinnegan found Kraemer streaking down the field for a 43-yard touchdown pass, but the Dutchmen were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and McNeill took a knee to run out the clock.

Although McNeill’s four-touchdown performance stood out from the rest, Polverari said it was a collective team effort that earned the Bears their first victory.

“Brian put a great effort certainly,” Polverari said, “but it all starts with the offensive line — Mike Bonilla, Ray Dann, Danny Dolenk, Eddie Schoenig — those kids all played great.”

With the win, Brewster improves to 1-2 on the season. They’ll travel to Somers next week to take on the Tuskers. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.