Bears Sink Sailors for Homecoming Victory

Brewster's varsity football team rang in homecoming Friday night with a packed crowd and a resounding 36-0 victory over the visiting Sailors of Hendrick Hudson High School.

The stands were at maximum capacity for this year’s festivities, as students came out in droves to support the Bears and witness the dedication of the . After Athletic Director Lance Pliego spoke to formally open the new athletic complex, Courtney O’Malley and Liz Lundqvist of The Starr Foundation cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Lighting delayed the beginning of the game, but students and community members held fast and refused to abandon the stands.  

“We want football,” the crowd chanted into the driving rain. Pliego said that their unwavering support is characteristic of spirit.

“This is exactly what high school athletics should be all about. It’s always great to see not just the football team do a great job, but to see our cheerleaders, to see all the other kids involved, to see a community out here,” Pliego said. “Brewster bleeds sports, bleeds green, and I think that’s what you saw tonight.”

The Bears overcame the Sailors with a strong defense and a balanced attack that saw five different players score touchdowns. The only player to cross the end zone more than once was junior quarterback Brian McNeill, who opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter with a 31-yard gallop that put Brewster on top. He would add another rushing touchdown in the second quarter, this time from 27 yards out.

One of the biggest plays of the night came from senior wideout Adam Tavolilla, who scored on a 71-yard scamper late in the first quarter. His touchdown, fresh off the heels of a Hen-Hud turnover on downs, blew the game open for the Bears.

The true story of the contest was Brewster’s staunch defense, which pressured Sailor quarterback Ed Tandy all night long, resulting in Hen-Hud’s complete inability to sustain a drive long enough to get on the scoreboard.

“Our defense played well. As an overall unit, they played real well,” said Brewster Head Coach Don Polverari. “When you shut out a team, that’s a good job.” 

The Bears’ defense even added a touchdown of their own when junior linebacker Eddie Schoenig intercepted a Tandy screen pass and rumbled 56 yards to the end zone.

“It went through [defensive lineman] Mike Bonilla’s hands, and I just saw the end zone and I was gone,” Schoenig said after the game. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”

McNeill added a passing touchdown to his stat sheet when he hooked up with senior wideout Ryan Hanson for an 8-yard score that gave the Bears a 30-0 lead in the third quarter.

When Tavolilla left the game at the end of the third quarter with a minor injury, senior linebacker and defensive standout Harry Erickson was called upon to fill in for the injured wide receiver. He made the most of this opportunity, finding paydirt on a 45-yard carry, his first and only touch of the evening. That gave Brewster a 36-0 lead and closed the scoring for the evening. 

“I touch the ball very few times during the year,” he explained after the game.  “So to do this for homecoming was something special.”

With the win, the Bears improve to 3-3 on the season. They’ll close out the year Friday with a home game against Ossining. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.