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HARTSDALE, N.Y. Woodlands High football coach Mike Meade wasnt celebrating after last weeks 66-0 victory over a hapless Palisades Prep football team because he knew his Falcons were headed for a much tougher assignment this Saturday in a Section 1 Class C semifinal game against Dobbs Ferry.
This was a tough game because we could have used a better test going into the playoffs, said Meade, who led the Falcons to a 6-1 regular-season record in his first year as head coach. We have a lot of work this week, but well be prepared.
The third-seeded Woodlands (6-1) rides a six-game winning streak into the 1:30 p.m. start at Gould Park, where the uneven baseball/football field poses a challenge, especially if it rains, but not as big a challenge as the Eagles (6-1), who are also on a six-game unbeaten streak.
The Eagles have won six straight games, including four shutouts, en route to a No. 2 seed in the postseason playoffs but have not met a team with the offensive firepower of Woodlands since the opening-day loss to Bronxville, the unbeaten defending Class C state champion and No. 1 seed.
This game will be a battle of Dobbs Ferrys defense, which has allowed 41 points (5.8 per game), and the Falcons run-and-gun offense that has scored 256 points, an average of 37.5 per game. Good defenses normally stop good offenses, but Woodlands also has lots of speed and is prone to big plays.
Quarterback Spencer Avalos leads the Eagles offense that has scored at the same pace as the Falcons and boasts big back Tim Soave and running backs Brian Gardner and Eddie Ritch. Darien Bica, Matt Fata and John Yozzo-Scaperrotta lead the tough defense.
Woodlands quarterback Justin Riccio has proven he can run or throw and will do both on any down and distance on the field. Running back Malcolm Downey is the best back the Eagles have seen since Bronxvilles Christian Conway rolled by them for two touchdowns and a game-winning two-point conversion on opening day. Downey is a powerful runner who can breaks tackles.
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