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1: Isaac's Ideas : Sports 2 : School
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Now that’s a timing pattern
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| By
Isaac Cass |
Backed up on Route 6, I was about 10 minutes late to Croton’s state quarterfinal match-up against Ellenville at Mahopac.
As I approached the entrance gates to the field, the Tigers broke out of the offensive huddle. I took 25 steps forward, watching QB Nick Mainiero take the snap from Mike Corveddu.
Ten more steps . . . Mainiero dropped into the pocket and cocked his right arm back like a shotgun being pumped.
Ten more steps . . . a streaking Joe Tralli burned down the right hash.
Seeing the play develop, I hastened my pace toward the end zone.
Thirty more steps . . . Mainiero unleashed a cannon ball from his right arm.
Pause . . . picture the Fourth of July scene in the movie “Sandlot,” with the Ray Charles version of “America the Beautiful” blaring in the background.
I was now at the edge of the end zone, watching the spiral whip through the dusk-to-night sky, picking up a slight glare in the bright lights.
But was it overthrown?
Five quick steps to the right . . . Krazy Glue extended his arms, letting the leather ball absorb into his sticky fingers. He sprinted the remaining 10-15 yards into the end zone, eyes wide, pistons cranking. I should have known that overthrown isn’t a word that pertains to Krazy Glue.
Call it fate, call it luck, or maybe, call it bad planning. But walking in at that moment, seeing the play develop as I inched closer, was like watching a Stanley Kubrick film or perusing a Jackson Pollock gallery.
It was art.
But like a Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, there was a science behind it all.
Croton has run a total of 444 plays this year, running on roughly 87 percent of them and passing on the other 13 percent. But that 13 percent has been very lucky — especially for Tralli. I broke down his ridiculous catch to TD ratio earlier in the year, so here’s an update.
Amazingly, it’s the same: 2:1.
That’s right, Krazy Glue has caught 18 total passes, scoring TDs on nine of them. Pretty special, right?
So it’s no coincidence that when Croton takes a shot at the end zone — which they tend to do at least once or twice a game — they have a special code word for it.
“It’s called the Tralli Special,” Krazy Glue said. “I know what to do on it and I just capitalized.”
Walking over to Mainiero after the game, I said, “That was some throw.”
Before I could ask a follow-up, he stopped me, saying, “No, that was some catch.”
Tralli’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Joe has that knack to get open,” Croton Head Coach John Catano said. “Obviously, we wouldn’t be 10-1 without [Tralli] catching the ball.”
Sizing up Saranac Lake
When I saw Croton-Harmon was playing Section 7’s Saranac Lake in the state semis, one thing immediately popped into my mind: beer.
You can blame my Oneonta State roots, but Saranac was a very popular brew upstate. Needless to say, the word Saranac actually means “Cluster of Stars,” derived from the native Iroquois, according to Saranac.com.
Unlike its namesake, Saranac’s football squad, the Red Storm, doesn’t boast a cluster of stars. However, they do have three solid offensive players in WR Steve Burpoe, fullback Jon Barge and quarterback Brandon Patraw.
According to Catano, the Red Storm runs a spread offense.
Burope, listed at 6-foot-4 on Maxpreps, scored Saranac’s only two TDs in the state quarterfinals against Watervliet, including the game-winner in OT.
“He’s not 6-foot-4, he’s 6-foot-1, tops,” said Catano, who saw the game against Watervilet on Nov. 15 up at Plattsburgh. “Our guys were up there standing right next to him.”
Still, the coach admitted he was a “good receiver and a No. 1 guy.”
If I were Catano, I’d throw Joe Tralli on Burpoe. Tralli might give up a little bit of size, but he will make up for it with instinct and tackling technique. I saw Tralli jump a route at Westlake earlier in the season and take it to the house. He could have a shot at doing it again on Saturday. If Joe needs a breather, there’s always Tyler Kepper and his brother, Matt.
Barge, at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, has good size and is the main threat out of the backfield. Patraw, at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, can get rid of the ball quickly, Catano said.
Overall, it’s a good match-up for the Tigers, according to Catano. Croton has outscored Saranac 332-293. On defense, Saranac has given up 102 points, while Croton has surrendered 154.
Catano noted the Red Storm’s edge in terms of points against, but he said it was more a product of weaker competition than anything else.
“To come as far as we have, not that I’m bragging, or saying we are going to have a cakewalk, but I think we are playing really good football,” Catano said.
The game will be played at noon on Nov. 22 at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. According to Wunderground.com, temps at game time could range from a high of 36 degrees to a low of 18. Snow isn’t currently in the forecast, but upstate weather has been known to throw a curve ball before.
For Saranac Lake — one the coldest towns in the continental U.S. — the weather surely won’t be an issue.
How about for Croton?
“That’d be great,” Catano said of impending adverse conditions. “I haven’t coached in the snow since 1985 in my first year at Hen Hud. We are a run-first team, but that doesn’t mean we won’t throw the ball.”
I haven’t watched a single snap of Saranac Lake on film — only a hilarious pep rally video, which can be found by searching “Saranac Lake football” on YouTube — but I’m convinced that Croton’s headed to The Dome.
My reasoning isn’t born out of a Belichick-ian amount of football knowledge. No, it’s actually quite simple.
In two words: Nick Mainiero.
When predicting the Dobbs upset, my sole reasoning was based on the never-lose attitude that Mainiero displayed against Bronxville. While the wins have racked up, the burning desire has gone from a brushfire to a forest fire.
Playing in the spread offense last season, Mainiero put up decent numbers. But once he switched to the hybrid Wing-T offense this season, they shot through the roof. Mainiero has dominated on the ground (937 yards / 7 TDs) and through the air (675 yards/ 10 TDs). He’s too quick and powerful on the edge for outside linebackers and defensive backs and too accurate and strong-armed in the passing game meaning teams can’t cheat men into the box.
With an aurora of uncertainty heading into Saturday’s clash against an unfamiliar opponent, Catano knows he can count on one invariable: Mainiero being the best player on the field.
“Without a doubt,” the coach said.
If you tuned into the Jets’ win over the Pats, you saw the value of having a living legend under center.
Youth served
Can you believe that Dennis O’Connell (6-foot-1, 230 lbs.) and Kyle Ricciardi (5-foot-11, 170 lbs.) are only freshmen?
I think I weighed 100 lbs. freshman year of high school.
Ricciardi, who came up with the blocked punt and fumble recovery against Ellenville, is playing like a senior veteran, while O’Connell is a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball.
But wait, there’s more.
“By the time [O’Connell] is done growing, he’s going to be 6-foot-5, or something,” Catano said. “Kyle’s mother and father are tall, so he’s got some good genes there, too.”
It looks like Catano is growing the core of what should be a premier offensive/defensive line in the coming years.
Man-child
Before lining up as fullback against Magnus in last year’s playoff, Dan Luntz was an offensive tackle and tight end. The switch occurred when Stephen Ghegan came back from a broken hand.
Luntz’s performance and presence since then can summed up with this anecdote from a recent practice.
“I’m glad I’m not playing high school football now,” assistant coach John Bell said.
“Why?” one of the kids asked.
“Why?” Bell said. “Imagine having to tackle Luntz.”
Miracle-Gro
In the first game of the season, Croton eked out a win against Pawling, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter.
At that time, Catano didn’t exactly envision all of this happening.
“If you would have told me we were going to be 10-1 and one game away from the state title, I’d tell you your brains fell out,” Catano said. “It’s freaking incredible that these guys have improved so much since the first game. It’s just an amazing run, it really is.”
Tiger fever is dangerously contagious
The Croton-Harmon surge has produced an outpouring of support from the community.
“Once you start winning like this a lot of kids want to come out and play,” Catano said. “It’s good for everybody. Football builds character and it has built a lot of character out of my players.”
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