Indians trounce Demarest to stay undefeated
Valley builds on its best start since 2015
The Indians kept on rolling in Saturday afternoon’s commanding 48-18 home win over Demarest, moving to 4-0 in 2019. Valley controlled both sides of the ball, making it tough for the Norsemen to gain enough momentum to mount any potential comeback.
The Indians got on the board first, marching down the field on a 12-play, 61-yard drive following a three-and-out by Demarest to start the game. Senior Jake Williams capped off the series with a two-yard rushing touchdown– his first of four– giving the Indians a lead they would hold onto for good.
The Norsemen didn’t fade away quickly, however, as running back Ben Marinaccio ran 70 yards to the house on the first play of their ensuing drive, cutting Valley’s lead to 7-6 following a missed PAT. He was one of Demarest’s few bright spots, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.
Senior quarterback Stephen Begen and the offense answered with authority, putting together an eight-play, 88-yard drive that would ultimately result in a 11-yard touchdown reception by senior Kris Ostrowski. Begen would complete all five passing attempts of the drive en route to the score.
“I just think [Begen] was poised,” head coach Len Cusumano said. “[He was] relaxed in the pocket, the offensive line did a great job protecting him and our receivers made some great plays.”
Begen’s next contribution came on the defensive side of the ball, breaking up Demarest quarterback Andrew Argenziano’s 4th down pass to give possession back to Valley’s offense. However, following a fumble by junior Desmond Von Tobel, Demarest would score its second long touchdown in three drives when Argenziano connected with receiver Jake Benishay for a 55-yard score.
Those would be the only points allowed by Valley’s defense until late in the third quarter with the game nearly out of reach for Demarest.
“We just came downhill and made plays,” Cusumano said. “I thought we settled down at the half. Once again, we bent but we didn’t break and the experience of our upperclassmen paid off in the second half.”
The Indians built their lead back up to two possessions with an eight-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in Williams’ second touchdown. As the defense ran back onto the field for the following drive, defensive coordinator Adam Preciado could be heard pumping them up by repeatedly yelling, “this is a big series right here!”
Just three plays later, Preciado’s battle-cries proved effective when Ostrowski strip-sacked Argenziano. Sophomore Steven Demboski scooped up the loose ball, giving the offense great starting field position at Demarest’s 16-yard line.
Despite the golden opportunity to create additional separation between the two teams, Valley’s offense stalled and the score remained 21-12 at halftime following a missed 37-yard field goal by senior Jake Ciocca.
However, it didn’t take long for the Indians to bounce back, bursting out of the halftime gates with a six-play, 66-yard drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard catch-and-run over the middle by senior James Allmers, who finished with a season-high 59 receiving yards. Williams concluded the drive three plays later with a nine-yard rushing touchdown.
“Just play,” Allmers said of what the Indians have to do to maintain their offensive success. “Do what we did in practice all week and keep winning.”
Following a Demarest three-and-out that included a 17-yard loss on a backwards pass that sailed over the intended receiver’s head and rolled out of bounds, the Indians took advantage of favorable starting field position and busted into the endzone on a 27-yard rush by Williams. It would be Williams’ fourth and final score of the day to go along with 145 rushing yards, putting Valley up 35-12 and giving him 11 total touchdowns on the year.
The main factor of Valley’s offensive success comes from the trenches, as stellar offensive line play has allowed the rest of the unit to thrive.
“It’s always the big guys up front doing their jobs and following their rules,” Cusumano said. “I think they’re getting more continuity together week-to-week and they’re just practicing hard during the week.”
Senior wide receiver Andrew Martinez didn’t hesitate before attributing the offense’s success to the offensive line as well.
“I have to owe it all to our o-line,” Martinez said. “They’ve been killing it upfront against every team.”
Despite high praise from the rest of the team, senior lineman Chase Rickert noted that each win is a team-effort.
“It’s not just the linemen but it’s the whole team,” Rickert said. “Everyone did a good job.”
Leading 35-18 after Argenziano snuck up the middle for a one-yard touchdown towards the end of the third quarter, Begen hobbled off the field with a knee injury. While it doesn’t seem to be serious, that served as the cue for a number of Valley’s starters to defer to the backups.
Junior Mike Solazzo and senior Kamiab Eshaghipour each tacked on rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, bringing the final score to 48-18. Valley’s 30-point margin of victory is its largest since the Indians defeated Ridgefield Park by the same point differential in 2018.
The win brought Valley’s record to a flawless 4-0, the first time since 2015 the Indians have remained undefeated through four weeks. They face a tough test next week when they host rival Old Tappan on Friday night, whom the Indians fell to 38-14 last year. While the Golden Knights’ 2-2 record may seem unimpressive, their two losses came against Ramapo (42-7) and Ridgewood (16-15), who are both undefeated.
“We’ll just prepare like we always prepare,” Cusumano said. “Going back to practice, making sure we take a look at what we did right and wrong, and work to go 1-0 next week.”
Beating Old Tappan next week would serve as a noteworthy statement win for the Indians as they look to stay undefeated.
“We’re gonna stick it to ‘em,” Martinez said. “We’re gonna stick it to ‘em.”
