Pascack Valley to square off against New Canaan

Pascack Valley at New Canaan

When: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2 p.m.

Location: New Canaan High School

2017 Records:

Pascack Valley: 2-5

New Canaan: 4-2

Background:

Pascack Valley will play its first ever out of state football game in Conn. this Saturday when the Indians take on New Canaan. This game was originally not on PV’s football schedule, but when Cliffside Park was granted relief from the game, New Canaan replaced it as Valley’s Week 8 opponent. New Canaan is consistently one of the best teams in the state of Conn., as the Rams have won four consecutive state titles. The Indians are coming off of a win against Ridgefield Park, while New Canaan beat Trinity Catholic by 36 points last week.

Pascack Valley Perspective:

The Indians will likely rely on their running game again this week, especially if sophomore quarterback Stephen Begen (247 yards) is unavailable. Begen, suffering from a shoulder injury, missed PV’s against the Scarlets last week, and his status for Saturday is unknown at this point. PV Coach Len Cusumano said that Valley will have Jake DeMilia start at quarterback against the Rams if Begen can’t play.

Regardless of who plays quarterback, the Indians will look to run the ball a lot, with Mike Gulino, Jake Williams, and Greg Zoll all getting touches. Last week, Valley ran for 357 yards and the backs combined for 4 touchdown runs.

Valley’s defense will look to slow down an explosive New Canaan offense that has dominated this season, regardless of the opponent. The Rams have shown the ability to score in bunches, and at times will speed up their tempo to keep the defense off balance. While the Indians put forth a dominant defensive effort last week that they will look to build upon, the New Canaan attack is clearly a different animal than Ridgefield Park. The Rams have averaged just under 42 points per game in their six contests, and have scored 40+ points in four games.

Limiting sophomore quarterback Drew Pyne will be quite the challenge for Valley. Pyne will play football at the collegiate level after high school, and he has numerous scholarship offers from various Division 1 FBS schools. He has received offers from national powerhouses such as the University of Alabama, the University of Southern California, Florida State University, and the University of Notre Dame, among other schools. He had a few of these offers, including Alabama and Florida State, in his pocket before he even graduated eighth grade. Pyne has passed for 1404 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, and has thrown for just 6 interceptions. He also has the unique ability to make plays with his legs as he has ran for 191 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. Pyne can impact the game in a multitude of ways, and Valley will have to remain disciplined to keep him at bay. 

“Everything starts and stops with their quarterback…He is a Division 1 prospect, but we never shy away from the challenge,” Cusumano said.

Cusumano also stressed that the Indians must play physical and tackle well, especially since Valley will be at a size disadvantage against the Rams.

New Canaan Perspective:

While Pyne plays a major role for this team, he is not the only offensive weapon that longtime coach Lou Marinelli has at his disposal. Marinelli, in his 37th season at the helm, has wideouts Quintin O’Connell (438 yards, 9 touchdowns), Justin Greco (305 yards, 4 touchdowns), and explosive running back Owen Shin (487 yards). Tailback J.R. Moore and receiver Patrick Metzger provide depth at the skill positions, and also need to be accounted for. All of these players have had terrific seasons and have done a fabulous job in taking pressure off of Pyne, who as a high profile quarterback, plays with a major target on his back. 

“[New Canaan has] very good size up front, both on the offensive and defensive line with very skilled players outside at the wide receiver position and at the running back position,” Cusumano said.

The New Canaan defense will look to shut down a PV offense that primarily runs the ball, and has a number of weapons out of the backfield. Williams (367 yards) and Zoll (434 yards) have done a fine job as the workhorse backs, with Gulino and Stephen Soravilla playing well in complementary roles. The New Canaan defense will look to limit the Indians run game to force PV into passing situations.

The Rams have numerous players on their defense who will look make impact plays and force turnovers. Zachary Miller (3 interceptions), Sean Knight (4 interceptions), and Garrett Braden (8 sacks) are all dangerous on the defensive side of the ball.