With fall well underway, local Rivertowns are approaching the final stretch of the sports season.
Both Irvington and Sleepy Hollow teams are having some successful seasons, with still a month to play. The Horsemen boy’s soccer team has produced a stellar season, thanks to the dedication and heart of its players, said Sleepy Hollow’s athletic director Chuck Scarpulla.
"The [boys] soccer team right now is undefeated," Scarpulla said.
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Irvington vs Sleepy Hollow |
"They are in first place in our league and we’ve been dominating most of the teams we played – even in our league competitions," he said.
As of their win over Hastings on September 30th, senior Jason Ruivo leads the team with 13 goals and 10 assists. Ruivo was nominated for the Con Edison Scholar Athlete Award, honoring an outstanding student athlete each week.
The Bulldogs girls and boys cross-country teams have been sprinting to wins as well. Junior Annie Field set Irvington’s cross-country course record, running the 5K (3.1 miles) in just over 21 minutes. Field led the team to a first place finish in the Gressler Invitational on September 26th finishing third with a time of 20:48:98. The team is 5-1 in dual meets.
Irvington senior Julian Saliani won the 3-mile run in the Gressler Invitational, finishing with a time of 17:08:32. The boys placed second in that race and are 6-0 in dual meets.
Other teams have had a rough start but, for the Horsemen, Scarpulla said "the teams are still contenders."
"The girls volleyball team is spiking in mid-season because of their attitudes," Scarpulla said. Far from a perfect record, he said they are a middle of the road team that is "playing their hearts out."
"Their pride and spirit is on its way up after they defeated Dobbs Ferry three games to none," Scarpulla said.
Football also has heart, but lacks a strong bench to produce results. Artie McCormack, Irvington’s athletic director, said the Bulldogs are playing as best they can, "they’re just limited in back up players." Despite its shallow bench, the team has had a few tumultuous games so far. "With barely a minute left, the Bulldogs came back with a touchdown to defeat Westlake 26-23," McCormack said.
"The win was a great confidence booster for the kids," McCormack said. "They have a tough schedule and the games are going to be challenging."
Sleepy Hollow faces its own challenge with Horsemen football. Off to a less than great start, Scarpulla is confident the team will rise to the challenge.
"We’ve got a long way to go," Scarpulla said. "We are still going to make it to the playoffs and will hopefully get some retaliation with the two teams that beat us."
Overall, a winning or losing record hasn’t broken the spirits of the athletes. Scarpulla said the Horsemen have been complimented on their sportsmanship by other coaches.
"They are going to keep on competing and working hard," Scarpulla said. "They are going to master their obstacles."
