NYSPHSAA quarterfinal: Westlake runs into a bigger, faster, better O'Neill team
MIDDLETOWN - If it wasn't Marek Arbogast it was Jordan Thompson. If it wasn't Jordan Thompson it was Jadon Spain. If it wasn't Jadon Spain it was Nick Waugh. If it wasn't Nick Waugh it was Thor Swanson.
James I. O'Neill was simply the bigger, faster, stronger, better team.
The Raiders continued to build momentum Saturday, handling Westlake 38-6 in a NYSPHSAA Class C quarterfinal at Middletown High School.
"It’s so fun to play like that," Thompson said. "It starts on the outside with Jadon and Marek. What we do better than most is make teams defend the entire field. Our offensive line just blocks and blocks and blocks. It’s so nice to know that if one of us doesn’t score the next guy will."
Class A quarters:Football: Somers edges Lourdes in overtime of the Class A state quarterfinal
Class B quarters:Pleasantville, Picart overpower Port Jervis in state rematch
Class D quarters:NYSPHSAA football: Tuckahoe goes from elation to heartbreak on last-minute play
And that's pretty much what happened.
O'Neill was on the board quickly, getting an 8-yard scoring run from Spain one play after the Wildcats botched a punt snap. The next Raiders possession resulted in a 9-yard scoring pass from Waugh to Arbogast.
"We didn’t play well, but my hat’s off to O'Neill because that’s a very good football team," Westlake coach John Castellano said. "They have a back you have to be able to control and if you load the box they’re going to throw it, so you’re caught between a rock and a hard place.
Arbogast also hit on a 32-yard field goal to close out the half.
Thompson capped another grind of drive to open the second half, giving the Raiders a 24-0 lead with a 1-yard plunge. Dealing with the organized chaos O'Neill brought on defense was a challenge for the Wildcats, who are better equipped to play with a lead.
"We’ve had some trouble stopping the run in the past," Arbogast said. "We lost to a couple of heavy run teams early in the year, Chenango Forks and Burke Catholic, and once we started to figure things out we saw we could do some heavy damage."
What it means
"We definitely came together over the season," Thompson said. "Our two losses came early and I think it was about buying in. Once we did that, the entire team was rolling and it's been great. This started against Red Hook with an adjustment on the defense we were playing. It works. We used that same defense today."
Player of the game
Arbogast was a threat on multiple fronts. He caught a pass and got into the end zone with a nifty head-and-shoulders fake. He kicked a field goal. He ran a punt back 52 yards for a touchdown after reading the field and reversing the field.
By the numbers
Westlake (8-3): Stephen DiNapoli ended the shutout bid with 2:36 to play, scoring on a 14-yard run. ... The Wildcats managed just 68 yards of total offense in the first half.
O'Neill (10-2): Thompson also had a 9-yard TD run with 8:39 to play. He finished with 115 yards on 21 carries. ... Waugh completed 11 of 16 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. ... Swanson caught three passes for 46 yards. ... Spain caught three passes for 37 yards.
They said it
"I don't know," Arbogast said when asked whether the Raiders know how good they are. "That's something we'll find out next week."
"I’ve been in this business a long time and you know when you just don’t have it,' Castellano said.
Up next
O'Neill comes back to face Section 2's Warrensburgh/North Warren or Section 10's Gouverneur, who play their quarterfinal on Sunday at 2 p.m. The state semifinal is 12 p.m. next Saturday at Middletown.
It's hard to imagine how good Chenango Forks and Burke Catholic had to play to beat O'Neill earlier in the season. This clearly isn't the same team.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: O'Neill tops Westlake in state Class C football quarterfinal
