Nanuet Edges Pearl River, Retains Little Brown Jug

Nanuet football Head Coach Phil Carbone gestured to the Little Brown Jug as he spoke to his team after Saturday's 14-13 victory at Pearl River.

"That's a piece of hardware you don't want to lose," Carbone said.

Nanuet kept its hold on the Little Brown Jug with a power running game and a defense that forced three turnovers, beating Pearl River for the second consecutive season. The Golden Knights finished with 202 yards rushing, including 133 by senior running back Nick O'Connor. 

"We had the guys up front getting a good push, and once you see that, it plays into what we want to do," Carbone said. "We certainly want to get after you and get a good push.

"Hopefully, our younger guys will be able to feed off what (O'Connor) dos because he's having a very special year and doing a great job."

The Golden Knights trailed by six when they started a drive at their own 25 with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter. Nanuet ran the ball 15 consecutive plays, marching 75 yards for the go-ahead score, a four-yard touchdown run by O'Connor. 

"It's great. It's too exciting to talk about right now," O'Connor said. "We knew we needed a big push at the end and we did it. We knew we would punch it in. We knew we had to get a good push and I would run up behind my big line and get it in."

The Nanuet defense made it hold up by ending Pearl River's last two possessions with turnovers, a fumble by Rob Gullo and an interception of a Chris Van Houten pass by Ryan Hanney with 1:26 remaining.

"It was a tough one," Pearl River Head Coach Jeff Michael said. "The fumble and the interception. We felt we would put ourselves in the position to win. Football is a funny game like that. Bounces happen the other way. The ball squirts out. That's football."

Hanney said on the game-clinching interception, he was playing in the middle due to an injury and saw the route coming.

"I shot it, I got it and I picked it," Hanney said. "I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I was going to go down, but I kept running."

"Ryan made a great reaction," Carbone said. 

Pearl River also relied on the run, gaining 179 yards on the ground. Gullo gained 91 yards on 12 carries and Van Houten had 48 on eight attempts. 

Gullo got the Pirates started with a tackle-busting return on the opening kickoff to the Nanuet 49. The Pirates threw just one pass, a 12-yard toss from Van Houten to Pat Metcalfe, on the 12-play, 49-yard touchdown drive. Metcalfe scored from a yard out to give the Pirates a 7-0 advantage.

Nanuet responded with a 65-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Hanney completed his only pass of the day, a 10-yarder to O'Connor, to convert a third-and six. He then ripped off runs of 15 and six yards to help set up Connor Breit's six-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

Pearl River regained the lead after a short punt and a good return set the Pirates' up at the Nanuet 43 early in the second quarter. Pearl River got close with runs of 17 yards by Metcalfe and 10 yards by Gullo, but stalled at the 20. Aiden Weir made a 37-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead that the Pirates took to halftime.

"We were out rushing them," Carbone said. "Our offensive yardage was ahead of theirs. The difference in the game was field position. Our special teams have to get better."

Early in the third quarter, Gullo ripped off a 31-yard run to the Nanuet 15 in the third quarter, but Matt Carney intercepted a Van Houten pass to end the threat. 

Pearl River's defense held and Metcalfe's punt return set the Pirates up at the Knight's 31 even after a penalty for an illegal block. Gullo broke loose for a 26-yard run to the five on the next play, but the Pirates gained only one yard on three consecutive runs and settled for a 26-yard field goal by Weir. 

That set up Nanuet's game-winning march.

"The dug down," Carbone said of his team. "You know these games are never going to be easy games. It doesn't matter what anybody's record is. You can see the crowd. You can see the two communities getting together. It's a proud thing to be a part of, on either side. We're proud to be able to battle for the black and gold and come out on top."

"They couldn't have done anything better," Michael said of his team. "They played with intensity. They came out strong. I was proud of them. I am proud of the way they played. "

Nanuet (5-2, 4-2 Class B) will open the Class B playoffs next weekend. Pearl River completed its regular season 2-5, missing the Class A playoffs, and will  play an opponent to be determined next weekend.