BEACON — There is a first for everything. And this one was special.
That was the case for the Washingtonville Wizards football team, who won their first playoff game in program history.
No. 5 Washingtonville defeated No. 4 Beacon, 14-7, in the Section 9 Class A football quarterfinals Friday, Oct. 29 at Beacon High School.
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After a scoreless first quarter, Beacon quarterback Jason Komisar had his pass picked off by Washingtonville lineman Cooper Legacy with 9:48 left to play in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Komisar tried to go deep and was picked off by Sean Davis.
“I said to myself “I can’t drop this ball”, I knew I needed to catch it,” Davis said. “It was a big play for my team.”
The game was scoreless at the half and Washingtonville head coach Anthony Finochio said his team made “a lot of adjustments” in terms of blocking assignments, in order to come out strong in the second half and secure the win.
“It showed in the second half, we started blocking the right people again and we were moving the ball well,” he said. “Just like any kids, they’re learning as they move through the season and they’re getting better every day, that’s all we can ask.”
The Wizards opened the second half with a Ryan Lombardi 1-yard touchdown and a scoring drive that lasted 3:37.
Jake Pierro would go on to score a 3-yard touchdown for Washingtonville, putting them up 14-0 with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
With 5:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, Komisar would connect with Dan Urbanak for a 52-yard touchdown, cutting the Beacon deficit to 14-7.
The Washingtonville defense would stop the Bulldogs and ultimately seal the win. The Wizards will face No. 1 Cornwall in the Class A semifinals next.
“It feels good to get the first playoff win in program history, but we’re not done yet,” Washingtonville running back Jack DelGuidice said. “We have a tough game against Cornwall. We’re going to prepare for them like any other team.”
Turning point
On 4th down, Jason Komisar was taken down by the Washingtonville defense on his own 25-yard line with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, on Beacon’s push to knot the score at 14. The Wizards would take over after a turnover on downs, which ultimately sealed the win.