South Gets Shut Out and Falls to North Rockland

How are football games won and lost?

Bad defense, poor coaching and an inefficient offense are all very acceptable answers to this long-standing question.

However, they all take a backseat to turnovers: a play that can change a game in a nanosecond.

A snap being off by a few inches, a miscommunication between a quarterback and his receiver, or a tipped pass can all completely alter the course of a contest.

The Vikings of Clarkstown South were bitten by the turnover bug in their loss against the North Rockland Red Raiders.

On the opening drive of the game, South committed two penalties in as many plays to put themselves in a second and 22 hole. After a one yard run, quarterback Nick Palumbo heaved a pass up for Hassan Auwater who not only caught it, but ran for more yards to the South 37. Just a couple of plays later, running back Tommy Kiernan busted through a hole and sprinted for a 23 yard gain. This five-minute drive couldn’t produce any points as the Vikings stalled at the Red Raiders’ 41.

After a three-and-out by North Rockland, South once again moved the ball down field and eventually got into Raider territory. Nevertheless, penalties forced them to punt the ball away for a second straight possession. The visitors were aided on the ensuing drive by the 15-yard penalty, which gave them a fresh set of downs at midfield. On third down, Matt Caputo slashed through the Vikings’ defense for twenty yards to the South 22. That play ended the first quarter with the score tied 0-0.

Just one minute into the next period, the Red Raiders faced a fourth and one from the South 13. Coach Tom Lynch decided to go for it, but Clarkstown’s defense thwarted the attempt and gave the ball back to their offense.

After the teams traded punts, South wound up with the ball at their own 28 and 50 seconds remaining in the half. Incredibly, there was a bad snap, and North Rockland got the ball back inside the 35 yard line. The Vikings were fortunate that their defense held and prevented the Raiders from putting up any points.

Each team punted on their opening possession of the second half, which led to North Rockland getting the ball at their own 25 with eight minutes remaining in the third. Caputo then hauled in a 49-yard bomb thrown by QB Nicholas Imperato which placed the Raiders at the South 17. Four plays later, they took a 3-0 lead on Brandon Curtis’s 26-yard field goal with 3:40 to go in the quarter.

On the heels of the Raiders gaining the early advantage, the Vikings came out and got a 22-yard burst from David Schiff. And just when it seemed that South might get some points on the board, North Rockland recovered another fumbled by Palumbo. The visitors couldn’t do anything following the turnover, as Christian Katt grabbed a sack on third down to end the drive. That play was the last of the third quarter.

Off a Raider punt, South set up shop at their own 22. Then, on a second and 17, Schiff reeled in a marvelous, one-handed catch that went for 42 yards and once again put South in striking distance with 10 minutes left in regulation. However, those hopes were dashed when, just forty five second later, linebacker Derrick Brooks intercepted a Palumbo pass and returned it to the Vikings’ 24 yard line.

But in another shocking turn of events, Nick Imperato fumbled at the South 12 yard line with 7:38 remaining. Unfortunately, Clarkstown couldn’t move the ball and punted away to the Red Raiders who proceeded to take over four and a half minutes off the clock. They were stopped on fourth down at the Vikings 27 with 1:10 left, but wound up sealing the victory with a strip-sack of Palumbo just two plays later. That was his fourth turnover of the game, with the previous three all coming at crucial moments. Instead of celebrating a hard-fought victory, they are left to dwell on a missed opportunity.

The Vikings will finish their regular season with their homecoming game versus rival Clarkstown North.