Things looked tenuous for the 7-0, No. 2 seed Rye Neck football team in the first half against third-seeded Bronxville at home in the Section C semifinals on October 26.

By Melanie Cane

Things looked tenuous for the 7-0, No. 2 seed Rye Neck football team in the first half against third-seeded Bronxville at home in the Section C semifinals on October 26. After giving up a touchdown to Bronxville early in the second quarter, and then finally did score with less than two minutes left in the half — Pedro M. Cueto ran it in — they failed to make the 2-point conversion. They were down 7-6 at the half.

The Panthers’ lassitude continued into the third quarter, when the opening kickoff was recovered by the Broncos, and with 5:56 left in the quarter, the visitors hit a 36-yard field goal, making it a 10-6 game. The tension was palpable on the Rye Neck side, from the players, coaches, and fans. But then, suddenly, the 5-hour energy kicked in and Rye Neck seized control of the game.

Ryan Morningstar ran 41 yards on the kickoff return, igniting the Panthers’ offense. With a first down at Bronxville’s 35-yard line, Cueto, Dom Brescia and then Cueto again drove for a touchdown and a 2- point conversion, giving Rye Neck their first lead of the game, 14-10, with 3:44 left in the third quarter.

With their offense on fire, with runs by Morningstar, Brescia, and Cueto, and quarterback Thomas Pipolo’s 62 passing yards, the Panthers were unstoppable. Matt ­Garcia and Cueto each crossed the end zone in the fourth quarter for a 28-10 win. Overall, Cueto had 14 carries, 105 yards, and three touch­downs. Brescia ran for 117 yards and Garcia had 25 yards and one touchdown.

They meet Woodlands in the Section 1 Class C finals at Mahopac High School November 2 at 3:30 p.m., in a rematch of last year’s final, which they lost 35-0. But on the bright side, they beat Woodlands 41-40 in an exciting come-from-behind overtime game on October 12.