MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. New Rochelles Jason Ceneus grabbed a Mount Vernon punt at his own 45-yard line, faked left, followed two devastating blocks, turned to the right sideline and sprinted into the end zone to seal a 27-0 victory over the Knights Saturday.
Our coaches always talk about special teams, Ceneus said. We put the ball in the end zone better today. We got good blocking on that punt and I just took it and ran. I think it changed the flow of the game a little.
The always-emotional matchup of the two lower Westchester high schools is the longest-running football rivalry in Section 1 and one of the longest in New York State, dating back to the first meeting in 1897.
The most recent edition was one-sided as the Huguenots defense, led by defensive linemen Joe Clarke, Durell Rice, Devon McDonald, Anthony Caldararo and Tyler Lilly, shut the Knights offense down.
Were overall a good team, so I expected us to play well, said Clarke, a junior who had two sacks and chased Mount Vernon (0-2) quarterback Mark Mitchell from sideline to sideline. Its a great experience for me, being my first year on varsity. I like the defensive play it makes me feel real alive out there.
New Rochelle (2-0) fullback senior Kemet McLean opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run to give the Huguenots a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and added another score in the second half. Freshman fullback Jonathan Forrest also scored a touchdown from 11-yards out to complete the scoring.
This week we were able to put the ball in the end zone more, McLean said. We had just one turnover and defensively we kept it going for sure. We got things going with the special teams. Its the third part of the game.
The Huguenots opened their season last week with a 23-0 victory over Fox Lane and started Saturdays game slowly but seemed to awaken when the game got into the second quarter.
We are an aggressive team and we can be tough on both sides, Clarke said. Today we were strong.
The Huguenots next play at Carmel Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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