P.C.'s Big 3 of football, Rams and Lady Rams soccer may yet heat up during fall season of discontent

October 5, 2023 at 1:28 a.m.

Port Chester High School fullback John Pauletti (4) runs with the ball to make the first down during the Rams’ Monday, Oct. 2 away game against Spring Valley. The Tigers defeated the Rams 38-0. (Chloe Trieff/Westmore News)

With the fading warmth of October edging towards the chill of November, the winter of discontent has already set in during the fall sports season for Port Chester's Big 3—football and Rams and Lady Rams soccer. They are working towards progress, not perfection, and it has been slow going. The soccer Rams are 5-5 and Rams football and Lady Rams soccer are getting kicked around during the throes of losing seasons. It has been a slog for that triumvirate and the past week has been mostly a mix of the good with the bad.

      

It is hard to imagine how it could have been any worse for the football Rams, and yet they had to go across the bridge to Rockland County to see how bad things actually are. They lost to Spring Valley 38-0 in a game that was rescheduled from Friday (9/29) to Monday (10/2) due to an onslaught of rain, sinking their record to 1-3.

"We are physically overmatched, and our aggression is lacking," head coach Chris Halstead said after the game, telling it like it is. "We had three turnovers to zero for them. We gave up too many big plays on defense. We have to make several changes."

Grid changes loom

Only he knows what those changes will be because in high school there is no transfer portal like there is in college football nor can there be any pro-style big buck trades that can be made and it is hard to see junior varsity or Middle School Rams stepping into varsity roles.

But this much is certain: There have been all too few bright spots for the varsity Rams—the hard-running of John Pauletti, the heavy hitting by the two Jadens (Barbour and Arbusto), the hustle of John Delcid and the simple fact that the Rams are fielding a team while the Blind Brook Trojans crosstown aren't, their season canceled because they didn't have enough players and their proposed merger with Hastings was nixed by Section One's administrative body.

      

Best shot at win

But, whatever else happens, the Rams season nonetheless goes on with perhaps their best shot at a win coming up Saturday (10/7) at 3 p.m. away against Ramapo while their next game away against Tappan Zee next Friday (10/13) at 6:30 p.m. under the lights may prove to be unlucky. And who knows what the future holds at the Rams Homecoming Game Oct. 21, a Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. against Poughkeepsie. But that will end the scheduled grid season unless there is an unlikely playoff game in the post-season.

Soccer Rams latest

Head coach John Cafaldo's soccer Rams continued their maddening win one, lose one ways, beating Lincoln and then losing to Greeley. They looked good against the Lincs with goals scored by Nick Tellez, Jorge Lopez, Ramaul Morgan and Enrique Farias with two assists coming from Jostin Guallpa and one from Tellez. And then they just didn't have it against Greeley despite an early goal from Morgan off an assist by Daniel Cruz. "Not much to say, we failed to play up to expectations in a big league game," Cafaldo said.

But his team nonetheless has a history of coming on strong late in the season, so strong that nobody wants to play Port Chester in the playoffs. But first the Rams have to get there. And their next steps come against Fox Lane Thursday (10/5) away at 5 p.m. and against Horace Greeley at home Saturday (10/7) at 3 p.m., both solid teams Port Chester beat earlier in the season.

Lady Rams ups, downs

      

Head coach Danny Alvarado’s Lady Rams also split their latest deuce starting with a beatdown of Hamilton away with a rare outburst of scoring from seven different players including single goals from Daniela Lopez, Kelly Mendoza, Tamara Correia, Kelsy Samano and Ariana Llanos while Saidy Hernandez scored twice. And then, like their Ram counterparts, they lost to Greeley.

But hope springs eternal even in the fall so the Lady Rams are looking to straighten up and fly right in their upcoming games against Fox Lane away Friday (10/6) at 5 p.m. and at home against Hamilton Saturday (10/7) at 1 p.m.

And, who knows, after their early fall cold spell the Port Chester Big 3 may yet heat up during their winter of discontent.