Dobbs Ferry Loses in Title Game to Valhalla

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Dobbs Ferry lost in Class C Sectional Championship game Saturday. (photo by Thomas Warren)

November 16, 2024

By Stephen O’Leary and Tom Pedulla—

Dobbs Ferry needed to play nearly mistake-free football if it was to deny undefeated Valhalla in the Section 1 Class C championship game. The Eagles did not come close to doing that.

They committed five turnovers and Coach Joe Cox cited overall lack of execution following a 27-14 loss Saturday at Mahopac High School.

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Dobbs Ferry, which finished 6-4, advanced to the title game by routing Putnam Valley, 54-13, in the semifinals. The Eagles showed great resilience in that game since they had been pounded by the same opponent, 62-35, two weeks earlier.

But points were much harder to come by against Valhalla, which extended its perfect record to 9-0.

The Eagles started well, with Killian O’Connor capping a drive on the first possession with a 2-yard scoring plunge. Valhalla responded, however, with three consecutive touchdowns.

Dobbs Ferry continued to move the ball well and a Nas Smith touchdown sliced the deficit to 21-14 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.

The defense produced a critical stop and the Eagles were on the move again only to fumble inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. There was no recovering from that critical turnover.

Kevin Hartnett generated 150 all-purpose yards in his final game for Dobbs Ferry. He has capably manned the quarterback position since he was a sophomore. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 80 yards, carried 12 times for 50 yards and tacked on a 20-yard kick return.

Sophomore running back Jackson Kearns, a great talent who will only improve, contributed 58 rushing yards and another 47 receiving while playing through a late-season ankle injury. Senior Aayan Khan paced the defense with six tackles.

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