Rivertowns Sports

Horsemen Confident Heading Into Playoffs

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October 29, 2025

By Tom Pedulla—

Sleepy Hollow football fans cannot wait to see what’s next after the Horsemen ended a playoff drought that had endured since 2016 with an exclamation point.

Sleepy Hollow will take a glistening 7-1 record into Saturday night’s 6 p.m. home game against Pleasantville in search of its first postseason victory since 2014, when it dispatched John Jay of Cross River 27-14.

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Second-year coach Anthony Giuliano is reminding his players that there is more to be achieved after a regular season that brought video game-like statistics for star running back Brayden Richardson and one lopsided triumph after another.

“Obviously, going into postseason play the message is always ‘It’s a new start. The record is 0-0 now,’” said Giuliano. “But there is no way I am ever going to take away from these guys what they’ve done in the regular season in going 7-1. They should be extremely proud of what they accomplished and the position they put us in going into the postseason.”

Richardson put two seasons all but wiped out by major injuries behind him in amassing 1,232 rushing yards with 21 touchdowns. He averaged an extraordinary 195.1 all-purpose yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Bowen completed 27 of 43 passes for 613 yards and accounted for 10 scores. Dynamic wide receiver Gilbert Onwe made 21 receptions for 523 yards and nine touchdowns.

Richardson will be honored by the New York Jets as a Player of the Week during their Dec. 7 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. He earned that distinction with a spectacular performance in a 42-10 rout of Putnam Valley.

He carried 13 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns and raced into the end zone for a 92-yard punt return in that contest. The Jets and Gatorade will donate $1,000 to Sleepy Hollow’s football program to salute Richardson.

Giuliano noted Richardson’s abundant talent but also the handiwork of offensive linemen Daniel Naughton, Egzon Dakaj, Thaddeus Kromelis, Abel Perez-Rosario, Brandoll Almonte ansd Mikel Oquendo. The big boys up front know their assignments and fulfill them almost without fail.

Richardson knows Pleasantville’s defense will be geared toward stopping him or at least slowing him down. “We have a lot of weapons on our team. Even if they focus on me, we have receivers and other backs we can use in the game plan,” the senior said. “I just have to make the most of my opportunities and that’s what you’ll see in the playoffs.”

Despite the expected large and loud crowd that is expected to provide a significant home-field advantage, Giuliano views Pleasantville as a dangerous opponent because the Panthers program is accustomed to the charged atmosphere that comes with the playoffs.

“That experience definitely gives you an edge and that’s something we definitely don’t have. I’m not afraid to say that. It’s something we need to learn how to do pretty quickly,” he said.

Players sense the excitement building among their fellow students. “Everybody is talking about it in school,” Bowen said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for, to come together and be a good team.”

They are determined to keep playing and their confidence is soaring. “We know what we have and we know the time we put in,” Almonte said. “It’s just about executing now and I know we can do that.”

How far can the Horsemen go in what is already an unforgettable season?

“I’m 100 percent sure we can make it all the way,” said Almonte, expressing optimism not heard around Sleepy Hollow for a very long time.

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