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Horsemen Hammer Pleasantville in Playoff Win

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Sleepy Hollow scored early and often. (photo by Ben Epple)

November 2, 2025

By Tom Pedulla—

Sleepy Hollow players were as excited as they could be after thumping visiting Pleasantville 33-6 on Saturday night for the school’s first postseason victory since 2014. A few of them picked up a large Gatorade container and headed toward Anthony Giuliano, intent on giving him a good dousing as part of their celebration.

The popular second-year coach would have none of it. He did not mind an additional chill on a crisp autumn night. He turned back the players as a way of reminding them that there is so much more they can accomplish, starting with next weekend’s road game against defending state Class B champion Ardsley.

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“The job is not finished,” Giuliano said after his high-powered team won for the eighth time in nine games. “We’re proud of what we’re doing, but, ultimately, we still haven’t accomplished anything.

“It’s just a record right now. We’re on to next week. We took care of what we needed to take care of this week. We have an opponent we’re familiar with in Ardsley and we’ve got to get to work.”

In a sense, the Horsemen are back to where they started. They hit the road and struggled to hold off Ardsley in a 48-43 shootout on Sept. 13. The Panthers are known to steadily improve as the season progresses under veteran coach Dan DiFalco. They are accustomed to postseason pressure and success.

“We know they’re a team that doesn’t go away,” said Brayden Richardson, Sleepy Hollow’s stellar running back.

At the same time, Sleepy Hollow was extremely impressive against Pleasantville in scoring on the game’s first possession and extending its advantage to 14-0 by halftime and 20-0 through three quarters.

With the 3-5 visitors locked in on stopping Richardson, the Horsemen went to the air with great success. Quarterback Jeremiah Bowen capitalized on one-on-one coverage to throw to Ben Meyer, Andre Estevez and the ever-dangerous Gilbert Onwe for scores.

“That’s the advantage of having guys all over the field who we can get the ball to. If we can get the ball elsewhere and take advantage of teams keying on our running back, we’ll try and do that,” Giuliano said.

To Bowen, it was a proud moment that showed how far he has come. “This is my first year as a starting quarterback. Last year, I was a starting wide receiver,” he noted. “But this role here feels a lot more important and I’m just glad to lead the team to this victory.”

Richardson, of course, would not be denied. Benefitting from a determined offensive line, he broke through for two touchdowns. In his latest highlight, he tore through the line untouched and scampered 48 yards for a touchdown to make it 26-6 with 6:07 left and effectively turn out the lights on the Panthers.

“I just had to trust my line. I had to trust the game plan,” Richardson said. “I knew a seam would open up eventually.”

Said Giuliano, “It’s a matter of time when a player like that gets the littlest opening and he put his foot in the ground and he went.”

Richardson has done that so often in what is a magical season for him after injuries essentially wiped out his sophomore and junior seasons. With his two touchdowns, he moved past Harold Gayden, known as the “Ghost of Sleepy Hollow, with 28 scores for the school’s single-season record. Gayden had 27.

Sleepy Hollow’s defense was exceptional. Defenders swarmed to the ball on every play and made their presence felt when they arrived. There were a significant number of “Hollow hits” as well as key interceptions by Meyer and Bowen.

“Everybody is motivated to get to the ball,” said beefy lineman Abel Perez-Rosario. “I feel like we’re the best defense in Class B right now.”

When it was over, Giuliano swept up his young son, Michael, and carried him triumphantly as he approached his huddled players with the message that they need to remain hungry.

At the same time, he made sure to savor a moment more than a decade in the making for this long-suffering program.

“We’re going into November and playing football. It’s something we’re not used to. It’s good to have the town out here and seeing that. Football is still alive here,” Giuliano said. “The crowd was loud, the stands were packed, it was great to see.”

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