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Richardson Powers Sleepy Hollow To State Title Game

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Senior running back Brayden Richardson ran for 446 yards and five touchdowns in the win.

November 30, 2025

By Tom Pedulla—

In the final minutes of Sleepy Hollow’s 42-20 victory against Glens Falls on Nov. 29 at Middletown High School in Middletown, chants of “Syr-a-cuse! Syr-a-cuse!” descended from the stands.

It was a magical moment for a Sleepy Hollow program that had not won a Section 1 title since 1978, had not reached the playoffs since 2016 and had not won a postseason game since 2014. These remarkable Horsemen are indeed bound for Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome to play for the school’s first Class B state championship.

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In a performance for the ages, brilliant senior running back Brayden Richardson took his teammates on his broad shoulders in carrying 27 times for a Section 1 record 446 yards and five touchdowns on runs of 16, 66, 45, 89 and 74 yards. Sleepy Hollow improved to 12-1 with its 10^th consecutive victory after finishing 3-3 last season.

Teams are not supposed to go from break even to playing for it all. Yet that is what has transpired for this team that seemingly will not be denied.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” said Richardson. “At the beginning of the season, no one really knew what we had. But, after the first few games, we knew we had a team with a lot of experience and we had an opportunity to do something really big. That’s what we’re doing now.”

As for his video game-like statistics, Richardson said, “My line blocked perfect. Once I saw the hole, I broke through and just ran with it.”

Richardson, who has committed to play for Rhode Island University, possesses the ideal combination of power and speed. His strong lower body allows him to continue to advance the ball against numerous tacklers. When it looks as though he is stymied, he spins for more yards. He is a touchdown waiting to happen with any touch.

“He makes a lot of people miss,” said second-year coach Anthony Giuliano. “A play that looks like it’s not there for someone else, he will pop it for a long one. He’s continued to do that all year.”

Junior quarterback Jeremiah Bowen put on a move to avoid a defender. (photos by Eoghan Glynn)

The Horsemen will oppose Section 5 winner Monroe Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. in Syracuse. Monroe looks to be formidable after displaying its muscle in a 48-7 thumping of Oswego Free Academy in the other state semifinal.

Then again, Glens Falls had been to the state semifinals only last year and had rolled through its first 12 games this season undefeated. Sleepy Hollow never trailed the Black Bears and turned a 14-12 nailbiter into yet another lopsided victory with 20 unanswered points as the large Sleepy Hollow crowd roared its approval.

“I feel like I’m in a dream right now,” said senior linebacker Thomas Hudson. “Before the season, we weren’t expected to win that many games, and now we’re in Syracuse. We were underdogs all year. We used the doubt and we fed off of that and just kept on winning.”

They fed off the crowd, too. Long-suffering Sleepy Hollow fans, inspired by the excitement and determination of the Horsemen, turned a neutral site into a home game.

The Horsemen have one more hurdle to conquer to become champions. (photo by Eoghan Glynn)

“It means everything to the school and to the town. We brought back the sport to the town,” said senior Ben Meyer. “Before this, the town was quiet. I love to see this for the community because in Sleepy Hollow, you don’t see this a lot.”

Meyer did his part with a huge reception, pulling in a 5-yard bullet from quarterback Jeremiah Bowen late in the second quarter. Jack Marvin’s extra point provided a 21-12 halftime advantage.

After Sleepy Hollow’s swarming defense forced Glens Falls to go three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, Richardson extended the margin with a 45-yard scoring dash after it appeared he had been stopped for a short gain. Meyer tossed to reliable Gilbert Onwe in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion.

There would be one anxious moment after that for Sleepy Hollow, when an interception gave Glens Falls an opportunity at the 27-yard line of the Horsemen. Abel Perez Rosario and Amare Estevez combined to snuff that.

Rosario stormed in to force a quarterback fumble that Estevez pounced on for a recovery, highlighting a tremendous defensive effort by the Horsemen. “They couldn’t throw it. They couldn’t run it,” Rosario said, “because we were all there with high energy.”

Estevez, who forms a dynamic tandem with twin brother Andre, essentially turned out the lights on the Black Bears with his fumble recovery. “I knew we had it in the bag once we got that,” said Amare Estevez.

And so this dream journey goes on to Syracuse, to vie for a championship that perhaps only the Horsemen thought possible.

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