Giachinta rushes for 188 yards, two touchdowns
By Skip Pearlman
Haldane running back Sam Giachinta carved up the Croton-Harmon defense on Saturday (Sept. 15), rushing for 188 yards and two touchdowns and catching a pass for a third TD as the Blue Devils overpowered the visiting Tigers, 38-12.
Sam Giachinta busts out for one of his two rushing touchdowns in Haldane’s win over Croton-Harmon. The senior captain also had a TD reception. (Photo by S. Pearlman)
The Blue Devils (1-1) led 8-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a Giachinta 66-yard TD run two minutes into the game.
A minute into the second quarter, Adam Hotaling recovered a fumble, and soon after Giachinta was off for another 66-yard scoring run.
Croton (0-2) got on the board on a three-yard run from Dorian Gardner, but Haldane answered with a two-yard score by quarterback Dan Santos scored on a two-yard burst to make it 22-6 midway through the period.
Matt Champlin caught a 20-yard TD pass from Santos, in the third, and Giachinta closed the scoring by catching a 42-yard pass.
“We got a lot from our offensive linemen,” said Coach Ryan McConville. “They created holes for big runs, and Thomas Percacciolo, Champlin and Nate Allen all made big blocks downfield for Sam.”
McConville noted that Santos took pressure off Giachinta with his passing (he was 4-of-6 for 79 yards), and that the defense also played well. “John Hankel set the tone on the first play,” he said. “The Dowd brothers [linebackers Brad and Craig] ate up runs and forced them outside.” Ryan Irwin and Champlin each had an interception.
Photos by S. Pearlman
