FOOTBALL — Last year, the Blue Devils had one of their best seasons in school history, winning a Section I, Class D title and a regional championship before losing 21-20 in the state semifinal to Stillwater — a two-point conversion away from the state title game. They finished 8-3.
Although they lost 12 seniors to graduation, this year the team will look to repeat as Section I champions for the first time.
The Blue Devils have three offensive and four defensive starters returning from 2023, but departing quarterback Ryan Van Tassel (now at Hobart), running back/defensive end Evan Giachinta (playing lacrosse for High Point University), wide receiver Michael Murray, linebacker Erik Stubblefield (King’s College) and lineman Jack Hartman left holes to fill.
Key returning starters include wide receiver Jake Thomas, defensive back Fallou Faye, running back/free safety Brody Corless and linebacker/offensive lineman Nate Stickle, all seniors.
Van Tassel’s successor at quarterback remains uncertain, although sophomore David Powlis is a leading candidate, said Coach Ryan McConville, who is in his 11th season. “David has taken some great steps to assert himself,” he said. “He’s taken the lion’s share of the snaps.”
Powlis said he’s ready to meet the moment. “I feel a little bit of pressure, and pretty big shoes to replace,” he said. “But I have a lot of good people around me.”
The battle to succeed Giachinta at running back is between sophomore Alex Gaugler and junior Merrick Williams, said McConville, although the coach said he may rely on both players, depending on the situation on the field.
Gaugler, Williams, junior Tomas Simko and senior Julian Schwarz are expected to take big leaps this season, according to McConville. Sophomores Ryan Cavallaro, Jayden Luoma and Nick Lemon will lead the offensive line.
Haldane opens the season with two games on the road, at Dover on Sept. 6 and Woodlands on Sept. 14, before hosting Valhalla on Sept. 21. It also will take on Tuckahoe, Peekskill, Putnam Valley, Hastings and Dobbs Ferry. Select games will be broadcast online at team1sports.com and locallive.tv.
GIRLS’ TENNIS — The Blue Devils, who finished 9-7 last season, lost six seniors (Camilla McDaniel, Ellen O’Hara, Julie Shields, Jacqueline Muth, Lily Benson and Ella Mekeel) to graduation but have three returning players and three new ninth graders.
Ninth grader Ellie Dubroff and seniors Mary McBride and Sophie Koch are back, and ninth graders Silvia Hardman, Sachi Starbuck and Aisling Stathos are new to the team. The key to success is simple, said Coach Simon Dudar: “Consistency.”
The team is also hoping to add another member to the team this year: Lights. Some matches have been suspended because of darkness, said Dudar, so he and parent Alex Dubroff have launched a campaign to raise $15,000. “A lot of the girls who were not the first- or second-seeded players wouldn’t get to play at home, which was a real bummer, because we’d run out of daylight,” said Dubroff.
The lights they have in mind “are designed to have the light just stay on the focus point,” without spillover that might affect neighbors, said Dudar, who has been the Haldane coach for 15 years.
The Blue Devils begin their season on Thursday (Sept. 5) at Westlake. Their first home match will be Sept. 11, hosting Tuckahoe.
