Game Previews: North Rockland Vs Curtis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top matchups of Week One will feature two stacked teams, let's break down the matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Breakdown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach Hickey</strong> led his Red Raiders to an impressive 10-3 season in 2024 capturing a Section Championship. North Rockland won twice against Carmel, along with picking up wins against Arlington, John Jay, and New Rochelle. In the playoffs they got their second win against Carmel along with revenging their loss against Mamaroneck. Monroe Woodbury started the year with a win against NR, propelling Coach Hickey's team to an 8-2 record the rest of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2025 Schedule</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 squad currently has eight games listed on there schedule. Following a deep 2024 playoff run, this North Rockland squad led by Coach Hickey will look to build on their success. The season starts out with a matchup against Curtis in a game Prep Redzone will be in attendance for. I project this loss to be the only one for the Red Raiders in 2025. Key wins for North Rockland include Suffern, New Rochelle, and Arlington. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/ny/thiells/north-rockland-raiders/football/schedule">https://www.maxpreps.com/ny/thiells/north-rockland-raiders/football/schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players To Watch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong>2026 QB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/chase-perini/#:~:text=About%20Chase,scouts%20have%20written%20about%20them.">[player_tooltip player_id='1720765' first='Chase' last='Perini']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 ATH <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/amari-occena/">[player_tooltip player_id='1650979' first='Amari' last='Occena'] </a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/chiam-fountain/">2026 DL Chaim Fountain</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 DL/LB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/gabriel-vega/">[player_tooltip player_id='1566785' first='Gabriel' last='Vega']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 ATH <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jay-garcia/">[player_tooltip player_id='1759968' first='Jay' last='Garcia'] </a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2027 OL <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/dom-tirri/">[player_tooltip player_id='939853' first='Dominick' last='Tirri']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jace-harrison/">2027 RB </a>[player_tooltip player_id='939852' first='Jace' last='Harrison']</strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2027 LB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jacob-rodriguez-2/">[player_tooltip player_id='1513257' first='Jacob' last='Rodriguez']</a></strong></td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Keys To The Game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Set The Tone</strong>. North Rockland is not your average middle class team. They have players across the boards who can make impacts and they need to install that into the minds of Curtis throughout the game.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Fix Holes</strong>. This North Rockland Defense loses two touted DB's in Javon Lawrence and King Saint Fleur. Without them, Curtis might look to throw the ball. North Rockland needs to shut down the passing game. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Keep Rolling On Offense</strong>. Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='939853' first='Dominick' last='Tirri'], anchors one of the top QB's in Section 1. With many other touted ATH, and RB's on the roster, North Rockland needs to establish their offensive game plan early. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Curtis Breakdown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach Gambardella</strong> led his Curtis roster to a <strong>12-1</strong> record in 2024. The one loss for the Warriors came in the opening game against <strong>Moore Catholic by a score of 25-21</strong>. Wins last year included teams like <strong>New Drop, Canarsie, Lincoln, Tottenville, South Shore, and Erasmus Hall(x2)</strong>. The Warriors made a deep playoff run after losing the first game of the year and won the PSAL championship. They will look to continue that this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2025 Schedule</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Curtis started off the year with an impressive 17-0 win over St. Peter's and moved to 1-0 on the new season. Nine games remain for Curtis on their grueling schedule, including this matchup against North Rockland. Ten games are listed on the schedule for Curtis, and I predict an <strong>7-2</strong> record. The two loses come at the hands of <strong>Erasmus Hall, and Tottenville</strong> who revenge their 2024 campaigns. Key wins include <strong>North Rockland(Section 1), Lincoln, Kennedy, New Dorp, and Wagner</strong>. The Warriors will make the playoffs and have the potential to make a deep run this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/ny/staten-island/curtis-warriors/football/schedule">https://www.maxpreps.com/ny/staten-island/curtis-warriors/football/schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players To Watch </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/will-andrade/#:~:text=Player%20Bio&amp;text=Will%20Andrade%20is%20a%205,scouts%20have%20written%20about%20them.">2026 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='402247' first='Will' last='Andrade']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 LB/DB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/anthony-gambardella/">[player_tooltip player_id='806236' first='Anthony' last='Gambardella']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 DB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/daniel-lewis/">[player_tooltip player_id='806235' first='Danny' last='Lewis']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 DL <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jarrett-serate/">[player_tooltip player_id='402266' first='Jarrett' last='Serate']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2026 QB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/vincent-canzoneri/">[player_tooltip player_id='1742315' first='Vincent' last='Canzoneri']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2027 ATH <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/akai-lewis/">[player_tooltip player_id='1649122' first='Akai' last='Lewis']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2027 DB <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/frederic-kemajou/">[player_tooltip player_id='1649149' first='Frederic' last='Kemajou']</a></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>2027 RB </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/quadare-gomez/"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1208308' first='Quadare' last='Gomez']</strong> </a></td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Keys To The Game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Defense</strong>. This Curtis team plays in the PSAL which plays some of the toughest teams in the state. Heading upstate to face North Rockland, I expect the Warriors to establish their defense early if they want to win this game. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Set The Tone</strong>. Building of the first Key to the game, the Warriors need to set the tone early, wether they use their run game or the passing game, they need to show their cards early on and gain an advantage. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Attack Weakspots</strong>. North Rockland lost two key DB's in Javon Lawrence and King Saint Fleur. Curtis should look to attack through the air early which should be a weakpoint early on for the Red Raiders. <br></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->