For the first time in nearly five decades, the Sleepy Hollow Horsemen (N.Y.) have won a sectional championship in high school football.
A town known a lot more for its famous ghost story of the Headless Horseman, now has a section title under its belt and has a real chance to compete for the NYSPHSAA’s Class B state championship in a few weeks.
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Sleepy Hollow (10-1) defeated Westlake last week, 27-14, in a game that saw the continued emergence of senior running back Brayden Richardson, who has collegiate offers from schools like Marist, Morgan State, New Haven, Rhode Island and Stony Brook.
“We have kids who can really play football. That helps a lot. Being able to put guys in the right place and trust them to make plays, the results show,” Sleepy Hollow second-year head coach Anthony Giuliano said to The Hudson Independent.
Richardson was the primary workhorse for Sleepy Hollow in the victory as the tailback rushed for a game-high 161 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air.
When it comes to running the rock, not many in the Empire State have been as good as Richardson. The senior running back ranks amongst the top five, according to MaxPreps, when it comes to rushing yardage. Richardson has rushed for 1,822 yards and scored 29 touchdowns, by far his biggest statistical season playing high school football.
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Before this 10-win and counting season at Sleepy Hollow, the Horsemen hadn’t won more than six games since 2012. For historical context, the last time the Horsemen won a section championship was back in 1978.
“Sleepy Hollow is a football town no matter what goes on season to season,” Guiliano said to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News. “Our football is rooted in the community and there are so many people who really want to see us do well. The support we felt this year was amazing. It just means a lot to the kids to understand the town is behind them.”
Looking ahead for Sleepy Hollow, the Horsemen are slated to take on Saugerties Senior (8-2) this Saturday afternoon as the road to Syracuse for the Class B state championship begins.
If the Horsemen come away with the win, they would face the winner of the Ogdensburg Free Academy–Glens Falls Senior game in the Class B state semifinals.
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