Week Zero Kicks Off H.S. Football

It might have been Labor Day weekend according to the calendar, but for local high school football, it was Week Zero – the name used by some schools to kick off the season, including here in Section 1.

The name stuck because the local season traditionally starts one week before the official start day in the state.

“Everybody is excited,” said Mahopac High School standout Jack Kadan. “For me, it’s my senior year, so I want to make the best of it. I think that’s why we’re all excited to get going. We couldn’t wait for the season to begin and now it’s finally here.”

The Wolf Pac were slated to host Minisink Valley in a non-league game Sept. 4. Minisink is from across the river in Section 9. It was the 10th opener for coach Dominic DeMatteo at Mahopac.

Haldane was also scheduled to open Sept. 4, when it traveled to James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls for a non-league game. This begins the 12th year at the helm of the Blue Devils for Coach Ryan McConville.

“I think what I found is that everybody gets real tired of hitting each other,” he said with a laugh.

Putnam Valley was scheduled to play a Week Zero game Sept. 3 at Dover in northern Dutchess County. That was the same day Brewster was scheduled to play Harrison.

“It’s kind of like a transition,” said Bears star AJ Accurso. “We did a lot of conditioning and strength training, and now we can focus on plays.”