Pleasantville High School Football finished up their 2018 season Oct. 26, falling to Putnam Valley in the semifinals. The game ended with a score of 36-25. Stats and box score can be found here.

The Pleasantville Panthers were the defending 2017 Class B state champions after defeating Chenango Forks, which marked the first ever football title in school history.

The Panthers come from a “sports town,” said Athletic Director John Bauerlein. Still, “I wish we had better facilities,” he said. “Facilities have been our toughest challenge.” There is no field house located at the high school, and Bauerlein said there is not enough parking to host football games. The Panthers hold practice and play home games at Parkway Field/Farrow’s Field on Marble Avenue.

Despite those challenges, the Panthers were able to jump out to a 6-2 record this season, reaching the second round playoffs.

Head Coach Tony Becerra attributed the team’s strong record to the “decent skill position players on defense with a senior quarterback who’s been starting since his freshman year.”

A huge performance from quarterback Jack Howe put the Panthers over the top in last year’s championship game.

The Panthers had 20 players who returned from that championship run, leaving the team with a good amount of experience to make strides for another one. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the injury bug hit them hard, with quarterback Howe being knocked out the game, and backup quarterback Danny Melillo unable to suit up with a broken leg. Pleasantville was forced to put a freshman junior varsity quarterback in, and that seemed to seal the deal for them.