Horace Mann has Dwight stuff in bounce back victory

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In their season opener on Sept. 12, the Horace Mann Lions picked up two rather significant losses.

They lost the game, 46-28, to rival Riverdale Country School, and they also lost their starting quarterback, Marc Murphy, to injury.

Stepping in for Murphy in the second game of the year last Saturday against the Dwight Englewood Bulldogs was Dillon Holder, a senior who had never started a varsity game for the Lions. Yet Holder looked poised and confident as he threw two touchdown passes as the Lions posted their first victory of the season with a 20-13 win over the Bulldogs. The victory evened Horace Mann’s season record at 1-1.

“I thought he did a really nice job stepping up,” said Matt Russo, Horace Mann’s head coach. “He made throws when he needed to. I thought he managed the offense for the most part, so I was pretty happy with him.”

Holder received the news he would be starting in place of Murphy last Monday during a team practice. The senior quarterback admitted he had to work on his footwork and get into the mindset needed to now be a leader on the team.

“I was a little bit nervous but I was excited to do what I could and go help the team win,” Holder said of his first start.

But Holder immediately delivered dividends for the Lions as he connected on a 30-yard pass with Jahmire Cassanova on the first offensive play of the game for the Lions. Later in the quarter, Holder led a 70-yard drive for Horace Mann which culminated in a rushing touchdown by Benjamin Metzner.

“Dillon’s got great poise,” Metzner said. “He’s smart, (a) field general. He’s like another coach out there. And physically he’s very underrated. He’s got a great arm, knows what to do and when to do it and he could really command the offense. Field general.”

While Holder made the most out of his first opportunity as a starter, it was Horace Mann’s defense which kept the game under control.

Horace Mann’s defense looked entirely different from the unit that gave up 46 points to Riverdale Country School in the first game of the season. The Lions pressured Dwight Englewood quarterback, Will Schwartz, who couldn’t get into a consistent rhythm in the first half.

The Lions tacked on two more touchdowns in the half, the first on a screen pass from Holder to Raphael Silverman, and the second on a 10-yard pass to Billy Lehrman. Behind the defense and Holder’s solid play, the Lions went up 20-6 at halftime.

The Lions kept their defensive pressure going throughout most of the second half, but a change in the Bulldogs’ offensive formation late in the fourth quarter gave the Bulldogs some life. Dwight Englewood went to a swinging formation where the entire offensive line, with exception of the center, lined up one side of the field, leaving the quarterback, running back and one wide receiver exposed on the other side. It was a look the Lions had trouble defending and with 5:26 left to play the Bulldogs scored a touchdown to trim their deficit to 20-13.

“It’s just something you don’t practice against really,” Russo said of the swinging formation. “You don’t really see it. I guess it is kind of gimmicky.”

The momentum seemed to have turned completely on the side of the Bulldogs after they recovered a fumble by Horace Mann running back, Kyle Bernardez, who was also making the first start of his career.

“Just have fun,” Russo said he told Bernardez, who fumbled twice in the game. “It’s his first game. ‘You’re nervous. It’s a learning experience. Don’t worry about it.’”

With the ball on Horace Mann’s 40-yard line, and with less than six minutes to play, Dwight Englewood stayed in its swinging formation but the magic wore off as the Lions were able to stop the Bulldogs’ momentum and recover the ball on downs.

On Horace Mann’s ensuing possession in a third-and-long situation for the Lions, Metzner received a screen pass from Holder, which he almost took for a first down, falling one yard shy. But Holder, who had impressed all day long with his arm, came through with his feet, converting on fourth down on a QB sneak to pick up a key first down and ensure the win. The Lions took a knee on the next two plays, clinching the seven-point win.

“I thought defensively they played unbelievable,” Russo said. “I thought we tackled, I thought we did a lot of things really well.”

The Lions, who improved to 1-1 on the season, will face Newark Academy of New Jersey in Saturday’s Homecoming Game at 2:30 p.m.

“We’re looking to win out and do some damage,” Holder said. “We have a really good team this year. I think we can do really well.”

Horace Mann, Daniel Ynfante

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