Football: Werlau scores 3TDs, as Carmel hangs on to beat John Jay-EF 45-34

CARMEL — It was a game that seemed like it would never end — even though it seemed over in the first half.

The Carmel football team held on to defeat John Jay-East Fishkill 45-34 in the season opener for both teams on Friday.

Carmel, the state Class AA runner-up last year, was up at halftime 33-7.

John Jay quarterback Matt Partridge, who did a good job of picking apart the Rams' secondary in the second half and who ran for two touchdowns, had his team on the Carmel 27 with 1:18 to play.

But any hope of a miraculous comeback ended when Carmel's Aiden White picked off Partridge's pass at the Carmel 11.

White also had a 13-yard touchdown reception and a huge 62-yard score off a Brian McGrory pass with White taking a short sideline pass and then outrunning the Patriots.

But the game's star was Carmel's Tristan Werlau, who scored three times in dramatic fashion.

The senior running back picked up a ball dropped by his quarterback and broke two tackles during a 77-yard TD run. That was after he had a 6-yard TD reception.

Later, after John Jay-EF scored two quick touchdowns to open the second half, Werlau took a pitch and went 75 yards for the score.

He also had a key 13-yard reception on a third-and-nine and then a 22-yard run that set up Carmel's final score.

Play of the game

There were multiple moments where a different outcome to a play could have meant a John Jay-EF win .

Werlau's 75-yard TD that at least momentarily stopped John Jay's momentum surge was one.

But so was McGrory's fourth-and-10, 22-yard TD pass to Luca Paci with 2:15 to play.

John Jay was trailing only 39-34 at the time. That followed its failed two-point conversion pass after a Partridge TD.

Paci did an excellent job getting the ball, wrestling it from a Patriots defender, who had near blanket coverage on him in the end zone.

Game balls

Werlau, who eluded tacklers all night, earned multiple game balls for his four outstanding quarters of work, which added to a heck of a highlight reel for college coaches to check out.

Paci had two TD receptions. The bigger was a huge 73-yarder that put the Rams up 33-7.

Patriot Nate Johnson turned into a difference-making target as the game progressed. His big reception was a 75-yard score from Logan Lawrence late in the first half.

By the numbers

Johnson ended up with nine catches for 177 yards.

Partridge was 19 for 33 for 246 yards with one TD and one pick.

His one TD strike was of 17 yards to Michael Forlivio early in the second half after Werlau made perhaps his only mistake of the night, fumbling the kickoff to give the Patriots the ball at the Rams' 34.

He also had a 51-yard connection with Caleb Calmser.

Carmel featured a potent, blanced attack. It threw for 260 yards and rushed for 204.

They said it

Patriots coach James Cancellari noted John Jay had to revamp its game plan when a player assigned to key on Werlau went down with a game-ending injury on the second play of the game.

Carmel's third touchdown occurred after Ryan Sinnott absolutely drilled Partridge, causing a fumble that Sinnott fell on on the John Jay 48. Partridge appeared shaken up and sat for the last few minutes of the second quarter but Cancellari said his short stay on the bench was "performance-related" and Partridge had played much better in the second half.

Cancellari said he told his team at the half to "wipe the scoreboard."

"We had to refocus and center ourselves," he said.

Patridge was happy with his team's comeback, although lamenting that it had fallen short.

"We just found our open guys," he said of what went well in the seond half.

Werlau said his fumble off the second half-opening kickoff "kind of beat me up."

But he was much more focused on the win than that.

He smiled when talking about White essentially sealing the game with his pick and said White could always be relied on.

"I'm so happy," he Werlau said. "I'm definitely relieved. We knew it was going to be a battle."

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Section 1 football: Carmel holds on to beat JJEF behind Werlau's 3 TDs