Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
When one thinks of basketball out in Westchester County these days, they think mostly of Archbishop Stepinac, the national] powerhouse from White Plains, or the legendary Mount Vernon program, or even the county’s basketball cathedral, the Westchester County Center, which is also in White Plains, which is also the home court of the NBA G-League’s Westchester Knicks, the minor-league affiliate of the New York Knicks.
If you’re in White Plains, take a 10-minute drive into Hartsdale, a town with a population of over 5,000 people and you’ll see Woodlands Middle/High School, an institution that serves grades 7-12.
In that building, is a hoops program that is holding their own in their classification and has risen as one of the most dominant teams in their county and also in the state of New York.
Throughout the last couple of seasons, the Falcons have been making noise, compiling a record of 45-8, winning two consecutive Section 1 championships, and making it all the way to the New York State Public High School Association Tournament championship game, only to lose twice, in Glens Falls & Binghamton, respectively.
With all of their talent, they have shown that they deserve some recognition.
Led by head coach John Rapaport, who has had plenty of experience coaching at various schools in Westchester, including Byram Hills.
This season’s team has been on a roll once again, as they are currently at 20-2 overall on the season and are rated at No. 1 in the New York State Sportswriters Association ranking. They have had wins against Rye and Alexander Hamilton, two big-time programs in Section 1 and have only lost to New Rochelle at the County Center on Jan. 2nd in the Slam Dunk Showcase and also Tappan Zee on Jan. 17th in a non-league event.
This squad has nine seniors, three juniors and one sophomore. But some of the key notables that have been crucial to the program’s success have been seniors such as Aaron Woodberry, Sebastian Benitez, Sean McKenney and Noah Cherubin, all of whom have been selected to the All-Section I team.
McKenney, a transfer from Stepinac, which is in the process of becoming the first team in CHSAA history to win four consecutive championships, is a versatile player that brings plenty of skill and also size, as he is inside presence in the post area that can be a matchup nightmare for most players.
But the marquee name of the aforementioned four players is Woodberry, who is a four-year varsity player that has been a high-level scorer for the Falcons and always rises to the occasion every time he’s on the court. Whichever college coach lands him will be getting a thoroughbred of a player.
Through the postseason, the Falcons have been steamrolling through the competition, as they beat Briarclliff Manor in the quarterfinals of the Section 1 playoffs on Feb. 26th by the score of 65-42.
Then in the recent game between against Blind Brook this past Monday, they won in convincing fashion, 76-54.
Now the true test awaits them is this Sunday at the County Center, as they’re back in the championship game for the third year in a row. This time, they’ll be playing another tough team from Westchester in Dobbs Ferry, which has a dominant force of their own in senior guard Anthony Ficarrotta, who is signed to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas.
The question is, can they stop Ficarrotta or at least slow him down? Or will they be dominant enough anyway to get this win like they’ve done against other teams in Section 1? All of that will be answered at 7:30 PM on Sunday night.
Another major question. If they’re able to win their regional playoff game at whatever site they’re at, and advance to the New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) state championship up in Binghamton, New York on Saturday, March 21st, will they be able to get over the hump and finally win it all?
Again, time will tell. But one thing is definitely for certain. Great things are definitely taking place up in Hartsdale, New York and the squad from Woodlands is definitely doing big things. This team definitely has the potential to win it all. But first things first. They gotta win another sectional championship first.
Dave's JOINT 
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