It had been a long week. I worked five days, closed on a new apartment, said goodbye to cameraman Andrew Becker (a real pro who taped my VC Extra vids but is now headed to MLB.com) and snuck in a few early-morning rounds of golf.

After six rather full and hectic days, I was pretty weary last night…so much so that I didn’t have the energy to recap possibly the most hyped game of the year. Now that I’m rested and my head’s clear, here are my seven thoughts on Don Bosco Prep 7, Mamaroneck 0:

1. Bosco deserves a national ranking — I don’t know how any team from New York or New Jersey could possibly stack up with those from Florida or California (places they play year-round), but the Ironmen (16-0) must be close. They not only have at least seven D-I-bound players (six seniors and a junior who is uncommitted but hits No. 2 and starts at SS), but they do everything well. They hit the ball hard. They take good at-bats. They pitch well (at least one guy does). And they run and catch the ball. … This team was a machine. Not only were the players big, there were so many of them that two guys who didn’t catch were in catchers gear and three pitchers threw bullpen sessions during the game. (Yes, they were all good.)

2. Despite some of the negative comments, Mamaroneck played with Bosco — The score doesn’t properly indicate what I saw. Mamaroneck could’ve very easily lost 2-0, 3-0, or 4-0. The three-run first was one play from a goose egg, and all of the Ironmen’s other runs were scored with two outs. In fact, one of the Tigers’ best qualities is their D, so it was surprising to see them commit three mistakes. If the game was played the exact same way, I suspect a couple of those plays would’ve been outs and the score closer as a result. The major hurdle was No. 26 in white, who threw a three-hitter. … Still, this is a young Mamaroneck team. A year from now this may be a different story.

3. The anticipation for the game was real — If you didn’t make the sojurn to Jersey, you missed out. There was an appropriate buzz, and the grandstands in LF and CF were filled. Also, numerous scouts (Red Sox, Yankees, Marlins, Brewers, Giants, etc.) lined the backstop to chart Bosco RHP Mike Dennhardt. I stood there, too, and heard them glowing about his stuff and his command. I imagine he’ll get drafted reasonably high unless he’s 100% committed to college ball. I heard one evoke the name of Rick Porcello, last year’s flamethrowing New Jersey senior who did rather well for himself.

4. It’s a shame there aren’t more of these showdowns — I hope Mamaroneck schedules Bosco again next year, and I hope Bosco accepts the challenge if it’s extended. The Tigers should be even better, with all of today’s starters returning other than C Chris Dearwester, and it’d make for an interesting rematch. … We see so many inter-region or inter-league games in basketball, but they are rare in baseball and football. The problem in football is scheduling limitations, but baseball has no such restrictions. So, if you’re Iona Prep or Stepinac, schedule a Mamaroneck or a Ketcham, but do it early and approach it like a big game. Or if you’re Mamaroneck, go find the best team in Conn. next year and add it to the slate.

5. Several Mamaroneck guys proved themselves — Forget the score. For the lack of offense. The Tigers had a few players who acquitted themselves quite well, namely Sean Hagan on the mound, Matt McGovern on the base paths, Mike Rosenfeld with the bat, and Gabe Klein in the field. … Hagan, who won his first nine decisions on the varsity, was hit hard in the first inning of his first loss, but he responded well, a great sign for someone who has faced very few rough patches in his young career. He hit spots (didn’t walk a batter) and attacked the Bosco lineup without fear. With improved strength in his upper body, Hagan will throw harder and his velocity will be more consistent. He remains incredibly talented, and showed signs yesterday. … McGovern is so fast he nearly beat out a hard grounder to SS on the first play of the game. He then beat one out late in the game after Bosco’s SS bobbled the ball for .001 seconds. Not bad for a guy coming off a hamstring injury. … Rosenfeld, the Tigers’ No. 3 hitter, crushed Dennhardt’s first-inning offering deep into the LF corner. He then hit a smash down the 3B line that was snagged by the brilliant Steve Proscia. That play was all that cost the talented sophomore from finishing with a two-hit day against a BC-bound senior routinely hitting 90 and breaking off curves and changeups in the low 70s. … If you saw it, you know what I mean when I say Klein made one of the all-time high school plays on a ball hit to deep CF. I have no idea how far he ran, but it must’ve been at least 100 feet, out among the willow trees that hang over the LCF wall. No doubt, Klein can really go get ‘em.

6. Proscia (right) is a stud — Bosco has a lot of talent, but the Suffern resident and former ESG Hudson Valley 3B ranks right atop the list. He didn’t do too much with the bat (1 for 3, RBI, 2 runs), but he played a flawless third base, put the ball in play, and showed the speed that made him an all-everything WR/DB for Bosco’s football powerhouse. … Not surprisingly, I’m not Proscia’s only fan. He was supposed to leave after the game and fly down to Fort Myers, Fla. to work out for the Twins.

7. To its credit, Mamaroneck made zero excuses — It very well could have. Fifteen players took their SATs yesterday, waking up around 6:30 a.m. for the marathon test, then rushing to get ready for the bus ride over the Tappan Zee. I imagine it wasn’t easy taking the biggest test of their lives on the day of one of the biggest games of their lives, but no one made excuses, not even after their bus driver made a wrong turn and they arrived a 20-30 minutes after the game was supposed to start. … Here’s McGovern’s take on whether all the craziness had an impact: “I don’t want to give any excuses at all, so I’m going to say ‘No.’ Right when we got off the bus, we had the same adrenaline as if we had arrived on time. Once we actually stepped on the field I forgot we even took the SATs.” … After he said that, I decided it wasn’t worth mentioning in the story. I know it was tough, but fall and spring athletes deal with this every year. Teams can’t use the test as an excuse, and I’m glad Mamaroneck didn’t.