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Updated: October 9, 2009, 12:16 pm	Share    Print    Email

Antonio Garcia corrals the Miller Place ball carrier in what was a standout defensive effort from Westhampton. Photos by Brett Mauser

Miller Place - Westhampton head coach Bill Parry wagered that he hadn't ever played more than two sophomores at the varsity level during a season - until this year that is. Halfway through the 2009 season, he's already had to call on many more than that due to injuries and low numbers. In Saturday's 24-7 victory at Miller Place, seven sophomores and two freshmen not only suited up for the Hurricanes but made significant contributions in a crucial victory for the squad's playoff hopes.

"They all played well, they all played hard," Parry said. "We made mistakes down on the goal line, but it's not for the lack of trying. It's just experience. I'm very proud of the way they played."

Westhampton's Vance Schindler applies a stiff arm to the mask of Miller Place's Matt Herbst.

The victory pushed the Hurricanes to 2-2 on the season. They still
sit just 11th out of 14 teams in the Division III standings with 97.7 power points, but just 2.5 points out of eighth. Miller Place dropped to 0-4 on the season. The previous week, the Panthers led then-unbeaten East Hampton by a touchdown late before a late score and two-point conversion pulled the Bonackers through for a 15-14 win. Westhampton hosts East Hampton, which is ranked fifth, on Friday under the lights at Hansen Field (6:30 p.m.).

Against the Panthers, defensive tackles Zach Laube and Sean Ryan wreaked havoc in the trenches along with ends Zach Ebrus and Danny Gomez, a frosh among sophomores. Behind them, Scott Martin and Connor Raynor, two more members of the Class of 2012, joined up with freshmen Brian Curry and Brian Culhane, who were promoted to varsity three days prior, as part of the linebacking corps. None had more than three varsity games to their credit before Saturday.

Even though they were young and outsized, the Hurricanes were able to keep Miller Place off the board until the outcome had more or less been secured. Just three plays into the second half, Justin LaGrasse pounced on a fumble at the Panther 22-yard line to put Westhampton in position to find the end zone again. The offense obliged as junior tailback Antonio Garcia scooted through a hole and rumbled in for an 11-yard touchdown; Cory Schulz then found Connor Raynor for a two-point conversion, making the score 17-0.

Westhampton quarterback Cory Schulz drops back and fires toward the right sideline.

Miller Place made a switch at quarterback and it paid off as the attack began to move downfield with authority at the beginning of the fourth. It drew within two scores when Jimmy Hatton lofted a fade to left pylon that was hauled in by Billy Fitchett. With their full complement of timeouts, the Panthers kicked deep and hoped to get the ball back, but Westhampton wasn't so generous. It took just six plays and several crucial minutes for the 'Canes to march 80 yards to paydirt. Schulz went the final 37, catching the Panthers off-guard with a quick snap and dash into the secondary and ultimately the end zone, putting the game away with 3:29 to go.

Garcia led all rushers on the way with 85 yards on 15 carries, but Schulz (62 yards) and Vance Schindler (58) weren't far behind. As a group, the 'Canes racked up more than 200 yards on the ground, with Schulz striking for 65 more through the air.

Early on, a Hurricane fumble at the 1-yard line kept them off the board momentarily, but Raynor and Renato Alvarado combined on a sack in the end zone to put Westhampton ahead 2-0 after one quarter. The teams' offenses stagnated for much of the first half until the 'Canes strung together a 42-yard drive to reach the Panther 30 with less than 15 seconds to play. Schulz dropped back and fired a strike to Cory Hubbard over the middle, and Hubbard took it from there, crossing the end line with three seconds remaining. An Anthony DiNitto point-after made it 10-0.

"We were running, running, running, and the way they were playing, they overshifted to the run," Parry said. "We just took a shot and it worked out. If it didn't work out, then we were going in 2-0."

On Friday, the Hurricanes will face an East Hampton team that comes in licking its wounds following a 34-19 defeat at the hands of Comsewogue on Saturday.

The Bonackers came in unbeaten and with their first 3-0 record in 16 years, but struggled early against the Warriors and couldn't make up the deficit. The loss dropped East Hampton to a fifth-place tie with Comsewogue in the Division III standings with 110.2 power points. Even with the defeat, the Bonackers are still in fine shape for the eight-team playoffs, a full 10 points up on ninth-place Rocky Point and Harborfields.

Trailing by nine, the Bonackers invaded the Warrior red zone late in the fourth quarter only to see Alex Zommerfeld intercept an Austin Heneveld pass at the 5-yard line and dash 95 yards in the other direction for a touchdown, icing the win for the visitors.

East Hampton dug itself a 21-0 hole but fought back behind Brendan Mott, who compiled 165 yards from scrimmage, and Austin Heneveld, who threw for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those strikes went to Mott. The second of the two brought Bonac to within 28-19 but the two-point conversion failed and thus kept it at a two-possession game.

The Bonackers face a crucial test under the lights at Westhampton Friday night. The teams haven't played since a 35-14 Hurricane win in 2006; the last time they met at Hansen Field, Westhampton prevailed 50-0 in their 2005 clash.

Baymen Unblemished; Mariners Roll
The dream season rolls on for Hampton Bays, which roared back from a halftime deficit to defeat Wyandanch 32-14. The win was the purple-and-black's fourth to start the season and keeps them in prime position for a playoff spot in Division IV.

After facing a halftime deficit of 14-12 for the first time this season, a goal-line stand opened the floodgates for the Baymen (4-0). Wyandanch's drive inside the Hampton Bays stalled as they couldn't find paydirt on fourth down. The ground game that had been so successful to this point began to pave the way for the Baymen's multi-pronged attack, in particular for senior Oskar Ramirez who rumbled in from 3 yards out to put his squad ahead for good. Ramirez's 1-yard score in the fourth quarter provided insurance, and Dylan Flynn chalked up his third touchdown of the day, soaring in from 6 yards out later in the period.

Ramirez finished with a team-high 76 yards on 15 carries. After last week's 158-yard, two-TD night against Mercy, John Havens piled up 71 more yards on the ground against Wyandanch with Flynn racking up 51 to go with his career-best three scores.

Not to be overlooked was the Baymen's defensive stand in the second half. Josh Jarmond had led Wyandanch to a pair of first-half touchdowns, including connections of 34 and 3 yards that gave the Warriors (0-4) their first leads of the season. It didn't take long for Hampton Bays to answer back as Flynn registered the first of his two early TDs. On each, though, the Baymen failed to convert a two-pointer to match Wyandanch's early deuce, and the visitors found themselves in front 14-12 at the break.

Hampton Bays, which maintained fourth place in the division standings with the win, has outscored its opponents by a total of 166-35, an average margin of victory amounting to nearly 33 points per game. The Baymen are aware that a perilous road lies ahead. At 2-2, each of their next three opponents have as many wins as Hampton Bays' first four adversaries combined and are vying for one of eight playoff spots in Division IV. Saturday's opponent, Port Jefferson, sits tied for seventh with Southampton at 105.2 power points. Last year, the Royals doubled up HB 26-13.

Southampton evened its record at 2-2 with a 30-0 rout of Stony Brook under the lights on Friday night. The victory kept the Mariners in contention for the postseason with four games remaining.

The Mariners' offensive line manhandled the Bears' front and opened gaping holes for the backfield. Lester Pettaway led Southampton with 105 yards on just five attempts, while also going 3-for-8 through the air for 40 yards. Jon Strumph powered into the end zone twice and accumulated 85 yards rushing on the night. Teammates Isaiah Thomas (71 yards), Patrick Tuths (43 yards, TD) and Onajja Browning (41 yards) also ran wild.

Thomas opened the game with a 40-yard bolt through the Stony Brook line, and shortly after, Tuths got the scoring started by scampering 12 yards for a touchdown. Later in the quarter, Strumph dodged defenders and scored on an 18-yard run that, when paired with a two-point conversion off a fake point-after attempt, staked Southampton to a 14-0 advantage. The lead only swelled in the two quarters thereafter: Pettaway found Andrew Phillips for a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second for a 22-0 lead, and in the third, Pettaway took it himself from 34 yards out to build a 30-point lead.

It marked the second straight shutout for Southampton against the Bears; last year, it ended a five-game slide with a 20-0 victory on the north shore. The Mariners will look to take a second straight ballgame, this time taking the road to face Greenport, which is coming off a double-digit win over Mercy. The win broke the Porters' 10-game losing streak.