Bateman's tackle saves the day for Bayport
Mt. Sinai Quarterback Austin Kay (10) hands off the ball to Running Back, Richie Stein (8) as Bayport-Blue Point's Shane Young (33) moves in to tackle during 1st quarter action. Play was suspended and the game cancelled due to lightening. (Sept. 16, 2010) Credit: Kathy Kmonicek
Mount Sinai's last chance for victory Friday came on a game-saving play that left Bayport-Blue Point defensive back Ian Bateman dizzy.
Batemen made a diving tackle to trip up halfback Joshua Morales to preserve Bayport's 6-0 victory in Suffolk Division IV.
After the play, Bateman was on his back for a couple of minutes while being checked by Bayport's trainer. After being helped to his feet, he walked off the field under his own power.
Although at first he couldn't remember much about the play, by the time he got on the team bus, he was joking and laughing about it, Bayport coach Eric Iberger said by phone several hours after the game.
The coaching staff said Bateman's father would be monitoring him Friday night for any signs of head injury.
On the play, Mount Sinai faced fourth-and-4 at the Phantoms' 7-yard line with 55 seconds left in the game. Morales came on an end around from the left slot and had a possible touchdown ahead of him until Bateman made the tackle at the 5.
The Phantoms then ran out the clock for the shutout in a game that was suspended from Thursday night.
But the Phantoms (2-0) had to wait a few moments to do so as Bateman lay sprawled out on the grass. Asked immediately after the game to describe the hit, Bateman said, "Sorry . . . I feel dizzy," and did not answer any more questions.
Bateman nevertheless made a hit with his teammates, Said running back Jack Sheehan, "He sacrificed his body and made the play for us."
It was Sheehan who scored the game's lone touchdown on a 17-yard sweep with 5:30 left in the third quarter. He finished with 83 yards on 14 carries.
That touchdown was made possible by a 39-yard completion four plays earlier, when Gary Farley beat two Mount Sinai defenders deep down the left sideline. But Mount Sinai's Frank Abbondanza bulled through the line to block the extra point.
The drive helped make up for one on Thursday night, when the Mustangs (1-1) stopped Corey Picone on a quarterback sneak inside the 1-yard line. Play was suspended due to thunder and lightning with 9:03 left in the second quarter.
When the game resumed Friday afternoon, Mount Sinai's defense remained stout. But it was not until their final drive, behind Morales and fullback David Smokler, that the Mustangs finally got their offense on track.
"In the second half, we tried to soften them up on the outside a little bit, and of course we like to run the ball inside," Mount Sinai coach Vinnie Ammirato said. "Once we had success outside, it opened up our inside game and allowed us to drive right down the field."
And when the Mustangs reached the 13-yard line with 1:10 to go in the game, both their goal- line stand and blocked extra point loomed large.
But that was as far as they got. Instead of the Mustangs celebrating a victory, they had to watch the Phantoms embracing Bateman in triumph.
