Bay Shore stuns Floyd, earns playoff spot
Bay Shore's Lucas Rock (1) drive into the end zone for a Bay Shore touchdown during the first quarter of the Suffolk High School Division I football game played at Clifton LaPlatney field. (Oct. 29, 2011) Credit: Alan J Schaefer
It was during practice last week that co-captain Griffin Rock came to Bay Shore coach Jim Giattino and told him, "We're going to win this game, coach. We'll do whatever it takes."
It took a lot. Bay Shore (4-4) clinched a playoff spot with a shocking 24-7 victory over Floyd (6-2), Saturday in a Suffolk I game. It was their fourth victory in a row.
The Marauders overcame severe weather -- "It was raining sideways," Giattino said -- but they struggled on offense as returning All-Long Island running back Stacey Bedell had only 15 yards on 13 carries. "The weather definitely affected Stacey. He's a great back."
Rock, a linebacker, made 12 tackles, five for losses, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Ousman Camara, also a linebacker, made 18 tackles. "We came out and hit them right away," Giattino said. "For my seniors, it's their last game on this field and they came up big. We were 0-4 and had a tough start. We had a lot of letdowns early, but they've grown up a lot. It really showed. They didn't let the weather conditions affect them."
Senior quarterback Lucas Rock, Griffin's cousin, carried 12 times for 88 yards with two touchdowns. He scored the game's first touchdown on a 3-yard run and added a 9-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Daquan Dunkley had nine carries for 126 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that made it 24-0. "First time I was able to breathe the whole game," Giattino said.
The coach said he knew it was going to be a special day when senior Tyler White, a four-year kicker, nailed a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. "My coaches were saying 'What are we doing? With the wind and rain, so many things can go wrong.' They wanted me to go for it. But I believed in Tyler. The wind was playing games. He had to aim to the left of the school to get it through the uprights."
The kick was perfect, just like the way Bay Shore played Saturday. "People were telling me it's Bay Shore's biggest win since 1987," Giattino said.
