Brown forces OT, Olivier TD wins it for Freeport
Freeport Red Devils wide receiver Jere Brown runs with the ball during a kick off return for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Oceanside Saylors. (Oct. 30, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Overtime didn't exhaust the Red Devils. It exhilarated them.
With 1:44 remaining in yesterday's game against Oceanside, the Freeport players didn't think overtime was a possibility. It was more like "it's over" time once the Sailors took a seven-point lead on Tyler Heuer's 1-yard touchdown run and two-point pass to Greg Garay.
A long line of red-clad players stood on the sideline - spirits flagging, shoulders sagging, expressions downcast. "They were sulking," said Freeport coach Russ Cellan, whose team had scored 21 straight points to take a one-point lead before falling behind again. "They're kids. Their heads were down. I told them to snap out of it."
Then, in a snap, Jere Brown provided the ultimate pick-me-up. He fielded a low, bouncing kickoff at the 19, started upfield, found an opening and burst to daylight. His 81-yard return and the extra point tied the game in dramatic fashion.
"I was so hyped," Brown said. "In my mind, I knew we had them."
He was right. Freeport held Heuer and Oceanside's high-powered offense to a field goal on the first overtime possession and answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Dan Olivier on a power burst off right tackle for a thrilling 41-38 victory that clinched the No. 1 seed for host Freeport (7-1). Oceanside (7-1) is the No. 2 seed.
"It wasn't a playoff game, but it had that playoff feeling," said Freeport quarterback Isaiah Barnes (216 yards passing, 56 yards rushing).
A crowd of more than 2,000 filled the bleachers, lined fences all around the field and stood outside the gates along Sunrise Highway to watch this Conference I showdown.
Many of them, no doubt, came to see Heuer pursue the Nassau County record for touchdown passes in a season. He needed three entering the game and tied the mark early in the third quarter with his 30th, a smoothly delivered 42-yard dart to Gene Gary on a slant pattern. The PAT gave the Sailors a 27-7 lead.
Olivier scored on a 12-yard run to make it 27-14. Then Heuer, who completed 21 of 36 for 255 yards and ran 19 times for 102 yards, aided the Red Devils' comeback when he fumbled the snap on what looked like another Oceanside scoring drive later in the third quarter. Freeport recovered and Olivier (118 yards on 19 carries) scored the third of his four touchdowns on a 12-yard dash to make it 27-21. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Red Devils took a 28-27 lead on Barnes' 10-yard run and Edwin Sandoval's PAT kick.
An interception by Joe Swanson and Heuer's keepers sparked what appeared to be the winning drive for the Sailors, capped by the quarterback's 1-yard sneak. Brown then worked his magic, forcing OT.
With possessions beginning at the 20, Heuer's first drive stalled and the Sailors settled for a field goal. Three plays later, the Red Devils faced a fourth-and-1 at the 11. Olivier rumbled for nine yards to the 2, then pounded it into the end zone.
"There was no doubt Dan was getting the ball," Cellan said. "He's a physical runner. We're a power running team. There comes a point when you can't play it safe. Here it comes. You've got to stop it. If you can stop us there, you deserve to win."
