Caccavale carries Plainedge over Hewlett

Ralph Caccavale played the role of postman yesterday afternoon. Unhobbled by wintry conditions, poor visibility, driving rain and a snowy field, the Plainedge running back flat out delivered.

He also rang twice.

Caccavale rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns to lead the visiting Red Devils over Hewlett, 13-0, in Nassau III. As both teams came into the game tied in the standings, the win clinches both the four seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs for Plainedge (5-3).

"I've been waiting to play a game like this my whole life," Caccavale said, trembling from the cold temperatures. "It's a game we're going to remember for the rest of our lives."

While it was memorable, it's safe to say not everyone thrived in the inclement weather, which ravaged the Hewlett homecoming. The winterlike weather caused Plainedge to turn the ball over four times and Hewlett three, cut down almost every attempt at a passing game, and kept the game scoreless until the third quarter.

With 7:23 left in the third quarter, Caccavale scrambled in for a 1-yard touchdown up the left side to give the Red Devils the 7-0 lead. His 1-yard second touchdown with 9:49 to play provided the final margin. With the Bulldogs threatening on the Plainedge 31, Caccavale then intercepted a Zach Richman pass to seal the game.

"The cuts were hard to make, so you had to run straight downhill and over people," Caccavale said. "The line did a good job opening up holes and I hit whatever hole I could get."

Exploiting limited chances was the name of this particular game, because "as many bad things that happened to us, it happened to them, too," Plainedge coach Rob Shaver said. "You just want to stay positive the whole way and hope it doesn't cost you six points when you do make a mistake."

Plainedge nearly paid dearly. On third-and-9 at the 41, Nick Frenger's pass was picked off by Jeremy Leguillow to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Red Devil 49. Hewlett marched upfield, bolstered by four carries by Richard Lyons (45 yards on 11 attempts), to end up at fourth-and-4 on the nine yard line.

The Bulldogs opted not to go to sure-footed Trevor Ellman for the field goal. Instead, Richman's pass was knocked down by Caccavale to turn the ball over on downs. It was yet another big play for the defensive back, who played "like there was nothing wrong," Shaver said.

"We knew coming into this game that this was going to be the most important game of the year," Caccavale said. "And playing in the snow? There's nothing better."