Dalton Crossan's 4 TDs lead Sachem North
Sachem North's Dalton Crossan gains yardage and is about to be tackled by Longwood's Kavaughn Wiggins. (Oct. 1, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Dalton Crossan burst through the Longwood defense and bolted down the home sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. It was his fourth TD in 14 carries and with only 1:35 remaining, sealed Sachem North's 35-27 victory over Longwood in a pivotal Suffolk Division I game Saturday night.
Crossan sprinted through the end zone and as his teammates lined up for the final extra point, he made his way back to the 30-yard line to see how his brother Trent, who was injured and forced out of the game in the third quarter, was doing.
Dalton threw his arm around his little brother and shared a private conversation as their father, Michael, watched from the sideline.
"That just completely tears me up," Michael Crossan said. "They are so close and I can see Dalton's concern for his brother."
Trent Crossan, the junior starting quarterback, stood with the aid of crutches and his right knee in an immobilizer after a freak third-quarter injury. The extent of the injury will not be known until further tests Monday.
For Dalton Crossan, this would be a night when he put the Flaming Arrows on his back and led them to victory. He scored on runs of 54, 20, 5 and 56 yards and totaled 157 yards rushing. He also blocked an extra point, recovered an onside kick, returned a punt 43 yards and made nine tackles. That's doing it all.
"I heard they would shut me down," Dalton Crossan said. "It motivated me."
The Longwood defense made a loud statement when they shut down Floyd's star halfback Stacey Bedell two weeks ago. But they were no match for the speed and power of Dalton Crossan, who came into the game with 11 touchdowns in his first three games.
"Is he something or what?" Sachem North coach Dave Falco said. "He's dynamite. And I thought our O-line did a great job getting him some room to run."
The line, led by guard Jacob Starling, tackle Vincent Juliano and junior fullback Tyler Andreassi, cleared the way for Crossan.
Longwood (3-1) opened the scoring when Davante Booker burst down the middle of the field for a 30-yard touchdown with 1:54 left in the first quarter. Paul Aponta added the kick for the 7-0 Lions lead. Sachem North (4-0) responded on the ensuing drive as the Flaming Arrows marched 80 yards in eight plays, capped by the first of Crossan's touchdowns. On a third-and-4 play, Crossan took a pitch right and bolted around two defenders for a 54-yard touchdown run. Bryan Morris added the kick to tie the score at 7.
After a short Longwood punt, Crossan found the end zone again. This time, he took another well-timed pitch from Trent Crossan and rumbled 20 yards for the score and a 14-7 lead at the half.
On Sachem's first possession of the third quarter, the Flaming Arrows drove 64 yards in 11 plays before Crossan went around left end and outran the secondary to the pylon for the 21-7 lead. The scoring march came at a hefty price as Trent Crossan was forced from the game with the injury.
Sophomore Mike O'Donnell came on at quarterback and engineered two touchdown drives.
"He was as cool as a cucumber," Falco said. "He did a great job."
The teams traded late fourth-quarter scores before Crossan punctuated his night with a blocked extra point and a recovery on the ensuing onside kick.
This one was very personal for Crossan and he made a loud statement.
