Floyd holds off Skon, Lindenhurst in the mud
Lindenhurst quarterback Steve Skon (10) with the completion to the sideline in the first half. (Oct. 1, 2010) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
The scene was eerily familiar to Floyd defensive tackle Anthony Tavarone. His Colonials were clinging to a lead on a muddy field against Lindenhurst, just as they had been in the 2008 playoffs. And again, strong-armed Bulldogs quarterback Steve Skon had the ball in his hands.
"I had that same feeling in my gut," said Tavarone, one of the few Floyd players who were part of the loss that year that ended a Long Island-record 42-game winning streak. "It was nerve-wracking."
This time, though, host Floyd (4-0) held on for a 12-7 victory before a hardy crowd of more than 2,500 fans.
"The conditions were terrible, but we pushed through," said halfback-linebacker Luke Miller, who along with Tavarone and others was part of a gritty defense that held Skon to modest totals - 9-for-17 for 95 yards and no touchdowns.
"He's a great quarterback and I have total respect for him," said Tavarone, who managed one sack and led a steady stream of pocket pressure.
Skon and the Bulldogs had possession at their 8-yard line with 6:08 left and the score 12-7, as it had been since 3:10 remained in the first half. Skon completed a 12-yard screen pass for a first down, ran a quarterback draw for 15 yards and connected on another screen for 14 yards to the Lindenhurst 48.
Then Floyd's defense dug in - quite literally. "That first step was so hard to get off the ball. We were slipping everywhere," Tavarone said. But so were receivers. And the ball was wet, resulting in numerous errant snaps by both teams. One of those poor snaps forced Skon to retreat and he was sacked by Miller, forcing Lindenhurst to turn the ball over on downs.
"I fed off the crowd," said Miller, who was the leading rusher with 80 yards on 14 carries and scored the game's first touchdown on an 11-yard run. A.J. Otranto tossed a 5-yard TD pass to Nick Brass to make it 12-0, but Lindy answered with a 21-yard TD run by Colton Haupt on a draw.
Lindenhurst (2-2) held Stacey Bedell to 53 yards on 16 carries, but Miller and Patrick Hansen (61 yards in the first half) allowed the Colonials to control time of possession.
"Stacey likes to cut, and it was hard to do that tonight," Miller said. "I'm more of a straight-ahead runner. I'm better in the mud."
