Glen Cove outburst falls short in Nassau III showdown with Plainedge
Glen Cove quarterback No. 12 Mike Payton takes a snap during the first quarter of the Nassau Conference III final against Plainedge at Hofstra University on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. Credit: James Escher
In most football games, 515 yards of offense and 34 points means victory. On Saturday it did not.
Glen Cove (8-3) was the underdog against the heavyweight favorite in Plainedge -- counterpunching every hit as long as it could stand up. But Plainedge (11-0) left Shuart Stadium with a 56-34 victory and the Nassau III championship.
"Offensively, we did everything we wanted to do,'' Glen Cove coach Pete Kopecky said. "What did we score, 34 points and we lose? It's incredible. It is what it is.''
Plainedge's Davien Kuinlan turned in about as impressive an offensive performance as you will find in a high school game. He set a Long Island single-game rushing record with 484 yards on 39 carries and tied the Nassau playoff record with seven touchdowns.
But despite the firepower generated by Kuinlan and the Red Devils' offense, Glen Cove refused to give in. After Plainedge took a 7-0 lead, Tim Hogan ran 65 yards on the Big Red's first offensive play to tie it. Hogan (nine carries for 183 yards), also broke an 80-yard scoring run at the end of the first quarter that kept Glen Cove close at 21-14.
"We have so many guys that have been doing it all year long,'' Kopecky said, "and they know if it's not my turn this week it's your turn, and that's the way it's been.
"Last two playoff games, Tim had maybe 30 yards total, tops, and now it was his turn to get it. That's the way these guys have been playing. They've been playing selflessly all year.''
Quarterback Mike Payton (7-for-14 for 145 yards; nine carries for 84 yards) scored Glen Cove's lone second-quarter touchdown on a 1-yard run that capped a nine-play, 69-yard drive to make it 35-20. But Plainedge responded with two more scores and led 49-20 at the half.
In the third quarter, David Bull scored on runs of 25 and 45 yards as Glen Cove cut its deficit to 49-34. That's as close as the Big Red could get.
Glen Cove scored at least 32 points in 10 of 11 games this season. "Couldn't be much better,'' Kopecky said. "Maybe we just ran out of time today.''
