Ryan McGloin's interception on 8-yard line with 29 seconds left leads Cold Spring Harbor
Ryan McGloin runs it for Cold Spring Harbor. He sealed the game with an interception with 29 seconds left on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Once Ryan McGloin popped up off the ground with the ball in his hands, Cold Spring Harbor’s sideline erupted, knowing they had just made a statement.
McGloin twisted and turned before making a diving interception on the Seahawks’ 8-yard line with 29 seconds left. In its season opener, Cold Spring Harbor defeated reigning two-time Nassau Conference IV football champion North Shore, 14-12, at Port Washington on Saturday.
FINAL: CSH 14, North Shore 12
— Matt Lindsay (@MattLinds19) September 9, 2023
Ryan McGloin with the game-sealing interception with 29 seconds left. CSH knocks off the defending county champs. https://t.co/EB4k1gxNXh pic.twitter.com/b07ZxvYvJB
“Their quarterback rolled out, looking like he was going to run. I had an ‘Oh no!’ moment because I saw him pull his arm back to throw,” McGloin said. “I just tried to track it down and make sure their guy didn’t catch it. If I can catch, that’s great.”
Before making the game-deciding catch, McGloin made a 39-yard reception to get the Seahawks back into the game. Quarterback Sam Bruno rolled to his left and found McGloin on the sideline to convert on third-and-8 and set the Seahawks up inside the 10-yard line.
“I saw McGloin’s guy come towards me thinking I was going to run it, so I just dumped it to him and he had a nice run down the sideline,” Bruno said.
After a 39-yard completion to Ryan McGloin on 3rd & 8, Sam Bruno keeps it for a 9-yard score. Ben Stark adds the PAT and its now North Shore 12, CSH 7 with 7:51 left. pic.twitter.com/GL4so1mpWZ
— Matt Lindsay (@MattLinds19) September 9, 2023
“That was really a jumpstart for our offense to show what we can do,” McGloin added. “We came together after that.”
The following play, Bruno took a keeper up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown to cut North Shore’s lead to 12-7 with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter.
Cold Spring Harbor forced a quick punt on North Shore’s ensuing drive, which was returned by McGloin 25 yards to the Vikings’ 25-yard line.
The Seahawks faced a third-and-3, but Bruno took another keeper and broke through the line for a 15-yard run to the 3-yard line.
“Reagan Reilly is our center and he always picks a side for me and drives his guy down. Having a big guy in front of me like him makes those plays so much easier,” Bruno said.
Three plays later, Alex Bauer punched in a 1-yard touchdown and Ben Stark nailed the PAT to put the Seahawks up two points with 2:46 remaining.
Alex Bauer punches it in from a yard away and just like that, CSH leads 14-12 with 3:48 left. pic.twitter.com/S7JNbG0UBq
— Matt Lindsay (@MattLinds19) September 9, 2023
It’s a huge win for Cold Spring Harbor, which finished 2-7 last season.
“Any time you beat a team like North Shore, it’s a great win,” coach Jon Mendreski said. “But at the same time, it’s just Game 1.”
Garret Gates helped North Shore to a 6-0 lead with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Matteo Porres in the second quarter. When Gates missed a few drives with an injury in the third quarter, John Haff stepped in and rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 12-0 lead entering the fourth.
16-yard TD pass from Garret Gates to Matteo Porres gives North Shore a 6-0 lead with 4 minutes left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/agF7XNnmxO
— Matt Lindsay (@MattLinds19) September 9, 2023
Before the winning interception, North Shore flew down the field. The Vikings converted on fourth-and-10 with a 26-yard catch-and-run by James Toner. After a 29-yard run by Gates and a 10-yard reception by Sawyer DeSeve, it looked like the Vikings would find a way into the end zone.
McGloin had other plans.
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
