Islip follows Sabbatino's lead to victory
Islip's Quarterback Joe Sabbatino (8) prepares to hand off the ball to Johnny Maher during the Suffolk Division III game played at Islip High School. (Oct. 14, 2011) Credit: Alan J Schaefer
It's known, simply, as a follow play, and it's designed for Islip quarterback Joe Sabbatino to take the snap from center, drop back a step and then follow his fullback through the hole. But really, the Buccaneers followed Sabbatino all night.
Sabbatino scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:09 left, ran for 102 yards, set up a touchdown with a second-quarter fumble recovery and willed host Islip to a hard-fought 27-20 victory over Westhampton Friday night in a key Suffolk III game that left both teams at 4-2.
"He's the leader of this team. He just took over in the huddle,'' Islip coach Jamie Lynch said. "He grew up at quarterback tonight. We've been working hard on the option all season.''
With the option to pitch or hand off to explosive Johnny Maher (162 yards and one TD on 22 carries), Sabbatino's work on making the right reads paid off.
"It's Week 6. I've got to get it right by now,'' Sabbatino said. "It's mostly about knowing when to pitch. When Johnny gets going, it's hard to stop us both.''
Westhampton couldn't do that, but the Hurricanes were a force on offense. They forged a 20-all tie with 3:36 remaining with a 61-yard scoring drive that featured a spectacular catch by Brendon Eckart, who ripped the ball away from a defender as both players tumbled to the ground. That 30-yard gain kept the drive going and led to Dan Gomez's 7-yard touchdown run. Gomez's kick tied the score.
But the Buccaneers had plenty of time to untie it. "Was I confident? Absolutely. You're not going into the huddle not being confident,'' Sabbatino said. His bravado was evident on the first play of the 80-yard winning drive -- a follow play. He cut through the middle and broke to the outside, made a couple of nifty moves and nearly went the distance. But he slipped on the wet grass after a 45-yard gain.
Maher then took over, carrying four straight times, twice for gains of 15, and bringing the ball to the 1. Sabbatino's first sneak failed, but after a Westhampton timeout, the Bucs went back to the "follow play.'' Fullback Jacob Freudenberg hit the hole first, with Sabbatino right on his back. The pile moved just enough.
"Sabb and Maher,'' Lynch said. "That's a nice 1-2 punch.''
