Quad threat Hutchinson does it all for East Islip
Kevin Hutchinson #23 of the East Islip Redmen runs the ball against Golden Ukonu #70 of the North Babylon Bulldogs. (Oct. 16, 2010) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Kevin Hutchinson already had shown he can run, pass and kick. Saturday, the East Islip senior quarterback became a quadruple threat, adding a key interception in a 7-0 win over host North Babylon.
East Islip (5-1) took over second place in Division II. North Babylon, the top seed to start the season, dropped to 4-2. The Bulldogs had beaten East Islip in 12 of the previous 14 meetings.
Hutchinson already had engineered what turned out to be the only score by throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Moller on East Islip's first possession of the third quarter. Both teams' defenses had been superb, and North Babylon was running out of chances when it took over at its 36 with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left in the game.
North Babylon had not attempted a pass the entire game - nothing startling for this traditionally ground-and-pound offense. East Islip had packed the box with up to 10 defenders during the game and that largely shut down the running game of All-Long Island running back Preshod McCoy and his teammates. But with time running out, the Redmen knew the Bulldogs had to go to the air.
North Babylon decided to throw on first down, and defensive back Hutchinson was ready. "The guy was open; I just came in,'' he said.
Moller, also a defensive back, was on the field as well. "It was just a great play," he said. "It's hard to defend them. All they do is run, run run."
Hutchinson became the hero after a difficult beginning, as he fumbled at North Babylon's 5-yard line during his team's first possession of the game.
"Kevin gets a pass,'' East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi said, "because he has carried us all year."
The all-around play of Hutchinson, who kicked four field goals last week against Riverhead, has helped compensate for the loss of injured running back Frank Artura, who rushed for 1,300 yards last season. Mike White, the Redmen's best offensive lineman, also has been sidelined the last four games.
"I give these kids a lot of credit for the will to win after those injuries,'' Ciampi said.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, a nice run by North Babylon's Matt Sonnenberg helped get the ball to East Islip's 32, the Bulldogs' deepest penetration into Redmen territory. But on fourth-and-4, a pitch to McCoy went for naught when East Islip gang-tackled North Babylon's star back.
East Islip appeared to make it look easy all day, but as Hutchinson said, "It was a difficult task. They have electrifying players."
It would not have been unusual for North Babylon to go most of the season without throwing the ball, and coach Terry Manning made no apologies for that. "This is our tradition," he said of the running game. "This is what we live in. For any offense to work, your kids have to make blocks and you have to be able to move the ball. There is still time. I think we have to win one more game to put us in a good seed."
