Richardson leads West Babylon in rout
West Babylon High School quarterback #4 Michael Richardson, left, attempts to break a tackle in the first quarter of a Suffolk County Division II varsity football game vs. Riverhead at West Babylon Junior High School. (Oct. 14, 2011) Credit: James Escher
It was the Michael Richardson show Friday night in West Babylon. Only this time, Richardson, playing the leading role, moved from wide receiver to quarterback. With Eagles starting quarterback Clifton Melhado sidelined with a knee injury, Richardson stepped into the signal-caller's role and was brilliant.
Richardson rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another to lead West Babylon (6-0) to a 41-6 pasting of Riverhead (5-1) in a pivotal Suffolk Division II football game. Richardson, who last played quarterback as a freshman, rushed for 93 yards and passed for 101.
"He's an incredibly gifted athlete," West Babylon coach Al Ritacco said. "I wasn't surprised at all by his performance."
Richardson also had two interceptions and eight tackles. The Eagles' defense totaled five takeaways.
"We worked all week to stop their passing game," cornerback Andrew Schweigert said. "The defense just shut them down."
Riverhead came in averaging 41 points but the Blue Waves turned the ball over three times in the first 4:46.
After West Babylon's Scott McDevitt recovered a fumble at Riverhead's 9-yard line, Richardson followed a crushing block from halfback Reggie Robinson on a sweep right for a 9-yard touchdown run. Justin Fitzpatrick's extra point gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 9:50 left in the first quarter.
Richardson later capped a four-play, 76-yard drive with a 55-yard scoring run for a 13-0 lead with 10:46 left in the half.
Riverhead's Ryan Bitzer connected with Reggie Moore for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 2:26 left in the half to pull the Blue Waves within 13-6. It was as close as they would get.
Cornerback Matt Ballone returned an interception 12 yards for a touchdown and West Babylon had a 20-6 lead with 8:59 left in the third quarter. The Eagles reeled off 28 unanswered points in the second half, including a 7-yard shovel pass to Unique Ford for the final touchdown.
