Shamari Kirkpatrick's two TDs help Roosevelt advance to final
Roosevelt's Shamari Kirkpatrick rushes upfield during the first quarter of a Nassau IV semifinal at Hofstra on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014. Credit: James Escher
It wasn't if, it was when.
The Seaford defense did a phenomenal job of keeping Roosevelt scoring machine Shamari Kirkpatrick out of the end zone for three quarters. The touchdown leader in Nassau IV always seemed to be a step away from breaking the big run, but he just couldn't escape the Seaford defense.
But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Kirkpatrick, who said he likes to have a flair for the dramatic, busted loose over the left side and raced 41 yards for a touchdown. He added a 2-yard scoring run later in the fourth quarter to propel Roosevelt past Seaford, 14-6, Saturday night in a Nassau Conference IV semifinal at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium.
"My fullback [David Buell] cleared a path and it was nothing but green to the end zone," Kirkpatrick said of his first score. "My teammates were like, 'Let's go Shamari, we have to score!' So I couldn't let them down."
Kirkpatrick rushed for 159 yards on 26 carries. He has 28 touchdowns and 2,069 yards rushing this season for the Rough Riders (9-1), who will play Mineola in the Nassau IV final at Hofstra on Saturday at 4 p.m.
It was just a matter of time for Kirkpatrick to break one. And no one knew it better than Seaford coach Rob Perpall, who entered Saturday night's semifinal with a brilliant game plan.
His Vikings played time-efficient football as a scoreless first half required only 39 minutes to platy.
Perpall's game plan: Keep the ball away from the explosive Roosevelt offense. Seaford ran 30 plays to Roosevelt's 16 and outgained the Rough Riders 90-69 in the first half.
It was obvious that Perpall was running as much time off the clock as he could and playing keepaway from the Rough Riders, who averaged 38 points per game this year.
Each team had only one possession in the first quarter.
Roosevelt drove to the Seaford 1 before Kirkpatrick was stuffed on a fourth-down run just short of the goal line.
The Rough Riders' second drive ended when defensive back John Schaller knocked down a pass intended for Justin Terry on fourth-and-6 at the Vikings' 30.
"Roosevelt has more than a couple of great players," Perpall said. "I'm very proud of my guys. We were right there."
Seaford methodically pounded the ball down the field behind halfback Patrick Bizzarro, who had 63 yards on 18 carries and helped the Vikings to seven first downs in the first half. But the Vikings' deepest penetration was the Roosevelt 35.
"They just worked the clock and the defense played really well," Roosevelt coach Joe Vito said. "We had to find a way to score. There was no panic at halftime when it was scoreless."
At one point in the game, Seaford (6-4) had converted four of six fourth-down attempts. Seaford avoided the shutout with a hook-and-ladder play from the Roosevelt 18 with 3:09 left in the game to make it 14-6.
The touchdown drive went 59 yards in nine plays, capped by an 18-yard pass from Andrew Cain to Danny Roell, who pitched laterally to Bizzarro, who ran for the score.
Roosevelt's Yusuf Young sacked Cain on the final defensive play to seal the win.
"It's the greatest feeling in the world," said Young, a senior defensive end. "We're going to the title game."
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
