Taste of victory was sweet for Freeport
Freeport Red Devils wide receiver Jere Brown runs with the ball during a kick off return for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Oceanside Saylors. (Oct. 30, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
MoonPies are nearly as delicious as the taste of victory.
The graham cracker cookie filled with marshmallow is a treat befitting the two-time Long Island Class I champions and 2010 Rutgers Cup winners. But only if you're in the club.
Terrell Brown, Derek Merritt and Robert Morales, the original MoonPie guild, got the snack from their forensics teacher, Ms. Ashley, after class one day. And, well, let Brown explain their effect on the team: "They gave us this superpower, this mojo as [Ashley] calls it," he said. "Nothing against [coach Russ] Cellan, but the MoonPies did something he couldn't."
So the Red Devils linemen would eat their MoonPies after class the day before games, then clink them together and take a picture. The three boys were very protective of their club, but Brown, the winner of the Martone Award as the best lineman in Nassau, said Ashley probably flipped Isaiah Barnes a MoonPie after the L.I. Championships.
The junior quarterback scored an LIC-record six touchdowns, all rushing, and threw for another as Freeport earned a 62-35 win over Floyd at Hofstra. Freeport's 62 points were a championship-game record, as were the 97 total points.
"Every team is different. Last year, we counted on pretty much one guy, but we didn't have any Kevin Allens," Cellan said of last year's Thorp Award finalist. "[Barnes] had a great game, but he had a lot of help. That line moved some people. That being said, Isaiah was a one-man wrecking crew, and that wasn't the plan."
The usual plan for Freeport this season was to pound the ball with running back Dan Olivier, get speedsters Maurice Irby, Jere Brown and Evan Lapice out in space, sprinkle in some runs with Barnes and hit Jeff Williams on some passes. Needless to say, Freeport has plenty of weapons.
The Red Devils utilized them to near-perfection - a 42-39 Week 3 stumble against Farmingdale was their only loss - but don't tell that to a perfectionist like Cellan. When the coach was asked on MSG Varsity how impressive Barnes' seven-touchdown performance was, he said: "He had eight if you count the one to Floyd."
Yes, Barnes did throw an interception for a TD, and Freeport actually trailed 14-0 early in the game. But the Red Devils stormed back with a season-high 62 points, which gave them 511 for the season. That's also an L.I. record, though to be fair, Bethpage's 2002 team and St. Anthony's 2003 squad scored 500 in only 11 games.
"It's pretty incredible," Cellan said. "I've learned you just don't doubt kids, because you just never know what they're capable of."
This team was capable of scoring 41 points in five straight games, including arguably the best game on L.I. this year - a 41-38 OT win over then-undefeated Oceanside. It also avenged the Farmingdale loss by stopping Sal Tuttle a yard short on fourth down to earn a third straight Conference I title.
Was it all the MoonPies?
Said Brown: "They're the most amazing thing in the world. I would trade in favorite pen or pencil, no, my favorite car, for a box of those MoonPies. Can't go wrong with them."
