Tuttle, Farmingdale rumbles to win over Syosset
Farmingdale quarterback Sal Tuttle (11) drops back to pass during the first half against Syosett. (Oct. 22, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Call it stubbornness, call it confidence, but at one point during Farmingdale's 34-6 Nassau Conference I win over Syosset, Dalers quarterback Sal Tuttle broke out his very best impression of the Little Engine That Could.
With all respect to Tuttle, who at more than 6-foot can hardly be called little, the opening seconds of the second quarter could be classified as nothing less than an exercise in perseverance. Take, for instance, the first play - a handoff to Brian Prendergast, who was promptly tackled in the backfield - or the next two: high-flying, 20-yard-plus pass attempts, both incomplete.
But if the scoreless first quarter or those first three tries in the second were the struggle uphill, the next play was the much-anticipated chug over the bend.
Tuttle's 23-yard pass to Prendergast on the streak converted a dicey fourth-and-16 situation to put Farmingdale (5-2) on the Braves' 4-yard line. The next play, Kevin Wahl's scoring run around right end, made it 7-0 with 9:28 left in the half.
It was all downhill for the Braves after that.
Tuttle's screen pass to Pat Starke on second-and-15 was good for a 21-yard TD with 2:22 left in the half. Vinny Schultz's interception gave the Dalers the ball back on their own 35 with about a minute to go - just enough time for another stop on the Tuttle Express.
"I thought he played great, he made a lot of good reads, he was reading the routes and moving the ball down the field," Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker said of his quarterback.
Tuttle had a hand in the next nine plays - including a quarterback draw for a first down on the Syosset 43, and, later, a 7-yard keeper for another first down, this time on the 8-yard line. His pass to Starke on a dig route was good for an 8-yard touchdown with 8.6 seconds left in the half. Tuttle was 6-for-7 in the 65-yard, nine-play drive.
"The yards after catches were amazing today," Krumenacker said. "[Prendergast] was a little electric today. It was tough to bring him down."
The Dalers built a 19-0 halftime lead and tacked on 15 more in the third quarter on Wahl's 1-yard scoring run and Tuttle's screen pass to Schultz, who took it home for a 24-yard score. Wahl, less ''little engine,'' more freight train, now has 16 touchdowns this season.
The Braves got on the board with 6:28 left in the game after Daniel Ventricelli's pass on fourth-and-goal found Mohammed Kassamali in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown.
The Braves (3-4) are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Dalers completed their second straight 30-plus point performance and, with the win, moved into third place in the conference, pending power ratings.
It's enough, at least this late in the season, to say that Farmingdale will be here to stay come the playoffs.
"We've been a confident team all year, we were the one-seed coming in and I think we're living up to that," Krumenacker said.
After all, a performance like Friday night's sends one message: The Dalers think they can.
