Ulip catches winning pass for East Rockaway
Nick Ulip of East Rockaway catches the winning touchdown with about 10 seconds to go over Stephen Giuliante of Valley Stream North. (Oct. 15, 2011) Credit: Errol Anderson
The third option, No. 33, was the man who got East Rockaway its third win Saturday.
Nick Ulip caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Sean Bohan with 9.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Rocks a 20-14 win at Valley Stream North in Conference IV. Ulip lined up as the left wing, ran a backside post and Bohan hit him in stride in the end zone.
"My heart stopped," Ulip recalled as he saw the ball coming his way. "I'm the third option on the play, but we've run that play many times."
Added Bohan: "I told him in the huddle that the safety moves up, so he should be wide open on the back side."
Bohan had completed just two passes before hitting David McClure for 25 yards the play before the touchdown pass. "I know how to stay composed," the senior said. "Our season was on the line."
East Rockaway is now in the thick of the playoff race at 3-3, while VSN dropped to 4-2 in conference.
The Rocks' defense held a VSN offense that amassed 210 points in its first five games scoreless through three quarters. But then James Capoziello stripped East Rock's Anthony Tesoriero (133 yards, 18 carries). VSN turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession, as Ben Giliberti stopped Valley Stream North's Anthony Martelli at the 1 on a QB keeper. But East Rock was left pinned up against its own end zone and, after going three-and-out, Capoziello returned the punt 27 yards for a score with 8:45 left in the game.
With 1:13 remaining, Evan Henry scored his 17th rushing touchdown of the season, from 3 yards, to cut East Rock's lead to 14-13. The Spartans were set to go for the win with a two-point conversion, but were flagged for a delay of game. Instead, Glenn Carey hit the 25-yard extra point to tie it at 14.
East Rockaway took a 14-0 first quarter lead on touchdown runs by Ulip (2 yards) and Luke Fahrenkrug (5 yards), and a two-point conversion trick play, in which Fahrenkrug hit Ulip with a pass. Fahrenkrug's touchdown was set up by Joey Lores' midair fumble recovery, as Henry was hit and the ball popped up.
Valley Stream North had scored at least 34 points in each game this season, but East Rockaway stopped two VSN drives inside its own territory in the fourth quarter, including Thomas Dolan's pass deflection on a third-and-10 from the 30.
"We knew they were a good football team, so we had to play physical," East Rockaway coach Russ Pajer said. "This was a big game."
On the final drive, Tesoriero started things off with a 13-yard gain, before Bohan's pass to McClure for six yards got East Rockaway to its own 46. After an incompletion, Tesoriero picked up four yards to convert a third-and-4 and put the ball at midfield, where Bohan needed just two completions to score.
Pajer estimated that seven or eight teams could vie for the Conference IV title, which seems justified considering all six of the Rocks' games have been decided by eight points or less. Said Pajer about the postseason: "We just have to get there."
