Ward Melville a big surprise in Division I
Ward Melville's quarterback runs with the ball against Sayville during the Bay Shore football multi-team scrimmage. (Aug. 29, 2012) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When was the last time Ward Melville was atop the Suffolk Division I football standings three weeks into the season? You'd have to go all the way back to the 1977 season, when All-County halfback Steve Delligatti was finding the end zone. The Patriots are 3-0 after a 42-18 win over winless Central Islip and look to continue that success against Commack next week.
Ward Melville isn't the only surprise in Division I. How about Connetquot, which went 1-7 a year ago? The Thunderbirds are 3-0, including a win over Floyd, the defending Long Island Class I champions who demolished fifth-seeded Longwood, 27-0.
These are just a couple of the surprises that caught our eye this week.
Two quarterbacks is a good problem
Bay Shore coach Jim Giattino gladly will go with whatever combination works. Bay Shore is blessed with two outstanding quarterbacks and that's a good problem.
First, a rewind, to junior lefthander Ryan Mazzie, who scorched the Sachem North defense for a school-record six touchdown passes in an epic overtime loss last week. Mazzie, who replaced starter Jake Sheets, shredded the Sachem North defense for six scores and did his damage in a little more than a half of play. He had one scoring pass on the final play of regulation and another in the first overtime to forge a 62-55 lead.
Sachem North summoned all of its resilience to stave off defeat and came back for a 63-62 win on the legs of Trent Crossan, who scored a school-record eight touchdowns.
Now we fast forward to this week as Bay Shore rebounded from two heartbreaking defeats and got its first win. This time, Sheets came on in relief of Mazzie and directed five touchdown drives, including a 51-yard touchdown strike to McKinley Skinner in the second quarter.
Can there be a better quarterbacking tandem in the tri-state?
Class act
It was a given that St. Anthony's classy coach Rich Reichert would win his 212th game, breaking the Suffolk wins mark set by Bellport's Joe Cipp Jr. After two tough losses, Reichert got the milestone in a 28-0 win over Holy Cross. "I've spent half my lifetime at St. Anthony's," said an emotional Reichert. "It's about the black and gold."
Reichert received congratulations from everywhere, including a note from Cipp Jr., and was presented the game ball by school principal Brother Gary Cregan.
Capobianco airs it out
The Fredericks brothers, Jordan and Tyler, are exciting. And who's better than Lawrence's three-sport star Eddie Robinson. But the guy that makes that Lawrence offense special is Joe Capobianco. He was unstoppable again this week throwing for three scores and catching a 30-yard TD pass from Robinson in a 34-13 win over Bethpage.
