Looking to bounce back after losing to East Meadow on opening day, the Manhasset football team was absolutely dominant on Homecoming Saturday against Bellmore JFK. Led by captains Lucas Cole, Tim Barrett, Marc Psyllos, Stefano Troia and Dylan Shelley, the offense was on fire and the defense was resilient.
The Cougar offense started with the ball but the tough Manhasset defense forced them to punt after they failed to convert on a third down. The Manhasset offense got off to a great start resulting in a 24-yard touchdown run by Aidan Mulholland and Manhasset was on the board, up 7-0. The Indians’ defense once again halted the Cougars, giving the Indians great field position. A first down by quarterback Tim Barrett, followed by Mulholland’s carry, put the team on the 1-yard line, first and goal. Barrett scored to give the Indians a 14-0 lead with more than 7 minutes left in the first quarter. Bellmore was able to follow up with a touchdown, but the score stood at 14-6 after Aidan Cole blocked the point after attempt.
Ahmad Crowell responded to the Cougar’s touchdown with his own, a 59-yard run making the score 21-6. The defense, fueled by the success of the offense, put up another great stop forcing the visitors to punt, and on the return, sophomore Joey Terenzi ran 45 yards for another touchdown, increasing the lead 28-6. The defense was outstanding in the busy first quarter, with tackles for the Cole brothers, Psyllos, Blaze Conlan, Will Casey, Erik Shefcik and Michael Attard.
The second quarter was also a busy one for the Manhasset offense. After a stop by the defense, the Indians made their drive towards the end zone once again. A first down by Terenzi, followed by a pass to Crowell, put the team in scoring position. Barrett scored his second touchdown of the game with a quarterback keeper and the score stood at 35-6. Manhasset got the ball back after Bellmore was stopped again following a tackle by Troia and an incomplete pass caused by Shefcik.
When Manhasset was forced to punt late in the second quarter, a high snap was recovered by Mulholland who ran for a first down. This eventually led to Crowell scoring another touchdown. The score was 42-6 at halftime.
Terenzi opened the third quarter with a bang, running for 34 yards and putting the Indians deep in Cougar territory. Manhasset got a first down off a Cougar penalty, and Barrett made a 25-yard pass to the unstoppable Crowell for a touchdown, the score was 49-6.
Junior Rory Connor was put in at quarterback for the rest of the game and put together successful runs with Marco Motroni and Sam Kline.
The final score was 49-6. Papadakos was perfect hitting all seven extra point attempts, and Crowell, Mulholland, Terenzi and Barrett combined for over 300 yards of offense and 7 touchdowns.
