Four Long Island champs knocked off

Hurricane Earl threw a glancing blow at Long Island to start the month, and a bunch of upstarts blew away top contenders this weekend to wrap up the September portion of New York's high school football schedule.

The 2009 champions of Nassau County's three largest classes all lost, as did one of the reigning Suffolk County champs in what was believed to be an unprecedented round of upsets.

It started Friday as Smithtown West defeated Section XI Division II champion North Babylon 12-0 on two defensive touchdowns. The Bulls forced four turnovers and blocked a first-quarter punt while holding North Babylon to 121 yards of offense.

Zack Naja scored both touchdowns. He blocked a punt and brought the ball all the way back from 30 yards out. Then he returned a fumble 54 yards for a score to cap off the scoring moments before halftime.



The following day, Carey (Franklin Square) defeated defending Nassau Division II champ Garden City 26-14 to snap the Trojans' 14-game winning streak. Carey turned loose its wildcat formation as Juliano Bove scored on a 23-yard run and then John Daddino plowed in from 5 yards for a 14-0 advantage.

Lawrence, the Nassau County Division III champion from last fall, suffered a 35-7 loss to Hewlett, which got Sam Martorella scoring runs of 18 and 20 yards in the first quarter. He also threw an 82-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gray.

The free-for-all of the bunch was a 42-39 triumph for Farmingdale over Freeport, the 2009 Section VIII Division I champ. Sal Tuttle scrambled and threw to Pat Starke in the back of the end zone with 35 seconds to go for the deciding points. Tuttle finished the day with 17 carries for 170 yards and also went 12-for-17 for 213 yards and three scores through the air.

The winning drive covering 89 yards in 11 plays beginning with 2 minutes, 52 seconds to go. Tuttle was 5-for-6 for 54 yards on the drive and carried three times for another 26.

"He demonstrated his presence on that last play," Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker told Newsday. "Guys like that seem to know where they are at all times. They seem to operate in a little bubble where they know, 'I'm safe.'"

Freeport had gone ahead on Evan Lapice's 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and then Edwin Sandoval's 29-yard field goal with 6:07 to play. Lapice's dash followed on the heels of Brian Prendergast's 80-yard punt return for a Farmingdale touchdown.



Though not on the same level of a record-setting four sectional champs losing on the same weekend, Newfield's 23-7 victory over East Islip was historic on its own level. The Redmen were 25-0-2 vs. Newfield over the last half century with an outlandish scoring margin of 789-80 according to Newsday's stats.

The frustration came to an end when Shervon Barthelmy scored on runs of 2 yards in the first quarter and 3 yards in the third as Newfield improved to 3-0.

CANISIUS, AQUINAS HEADING FOR A SHOWDOWN
Canisius (Buffalo) quarterback Travis Eman threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as the Crusaders rallied past Cathedral Prep (Erie, Pa.) 30-20.

Eman carried 13 times for 154 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. He was 8-for-14 for 151 yards through the air with two scoring throws going to Theodore Russell (five catches, 89 yards). Additionally, junior Mercer Timmis ran 23 times for 143 yards.

Erie Prep had been on a nine-game winning streak against New York teams since losing in 2002 and the Ramblers, a traditional western Pennsylvania power, dropped to 2-2 for the season. Erie Prep beat Canisius 55-20 a year ago.

The victory is sure to stir up debate in the Buffalo area over the area's best team, with many observers already split between Canisius and two-time defending New York State Public High School Athletic Class A champ Sweet Home.



Canisius has a CHSAA Monsignor Martin Association game against St. Joseph's this week, then hosts Aquinas Institute (Rochester) the following weekend.

Aquinas is a four-time state champion that has lost to Sweet Home in the NYSPHSAA quarterfinals two years in a row. Given the fact that Section VI public schools regard CHSAA as a four-letter word, Canisius and Sweet Home will never get to settle the issue of supremacy on the field. So Aquinas could end up being a proxy on the issue, particularly if the Little Irish and Sweet Home face off again in the state quarterfinals in early November.

Speaking of Aquinas, the Irish pounded McQuaid 49-10 in the 49th edition of Section V's best large-school rivalry. Though Mike Messina was his usual self at tailback with 14 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, Aquinas threw a curve at the Knights in the form of fullback Tim Young. The senior saw plenty of early duty, carrying nine times for 64 yards and two scores to build a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE TO WIN
There were a couple of classic overtime games in Week 4, with Cazenovia's 50-44 victory over Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in a matchup of state-ranked Class B teams sure to be remembered for years to come.

"It was probably the most dramatic win we've had during my career here," 21-year Cazenovia coach Tom Neidl told The Post-Standard. "We've played in bigger playoff games with higher stakes, obviously, but the intensity that the kids on both teams played with today was unbelievable."

Senior tight end Ben Romagnoli caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Hopsicker in the second overtime to earn the win.



V-V-S had gone ahead 36-27 on halfback Collin Way's 1-yard run in the third quarter, then Cazenovia junior Doyle Judge had a career sequence: A 44-yard touchdown reception, a 34-yard field goal and a 35-yard interception return for another score.

Way's scoring run and a two-point conversion by V-V-S tied the score at 44 with 2:54 to play. Cazenovia kicker Nick Christakos hit an upright with a field-goal attempt in the first overtime. Winning quarterback Jeff Hopsicker finished 9-for-17 for 249 yards and four touchdowns, and Johnny Greacen rushed 30 times for 174 yards.

In Section VI, Sherman fought off Panama 39-36 on Cory Card's 26-yard touchdown catch from Chris Persons in the second overtime. Persons ran for 192 yards on 30 carries and also threw five touchdowns.

A DOZEN DANDY EFFORTS
* If not for all the upsets, Derelle Hunter would have been the star of weekend action on Long Island. The senior tailback rushed 24 times for 345 yards for St. John the Baptist (West Islip) in a 25-20 win over Cardinal Spellman. His four touchdowns included an 88-yard kickoff return on the first play of the fourth quarter to launch a rally from a 20-6 deficit, and he also forced a fumble in the victory.

* Tayon Hall worked long and hard as West Hempstead snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 20-7 win over Great Neck North. Hall ran for touchdowns of 60 and 56 yards in the first quarter and scored on a reception covering 68 yards in the fourth. He finished with 15 carries for 126 yards and two catches for 74 more. He topped it off with an interception and a fumble recovery.

* Kenmore West (Buffalo) outgunned Williamsville North 54-22 behind Martin Bailey's 215 rushing yards and five TDs. Bailey also returned a punt 69 yards to the 1-yard-line.



* Liberty Eddie Soto ran for five scores and returned a punt 60 yards for another as Liberty cruised past Riverside 54-0.

* Chaynce Pelio completed 8 of 9 attempts for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead Washingtonville past Pine Bush 48-6 for its first win of the season.

* Senior fullback Donald Davis rushed 29 times for 278 yards and also intercepted a pair of passes as Nyack (Upper Nyack) defeated Rye 28-7 in a Section I clash between state-ranked teams. Nyack was coming off a short week, having downed Eastchester 41-27 on Sunday as Davis went for 27 carries and 159 yards.

* Sophomore Tyler Rouse broke loose for 278 yards on 26 carries and scored five touchdowns as Baker (Baldwinsville) walloped Syracuse Nottingham 56-14. The Bees piled up 446 yards on the ground and did not attempt a pass.

* Rush-Henrietta (Henrietta) all-state quarterback Ashton Broyld led the way in a 52-20 rout of Brockport with 12 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 10 of 13 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns — two to Devon Maio.

* Mark Simmons of Churchville-Chili rushed 20 times for 305 yards and three touchdowns to beat Rochester Edison 43-14. For the second straight game he scored on the first play from scrimmage, this time from 66 yards out.



* Highland running back Mike Forte amassed six touchdowns and 385 all-purpose yards in a 59-14 win over Onteora. His portfolio included an 89-yard interception return and a 63-yard punt return, both for scores.

* Senior Brandon Burnham rolled to 319 yards on 16 carries as Mexico beat Fulton 56-21. Burnham's total included scoring runs of 74, 75 and 80 yards.

* Chatham's Josh Keyes rushed 15 times for 302 yards and five touchdowns to thwart Voorheesville 42-13.

John Schiano, who has written about high school sports in western and central New York for more than 25 years, covers New York for MaxPreps. He may be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com.