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Mepham High School

Mepham Defeats Kennedy 14-0 in Season Opener

By, Anthony Cracco

Mepham didn't have far to travel to open their football season. As it turns out, they didn't have to score much either.  Two touchdowns were more than enough as the Pirates topped Kennedy 14-0 in Conference II action on Saturday.
Both squads showed they still have some summer rust to scrape off. The Kennedy offense did very little, while Mepham had to overcome four turnovers to notch the win.

"Always a big game when you come across town to play somebody in your district," Anthony Cracco, Mepham coach, said. "[The win] definitely means a bit more when you take the short bus ride."

The defenses set the tone early, with each team registering stops on fourth down in the opening quarter. Towards the end of the first, Mepham started to move, with wide receiver Dylan Gordon making a pair of catches.
That set up Shane Agostino. The junior took the handoff and ran 25 yards for the score and a 7-0 Pirates lead early in the second.

"It was a reverse to the right, and everybody made their blocks, and I went in," Agostino said.

The score was part of a huge day for Agostino, who totaled 87 yards of offense, to go along with two sacks on defense.  Kennedy would have several chances to get on the board due to Mepham miscues. A fumble gave the home team the ball at Mepham's 22 yard line, and wide receiver Ralph Faiella drew a pass interference call to inch the Cougars closer to the goal line. Mepham lineman Corey Heller sacked Kennedy quarterback Chris Racalbuto to end the drive, and the half.  It was a wild start to the third, when Gordon took the opening kick and was heading for thescore, when Faiella punched the ball free and recovered for Kennedy at their 25. Again, the Cougar offense stalled, and Mepham took over.  The Pirates were driving when an Agostino fumble gave Kennedy the turnover yet again. The Cougars resorted to a fake punt on fourth down, with punter/quarterback Nick Digangi attempting the pass, but it fell incomplete.  Kennedy double back Robert VanNess picked off Berlin on his own 8 yard line for turnover number four, but soon it was time to punt again as the offense couldn't move the ball. In the fourth, Agaostino ran 25 yards deep in Kennedy territory, with a facemask call putting the Pirates closer. Moments later, Kevin Tauriello scored from a yard out to make it 14-0, essentially icing the game with five minutes to go.  In all, Mepham registered seven sacks, and Kennedy coach Nick Martone said the pass protection has to improve if new starter Racalbuto is to succeed behind center.

"It's tough for a junior [quarterback] to take the helm," Martone said. "He took a couple of shots early, they were blitzing pretty hard, we've got to do a better job of picking that up so he can stand tall and find his receivers."

Martone said his club has only had a few weeks to learn a new offense, but is impressed with his players' attitudes as they try and brush off the loss and prepare for Jericho.

"We're happy to see that this group is not settling for playing a close game, they feel we should've been able to do some things a bit better ... they feel like they can play," he said.

As for Mepham, they travel to Carey for another Conference II matchup next Saturday. Their coach knows the performance wasn't perfect, but the result sure was.

"We definitely have to clean some things up, but we came to play, played hard, and I'm proud of their effort." Cracco said.