The Flaming Arrows are on the rise. And the
Sachem North players say they will continue to
climb. "We have something to prove," said senior
tailback Davon Lawrence.
Producing one of the best comebacks so far for
2009 Nassau and Suffolk County teams, the Flaming
Arrows scored all their points in the second half
last Friday night and surged to a 25-21 victory over
winless Longwood.
"We learned we have pride and a lot of heart,"
said junior quarterback Angelo Armine, who made his
second varsity start. "I feel very excited. In the
second half, we picked it up; a big team effort.
Awesome. "We are 3-0 and we are not done yet."
Sachem North and Northport (3-0) are the only two
undefeated teams remaining among the 12 football
teams in Suffolk Division I, and they share first
place in the standings.
"This is our first three-game winning streak
since the split (to two Sachem high school teams six
years ago)," said Coach David Falco.
The Flaming Arrows, who moved up to No. 4 in the
new LI BLITZ,COM
Conference 1 poll, beat Longwood for the
first time in five varsity meetings. Falco's team
owns the best start in the program's six-year
varsity history.
Armine began the second-half comeback with a
four-yard touchdown run. He scored after junior
lineman Joe Kirchner recovered a Longwood fumble.
The speedy Lawrence, who is gaining more
attention from college recruiters, showcased his
breakaway speed with a 60-yard TD burst.
Junior fullback Michael Andreassi reduced
Longwood's lead to 21-19, a two-yard TD carry with
6:31 remaining.
The Lions (0-3) were stopped on their next
possession and forced to punt.
The Flaming Arrows then moved quickly, and
Lawrence raced for the game-wining touchdown, a
43-yard sprint, with 2:36 on the clock. "We knew we
could (come back)," said Jesse Scanna. "We came out
strong in the second half. We believe in ourselves.
(The coach) said he believed in us."
Lawrence, who has scored seven touchdowns in the
first thee games, said he and his teammates shared a
halftime talk to ignite their determination. "We
talked it over and we came out stronger,"
said Lawrence. "Our defense picked it up and got a
lot of big stops."
Center Tim Lang, guards Ryan Sampson and Kirchner
and tackles James Thompson and Andrew Mellina
sparked effective blocking which led to more than
200 yards rushing.
Lawrence finished with 151 yards on 14 carries.
He increased his season rushing total to 493 yards
on 45 carries.
Longwood, on its home field, dominated the first
half and built a 21-0 lead. On the Lions'
first play, Anthony Bullock flashed his speed with
an 80-yard TD burst. Sachem North was shorthanded as
the visitors had only 10 defenders on the field.
In the second half, however, the Lions' offense
was stopped: three punts, lost a fumble and turned
the ball over on downs. A game-changing play came
with 7:17 left in the third quarter, and Armine gave
his team a big boost.
After a holding penalty, the Flaming Arrows faced
a third-down-and-22-yards to go at the Longwood 45.
Armine proved elusive as he scrambled and sprinted
for a 37-yard gain.
"I dropped back and I didn't see anybody open,"
said Armine, who also had a fumble recovery and
interception in the second half. "I saw a lane and
the fullback (Andreassi) was blocking for me. I ran
like the wind. I didn't want to go down and I kept
on going."
Two plays later, Andreassi powered into the end
zone. Scanna said the Flaming Arrows are gaining
more confidence in what their group can accomplish.
"This (third victory in a row) showed we can do
anything we want if we stick together and give it
all we've got," said Scanna.
Falco said his team recovered from a first-half
lull. "The Longwood players were ready to play and
came out extremely hard and, I think, we had a
little bit of a lull after (dominating) Sachem East
(33-7 on Sept. 17)," said Falco. "It was kind of a
trap game.
"I think we came out flat. I have talked to the
kids about that. . . . The emotions of the first two
weeks were high."
The Flaming Arrows, who were No. 7 in the
preseason ratings for Suffolk Division I, enjoyed
their first two games, including a 17-14 victory
over top-rated William Floyd in the opener on Sept.
11.
Sachem North returns to action with a home game
Saturday afternoon, hosting Ward Melville (1-2).
Falco said of 33 players on the varsity roster 17
are contributing both ways.
