BY JIM FURLONG

 

Mastic, NY - A ninth-grade quarterback threw two touchdown passes for Willaim Floyd. A.J. Otranto helped produce points last Sunday and his perfomance may indicate a bright future. The Colonials are gaining momentum, and now have two agile, speedy quarterbacks, to lead their offense.

All the Floyd seniors enjoyed a Homecoming success in Mastic Beach. Facing their biggest rival, the Longwood Lions, the Colonials surged for 22 points in the second quarter and claimed a 29-15 victory

Darryl Moore, the versatile senior who starts at quarterback and cornerback, combined with the 14-year-old Otranto to throw three touchdown passes.

For the second time this season, Moore threw a TD pass and made an interception in the same game. He picked off two Longwood passes. Senior wide receiver Rick Stoner scored two TDs for Floyd. "We (the seniors) are happy," said Moore. "This is our last Homecoming; our last chance to play Longwood. We knew we wanted to come out and dominate."

The Colonials have won 10 of the last 11 games against Longwood, which dropped to 0-4 this season. The victory also gave Floyd an overall 64-4 record the last seven seasons. Coach Paul Longo's 2009 team improved to 3-1 and shares third place in the 12-team Suffolk Division 1 standings with Brentwood. Sachem North and Northport are both 4-0 atop Division 1 at the halfway point of the regular-season schedule.

The 5-11, 155-pound Otranto entered the Longwood game early in the second quarter, with the Colonials trailing 8-0, and quickly turned a profit. "That's the first time he was in there (at QB) with the game on the line," said Longo.

With his second varsity pass, Otranto connected with senior wide receiver Jon Romeo for a 35-yard gain to the Lions' five-yard line. On the next snap, the ninth grader threw a TD pass to Stoner. Otranto also completed a two-point pass. "I was a little nervous (before the opening kickoff)," said Otranto. "This was our Homecoming, but once I got in their the (offensive) line gave me good protection and the nervousness went away. Just to stay calm, stay poised in the pocket. And the line protected me."

After Longwood went ahead 15-8, the Colonials responded with Luke Miller's five-yard TD run. Joe Miranda, who boomed his punts, kicked the extra point for a 15-15 tie with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter.

Longwood, which gave a strong effort, then made a costly mistake. Miranda launched a long, high punt, which the Lions muffed at their 17-yard line, and Stoner recovered the loose ball. With 1:16 left before halftime, Otranto passed 17 yards to Romeo in the right corner of the end zone.

"Everyone wanted to come out hard," said Romeo, who will remember his first varsity TD reception. "We wanted to beat (the Lions). They are the cross-town rival (only eight miles north)."

Longo said he decided last week to use a quarterback rotation.

"My plan right now is to have Darryl do two series and then A.J. for one," said the coach. "We need to give Darryl a little rest since he's also playing defense."

The Moore to Stoner combination gave William Floyd a two-TD advantage early in the third quarter. Moving from his team's 13-yard line, Moore directed a 87-yar drive. The biggest gainer came when Moore scrambled to elude the Longwood pass rush, rolled to his left and fired a 48-yard completion to Stoner, who moved to the Lions' six-yard line.On the next play, Moore tossed a quick pass to the left side. Stoner grabbed the football, cut back into the middle and made a sharp left turn to dart into the end zone.

After that, the aggressive William Floyd defenders stopped Longwood, which did not score on it last six possessions. Senior linebacker Kevin Lacey, who is rugged and aggressive, made a team-high 10 tackles on the soggy, muddy field. Senior lineman Kevin Hauter, who has sparkled in the last three games, made two sacks, and looks like a definite candidate for All-County honors.

"(Hauter) was fired up," said senior Nick Astore. "He picks us up. He always goes out and his all. He's tough, strong and he won't back down."

The Floyd seniors went home knowing they have never lost a varsity game against Longwood. "This is a big rivalry, no matter the (team) records," said Astore, a tenacious running back-kick returner. "We knew it would be a dogfight. From the beginning, we did not take it easy. They are tough. It was a big game for us and a big game for them."

Besides Lacey, Moore and Hauter (who plans to play college football for Stony Brook) several other  defenders contributed to containing Longwood.  Ivy France, Matt Allen and Andrew Incantalupo made plays on the defensive front. Will Brooks, Rob DeSilva, Jarel Johnson, Stacey Bedell and Nick Sidaras made tackles at linebacker and in the secondary.

The Colonials return to action Friday night at Sachem East (1-3).

The seniors aim to keep winning as they approach the November county playoffs. "We are here to play," said Romeo. "We want to get back to the Long Island championship. That is our goal."

Longo, who directed William Floyd to the 2005-06-07 Long Island Class 1 titles, said Division 1 is more competitive this season: "This league is brutal," Longo said. "This year there are eight or nine teams that could beat each other."

Longo does not want his players to forget their season opener when Sachem North, the No. 7 seed in the preseason Division 1 ratings, beat top-seeded Floyd 17-14 in Mastic Beach. "Our guys took motivation from that," said Longo. "The kids know, if we don't come out with our A game, we could lpse."

William Floyd, as usual, leads all Suffolk Division 1 teams in scoring defense. The Colonials have given up a combined 46 points to their four opponents.