Floyd falls 14-12 to Longwood

Only the sixth loss in last 82 regular-season games for Floyd

 

BY JIM FURLONG

 

Coach Paul Longo said football is a game of "three-thirds."

After the William Floyd Colonials lost 14-12 against the Longwood Lions on Sept. 17, Longo and some assistant coaches sat together reviewing the home field setback.

"Football is three-thirds -- offense, defense and special teams," said Longo. "We only played one third.  Defensively, I think we had a good game. We gave (Longwood) a touchdown. Special teams, we didn't play well. And, offensively, we had a bad game."

As a result, Floyd lost for only the sixth time in its last 82 regular-season games.

The Colonials struggled to move the ball as Longwood's bigger defensive front dominated.  The Lions proved why they were seeded No. 3 among the 14 Suffolk Division I teams in the 2011 preseason.

Darius Greene (275 pounds) and 310-pounder Omari Palmer, who plans to attend Syracuse University, sparked the Lions's strong defense.

"We just didn't play like we should have," said versatile junior Vantrell Nash. "Everyone is upset, but we have to bounce back. We have to go out and play harder than we did."

In his post-game talk, Longo told the players "we made too many mistakes," said two-way lineman Denis Feise.

Only once in 12 possessions did top-seeded Floyd reach the end zone -- a 28-yard TD pass from junior quarterback A.J. Otranto to speedy senior Stacey Bedell with 2:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Before that, the Colonials lost a fumble, had a shanked punt in the third quarter, threw three  interceptions and missed a 26-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. After Bedell's TD, a clipping penalty erased his eye-catching run for a two--point conversion.

Be dell, who rushed for 265 yards in the regular-season opener (a 41-7 home romp over Lindens), was consistently bottled up.

"They were getting good penetration into the backfield," said Bedell. "Their defensive line held up our line and we couldn't get a good push."

 Bedell managed only one run of more than 20 yards and finished with 70 yards on 13 carries.

"We made sure he didn't get outside," said Longwood safety Dave Bennett, who made two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Toronto, sometimes facing a big pass rush, scrambled often and his passing was erratic. He completed six for 23 throws for 80 yards.

"That is the biggest (defensive) line we will see all year," said Otranto. "There were times I got pressure and at times I made bad throws."

After the clipping penalty wiped out the possible tying points, the Colonials had a last chance with the ball at their 40-yard line. On the final play, Bedell spread wide to the left and raced down field, but he was double covered and Otranto's long pass was incomplete.

The Colonials knew, and expected, a tough duel against their biggest rival.

"They were a big team (size wise)," said offensive tackle Evan McCarthy, the biggest Floyd player at 315 pounds. "It was a war out there; a very tough game, Just the physical -- strength against strength."

The Lions, who also beat Floyd during the 2010 regular season, celebrated for multiple reasons. They boosted their season record to 2-0 in Suffolk Division I and, for the first time, Long wood won  at Floyd's primary varsity field.

The Colonials went ahead 6-0 in the first quarter when Bedell, who also excels at free safety, grabbed a Longwood fumble and darted 14 yards to the end zone.

Lon go then used a new kicker, junior Chris Hurtado, but the extra point missed Longo gave Hurt ado an opportunity after Dylan Munster missed two extra points against Lindenhurst.

Early in the second quarter, Floyd missed  a 34-yard field goal attempt, which was wide.

Lon go remember that miss when the Colonials moved to the Longwood seven-yard line late in the second quarter. After a third-down pass failed, Longo called two consecutive timeouts. Instead of trying a field goal, aiming for a 9-6 margin, Otranto scrambled on fourth down and was tackled short of the end zone.

"When I look back at it, in hindsight, i wish I had tried the field goal," said Longo.

The Lions went ahead 7-6 after Floyd lost a fumble at its 10-yard line. Corey Wallace bulldozed up the middle for a seven-yard TD. Paul Aponza converted the extra point with 5:35 left in the second quarter.

Longwood, which rushed for 214 yards, notched its second TD came with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Davonte Booker scored from the five-yard line.

The Colonials, after playing their first two games at home, will travel to East Setauket next Saturday afternoon to play ninth-seeded Ward Melville (1-1).

Longo said he plans to stress two aspects in practice this week:

"We have to tighten up our special teams and we have to do a better job pitching and catching," said the long-time head coach.

NOTES -- MSG Varsity will televise a replay of the Floyd-Longwood game on Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. Bedell's two touchdowns against Longwood give him seven in the first two games. His 44 points makes him one of the top prep scorers for more than 100 varsity teams in Nassau and Suffolk. The last three varsity seasons, Bedell has scored a combined 40 touchdowns. Ward Melville beat fifth-seeded Brentwood 30-20 last weekend. The Patriots lost their season opener 21-7 against 12th-seeded Commack. For the second time in three weeks, a Floyd player was featured on the front cover of the NEWSDAY High School sports section. In a large color photo published Sept. 18, Keith Scanlon tries to catch a pass against Longwood. Bedell was highlighted Sept. 4 with a large color photo. The loss to Longwood was only the third setback in the last 56 Floyd home games