Clarke wins big on Homecoming

Senior Aaron Dawson took a handoff on the first play of Clarke’s opening possession against Island Trees last Saturday and never looked back, racing 55 yards for a touchdown to jump start the Rams’ 34-8 Homecoming victory. 

Dawson finished the afternoon with 168 yards rushing and added a 60-yard scoring run in the third quarter helping Clarke (4-2 in Conference IV) to its second consecutive win and third in four games.

“He’s got good vision and speed and the offensive line is coming together, too,” head coach John Boyle said. “We’re getting some guys healthy and the guys are working together and as a unit.

“On that first play they created a seam for him with a running lane and [Dawson] just hit it. They know [he breaks big plays] and now [the linemen] are starting to get downfield more, too.”

The big plays from Dawson—he’s posted three games with 200 yards rushing this season—have also helped create room for quarterback Corey Rosenbloom to operate.  The junior signal-caller had 90 yards rushing on just five carries and broke free for a 46-yard score of his own in the third quarter running behind an offensive line led by senior tackles Mark Vasquez and James Volino, senior guards Phil Kandle and Mike Piscetelli and junior center James Curran. “We’re getting creative in ways to get Aaron the ball,” Boyle said. “But when defenses focus on him, it’s certainly going to help [other players]. It’s creating some things for [Corey] on counters and he’s doing a great job.”

Rosenbloom’s success isn’t only limited to the offense, however. As a linebacker, he also followed up a big hit in the backfield by junior Vincent Trovato on the Bulldogs’ quarterback by scooping up the loose ball and running it back for a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter last Saturday. Senior middle linebacker Dillon Abbatiello led the defense with seven tackles and an interception in the win, and the unit has allowed just two touchdowns in the last two games. “We’re starting to play better defensively,” Boyle said. “We’re settling in on the things that we do.”

Dawson ran for 220 yards with touchdown runs of 71 and 58 yards in Clarke’s 35-7 win over Cold Spring Harbor on Oct. 18, while Rosenbloom had a 67-yard scoring run as part of his four-carry, 94-yard rushing day. He also had a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

With the Conference IV playoffs on the horizon — just two regular season games remain — Clarke has a key battle at home against West Hempstead this Saturday. In the Battle of the Rams, both teams are jockeying for position with Clarke currently in third place and West Hempstead in fourth based on the latest power point totals. “After midseason some teams level off,” Boyle said. “But I thought with our kids’ efforts and our coaches’ efforts we’re getting better. That’s our goal every day is to get better and we are.”