Seaford blanks North Shore for second shutout

Zero.

That’s how many points Seaford’s football team has allowed through eight quarters and the Vikings are off to an impressive start.

Seniors Aidan Calvacca, Brendan Murphy and Lucas Kanellopoloous recorded takeaways Thursday evening as Seaford defeated visiting North Shore, the two-time defending Nassau Conference IV champions, 21-0, six days after shutting out Island Trees in the opener.

“It’s not easy to play a team like North Shore at any time, but especially on a short week,” Seaford head coach Mike Corcoran said. “We knew they’d be fired up coming off a loss.

“It was a good day for us,” he added. “We did a nice job moving the ball and I really like the way our defense is playing.”

Thanks to a long punt return by junior Kyle Britton that set up the offense inside enemy territory, Seaford scored on an opening drive capped by senior quarterback Tim Navin’s 1-yard touchdown run, and never looked back on the way to dropping North Shore to 0-2.

The visitors with the same nickname as Seaford’s were led by junior Matteo Porres’ 60 total yards and senior James Toner’s 47 receiving yards.

“This isn’t where we thought we’d be after two games, but he we are,” North Shore head coach Dan Agovino said. “We’re going to continue to work hard and build one step at a time and get better week by week.”

North Shore’s opening possession stalled just shy of midfield when a false start on 4th-and-3 led to a punt instead of a 4th-and-8 try. Britton returned the punt 33 yards and Seaford’s offensive line paved the way to a ground-only attack leading to Navin’s opening score. Calvacca, Falk and senior Dan Barone all had carries for at least 10 yards as the front five of Jake Quinn, Anthony Janes, Michael Villeck, Justin DiScala and Rob McNamara provided the push.

Calvacca’s interception on the final play of the first quarter allowed the hosts to begin their second drive in North Shore territory. Seaford cashed in eight plays later when on 4th-and-8 from the 30, Britton beat single coverage and caught a Navin pass over the shoulder for a touchdown.

“I always trust Tim is going to find me when I’m open,” Britton said of Navin.

Seaford held a 14-0 lead despite taking a successful 33-yard field goal from senior Jake Anzelone off the board late in the second quarter. A roughing penalty created a first-and-goal situation, but a fumble recovered by North Shore senior Brendan Kenny ended the threat. Junior Marco Abouelhassan also had a takeaway for the visitors.

North Shore, which dropped its opener by two points to Cold Spring Harbor, fumbled away its first possession of the second half and soon trailed 21-0. The loose ball popped into the hands of Murphy, who immediately secured it and fell to the turf. “As a lineman, getting a fumble recovery was one of my goals,” Murphy said. “I still can’t believe it happened.”

Sophomore Brian Falk, who scored twice in Seaford’s opener, dominated the ensuing drive and scored from 2 yards out with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter. A defense led by Janes and senior Devon O’Donnell (12 tackles apiece) did the rest.

“It’s a long season,” Agovino said. “We’re going to fix the mistakes and keep moving forward.”