Dramatic win for Seaford

As the seconds ticked to zeroes in Seaford’s 27-21 win against Mineola last Saturday evening, the Vikings rushed the field and head coach Rob Perpall hugged senior Bobby Buell before embracing the rest of the team.

Buell played a large role in Seaford’s dramatic Homecoming victory against a Mineola team that entered the game tied for first place in Conference IV. Moments before Seaford’s celebration, Buell knocked away a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone on fourth down to help Seaford (5-2) hold off the Mustangs. Buell also hauled in a 6-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Andrew Cain with 3:20 remaining to break a 21-21 tie.

“Everyone was counting us out but this whole week we practiced harder than anything I can explain,” said Buell, who had three touchdown receptions and eight catches overall for 123 receiving yards. “We went through hell to prepare for this game and that is the reason we came out on top.”

Buell started the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown reception that capped an 11-play 70-yard opening drive. The senior wide receiver/defensive back then intercepted Mineola’s first play from scrimmage to help set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Cain that made it 14-0 with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter. He caught his second touchdown of the day on an 18-yard toss by Cain to make it 21-7 late in the first half.

Mineola showed why it was 5-1 entering its game with Seaford and battled back to tie the score on two touchdown receptions by senior receiver Brian Smith. However, Seaford stepped up in crunch time with its defense, which was paced by eight tackles by Jake Lasher, keeping the game tied when Mineola drove to the 16-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. On the Vikings proceeding winning drive, Buell caught a 44-yard pass from Cain on a key fourth down play at its own 34 yard-line. 

“This is one of the greatest wins Seaford has ever had,” said Perpall, who is in his 20th year as coach. “It’s a great win for us because we beat a good team who had a higher seed than us and we had to do everything we could to win.”