Newfield holds off MacArthur

Seeking a third straight come-from-behind postseason victory and its first-ever Long Island football championship, MacArthur cut a 20-point halftime deficit to one but ultimately fell to Newfield, 41-33, in the Class II title game last Friday before a crowd of 4,500 at Hofstra.

The Generals, who rallied from eight points down to beat Carey in the Nassau semifinals and from a 14-point hole to defeat Wantagh for their first county championship since 2002, outscored the Wolverines 19-0 in the third quarter but allowed two touchdowns — both by Elijah Riley — in a span of less than two minutes late in the fourth.

Riley, a senior who scored three times and rushed for 149 yards, sealed the game and Newfield’s first-ever undefeated season (12-0) in the final minute by fielding an onside kick at midfield and taking a knee at MacArthur’s 6-yard line. The Generals (9-3) were back within a score with 1:00 remaining on senior quarterback Jimmy Kelleher’s 11-yard touchdown pass to senior Jared Wolfe.

“We’re a second-half team and we played with a lot of heart,” said Kelleher, who hooked up with Wolfe on an electrifying 38-yard touchdown with 2:04 left in the third to bring MacArthur within 27-26.

Unlike against Carey and Wantagh when they erased deficits by halftime, the Generals limped into intermission trailing Newfield 27-7 after the Wolverines drove 59 yards in the final 30 seconds and scored as time expired on senior quarterback Ryan Klemm’s 20-yard pass to senior tight end Austin Gubelman.