South Side rolls to victory

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South Side scored three rushing touchdowns, brought back a punt and an interception for scores, and booted a field goal on the way to beating Great Neck North, 38-0, in a Conference III football game on the turf last Saturday before a spirited crowd on Homecoming.

The Cyclones (2-5) scored on their first offensive series and never looked back in recording a shutout for the first time since 2006. Five different players found the end zone, and senior Thomas Moore had a perfect day in the kicking game with a medium-range field goal and five extra points.

“We executed a lot of different things well,” South Side head coach Phil Onesto said. “All seniors played the entire first quarter, and we established the run early. Hopefully we can build off it and finish off with another win.”

The season finale is this Saturday at home versus Roslyn at 2 p.m. “It’s an important game,” Onesto added. “You always want to see the senior class go out with a victory. They were freshmen when I started as head coach. It’s a great group.”

Senior lineman Jason Dantona sparked the Cyclones on Homecoming by returning the opening kickoff to the Great Neck North 35, breaking a few tackles along the way. “He’s shown ability on returns during practice, so we gave him a shot and he did exactly what we thought he could do,” Onesto said. “He almost took it all the way.” A fourth-down completion from senior quarterback Steven DiMare to senior Stephen Parker kept the opening drive alive and set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for senior Matthew Marinelli.

After the Blazers went three-and-out on their first possession, Parker fielded a punt in South Side territory and brought it back along the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown. It was 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The hosts scored twice more in the second quarter to lead 24-0 at halftime. Senior Craig Colleti had a 2-yard touchdown and Moore nailed a 30-yard field goal. “I asked Moore what he ate for breakfast,” Onesto said. “He had a tremendous game, not only kicking but also at safety. He was a little down after last week’s loss to Floral Park, but he came back strong. 

In the fourth quarter, senior Luke Scaduto had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, and junior Peter Malizia tacked on a 7-yard touchdown run to provide the difference. Junior John Murphy had the biggest play on defense, forcing a fumble and recovering it.

The Cyclones were coming off a 20-19 hard-fought loss to Floral Park in Week 6. DiMare threw three touchdown passes, two to senior Sean Buchner and the other an 80-yarder to senior Andy Pena, but allowed 20 points in the second quarter after leading 13-0 at the end of the first.

“There’s not much to take from a moral victory, but I was proud we played up to our potential,” Onesto said.