Sailors cruise by Massapequa

With expectations sky high, and the community and student body abuzz with Oceanside football, the Sailors passed their first test with flying colors.

Senior quarterback Tyler Heuer ran for three touchdowns and threw for two others as No. 4 Oceanside rolled over visiting Massapequa 34-7 in the opening game in Conference I play for both teams on Sept. 7.

Heuer amassed 170 yards on the ground, and completed 14 of 23 passes for 145 yards. Senior running back Nick Sherry ran for 90 yards for Oceanside, which defeated Massapequa for the first time since 1977; the last championship season for the Sailors. Oceanside gained 310 yards on the ground.

Head coach Rob Blount was pleased with the opening-night victory. “After having some success last season, it was very important to get the season started on a positive note,” Blount said. “Expectations are higher than they’ve been in the past. We really want to make a statement and let people know that this is a program looking to get to the next level. The boys really responded.”

The Sailors got on the board on the first play of the second quarter. Running behind the fired up offensive line composed of center Andrew Borruso, guards Mike Hertling and Dan Hernandez, and tackles Hector Quintin and Brian Ellis, Heuer scored from 16 yards out. Junior Travis Feinberg made the first of his four extra points to give Oceanside a 7-0 lead. 

The lead was short-lived, as Massapequa answered with a score of its own. Quarterback Michael Barry hooked up with Steven Romano from 15 yards out. Tyler Gannon’s kick tied it.

Oceanside took the lead for good when Heuer scored for the second time, this one from seven yards out. Then, with time running down in the half, senior Joe Swanson capped off a 55-yard drive by pulling in a pass from Heuer from 17 yards out to give the Sailors a commanding 20-7 lead.

Any chance of a Massapequa comeback in the second half faded quickly. Heuer brought the hometown faithful to its feet with a thrilling 72-yard scamper as Oceanside to a 27-7 lead. The scoring was capped off when Heuer borrowed a page from Tim Tebow’s playbook with a two-yard jump pass to Michael Pignotti.

Oceanside’s vaunted offensive attack will garner plenty of accolades in 2010, but the defense made a name for itself on opening night. Quintin set the tone from his middle linebacker position with a team-high eight tackles. Ellis had six tackles and a sack, and safety Chris Flynn added six tackles.

Blount was proud of his defensive unit’s effort. “The defense took a lot of pride in getting better during the off-season,” he said. “We can score a lot of points, but it will be the defense that will determine whether we’re still playing in late November.”

The Sailors host second-seeded Syosset on Thursday at 7 p.m.