MacArthur wins fourth straight

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MacArthur has passed its early season tests with a young team gaining confidence for a playoff run in Nassau Conference II football.

The Generals finished the first half of play with a perfect 4-0 mark after a come-from-behind 32-28 home win against Bellmore JFK last Saturday in which junior running back Hugh Kelleher scored his fourth touchdown of the day with 47 seconds left. The last-minute victory came on the heels of another dramatic 21-20 triumph at Calhoun the previous week. 

“We had a lot of inexperience coming into the season,” said MacArthur head coach Bobby Fehrenbach, who returned only three starters 5-4 team that fell in the first round of the playoffs to Calhoun. “The kids are believing in themselves and believing they can get the job done.”

Kelleher had a monster day against JFK with 227 yards on 23 carries. JFK

rallied from a 19-7 deficit to take a 28-25 fourth quarter lead before the Generals marched on a 72-yard game-winning drive capped by a five-yard touchdown run from Kelleher.

The Calhoun win under the lights in North Merrick featured similar late-game heroics with senior quarterback Matt Cummings connecting with wide receiver Justin DeMaria on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 2:08 remaining that knotted the score at 20-20. Kicker Brian Carroll booted then booted the extra point for a 21-20 lead and defensive back Dan Calderon clinched the win by knocking down a hail marry pass on the final play.

“It was a great high school football game,” said Fehrenbach, whose team rebounded from 14-6 and 20-14 deficits. “It was a good back and forth game.”

The winning touchdown pass was a big early season moment for Cummings, who was backup quarterback last year and has shown progression throughout the first half of the schedule. The senior signal-caller followed up the Calhoun performance by completing 3-of-5 passes in the JFK win.

“He has done a good job of managing the offense,” said Fehrenbach of Cummings, who rushed for 34 yards in a 40-12 home win against Sewanhaka on Sept. 14. “We’re looking to control the ball and move the sticks.”

MacArthur opened the season with a 24-7 win at Manhasset in which junior Kelleher rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Kelleher leads a deep backfield that also features senior Mike Langelotti and sophomore Ryan Isom. DeMaria has provided a capable receiving target for Cummings and can also line up as a back depending on defensive matchups.

“He is a very, very good athlete,” said Fehrenbach of DeMaria. “I can put him at any position.”

MacArthur, which was seeded fifth in Conference II during, is next in action against perennial contender Carey at home this Friday evening at 7 p.m. The Generals then hit the road back-to-back weeks at Herricks and Mepham before closing the regular season at home versus defending champion Garden City under the lights on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

“We’re just looking to get better each week,” Fehrenbach said. “We’re not looking down the road.”