Sunday, October 4, 2026
Despite three takeaways and a pair of safeties in the first half, Kennedy led visiting Baldwin by only 10 points at halftime of Saturday’s Nassau Conference II football matchup.
But the Cougars finally broke things open to begin the third quarter.
On fourth-and-goal from the 18, junior Ethan Reiner took a screen from senior quarterback Dylan Babek and took it to the house, sending Kennedy on its way to a 38-7 victory that snapped a two-game slide.
“I thought that was the backbreaker,” head coach John McGuire said after the Cougars evened their record at 2-2. “Dylan did a great job holding the ball as long as possible and Ethan picked up some key blocks and finished the play. That was big.
“Baldwin is a bigger and more athletic team than we are, and those kids played as hard as we did,” he added. “I thought we did a better job of executing in the second half and now we’re on to Valley Stream Central.”
The Bruins, who fell to 0-4, got a 52-yard touchdown catch from junior Aydan Stewart in the first quarter, a fumble recovery from senior Adam Hilburger and a pair of spirited goal-line stands from a defense led by him, senior Mashiach Lambert and junior Ezekiel Osimokun.
“We’re not struggling because of a lack of effort,” Baldwin head coach Mike Robinson said. “The kids are going 100 percent from start to finish. It’s a young team that needs to execute better.”
Junior Nico Pasquariello starred for Kennedy’s offense, scoring touchdowns in the first, second and fourth quarters. He rushed for 165 yards on 26 carries.
“It feels awesome,” Pasquariello said. “It was a beautiful day for football and all the boys played great. Coach told us at halftime the game wasn’t over and we had to keep working. We came out with a touchdown drive to start the second half and scored 21 points in the third quarter.”
Senior Frankie Stella’s fumble recovery on Baldwin’s first offensive snap of the afternoon set the tone. Four plays later, Pasquariello scored on a 10-yard run for a 6-0 lead. Senior Jonny Cohen made it 8-0 with a defensive gem, a tackle-for-loss in the end zone for a safety.
The Bruins closed within 8-7 when Stewart took a dump pass from senior quarterback Patrick Feeney and raced along the sideline for their fourth touchdown of 2026.
Pasquariello answered, capping an 80-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring plunge and the Cougars led 17-7 at halftime after a punt snap sailed out of Baldwin’s end zone.
Junior Max Lopez had an interception and sophomore D.J. Lombardo a fumble recovery in the first half for Kennedy, which saw junior kicker Ryan Finkelstein hit 4 of 5 extra points. Babek had a 43-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
“We’re at the midway point of the season and this is when you begin to see some separation in the standings,” McGuire said. “Next week’s a big one. Valley Stream Central is a quality team. Their quarterback is dynamic and we have a lot to prepare for.”
The Cougars visit the Eagles next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Junior High. Baldwin will receive a forfeit win against Jericho and be back in action Oct. 17 at home versus Roosevelt.
