By STEVE SINISKI
Steve Carroll and the Baldwin Bruins (10-0) reached the top of the Nassau County mountain last Saturday night at Shuart Stadium, leaving little doubt as to who the No. 1 team in Conference I is.
Funny thing is, the climb to the top was keyed by the downhill running of Ricky Manigat. Listed at 170 pounds in the media guide, the senior ran like he was twice that weight, racking up a career-high 316 yards on 42 carries and adding three touchdowns and a two-point conversion for good measure. The 32-7 victory over No. 3 Massapequa (7-3) gave the Bruins their first-ever Nassau County title and catapulted them into the Long Island Championship against Floyd (10-0) this Saturday at Stony Brook University. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
"He ran like a crazy man," Carroll said of his senior, whose 21 touchdowns this season are a Baldwin football record. "He earned himself an All-Long Island spot [with the performance]."
Manigat was often found at the bottom of the pile in Baldwin's 25-21 semifinal win over East Meadow, running for just 38 yards on 20 carries. But he didn't stand still long enough for any gang of Massapequa defenders to square up on him, and when a Chiefs did try to step in front of him, it was a one-sided battle.
He set the tone on Baldwin's very first series, ripping off a 25-yard run on the second play. Dakota Lupo, who finished the game with six carries for 33 yards and a pair of scores, capped the seven-play, 61-yard drive with his first touchdown of the season from two yards out, and the Bruins never looked back.
"This is the best," Carroll said of his first county title in 18 years on the Baldwin sidelines. "It's phenomenal, and it's been worth the wait. All year long we've been the underdogs and we're happy to take it."
Baldwin built up an 18-0 second-quarter lead on Lupo's scoring runs and one from Manigat. One week after quarterback Joe Vanella and wide receiver Aaron Weaver provided the fireworks through the air, Baldwin showed its offensive versatility in running up 396 yards on the ground. Unsung heroes from the opening week, the offensive line, anchored by center James Garland, Noel Andujar, Cody Soto, Josh Savary and Webster Brown punched open holes big enough for a train, and Manigat took full advantage. He ripped off three runs of at least 25 yards and nine of 12 yards or longer. The biggest gains came from runs on the edge. "We took it right out of Massapequa's playbook," Carroll said. "They like to start inside and bounce back out. We told Ricky to give that a shot."
For one brief period in the third quarter, Massapequa put a scare into the Bruins. After seeing its lead cut to 18-7 just prior to the half, Baldwin was stopped on fourth-and-short at the Chiefs 41-yard line to open the third quarter. A penalty, followed by plays of 13 and 20 yards helped Massapequa set up a first down at the Bruins 5. Enter Manigat on defense. On third down from the 6, he blitzed off the corner and blindsided Chiefs' quarterback Steven Bentz. The sack pushed Massapequa back to the 17, and they missed the ensuing field-goal attempt. The game was all but iced six plays later by Manigat's 52-yard touchdown run.
What shouldn't get lost in the celebration is the play of Baldwin's defense, which limited the Chiefs to just two first downs in the opening half. Massapequa, saddled by the injury of top runner Chris Hurst on the first series, didn't cross Baldwin's side of the field until the final three minutes of the half. "They lost two big players early and we knew that they could only throw at that point," Carroll said.
The Bruins' offense, had no such trouble. Vanella turned in a solid performance, completing 6 of 9 throws for 64 yards and an interception.
"To finish 10-0 in Conference I and beat East Meadow twice and Massapequa twice is unheard of," Carroll said. "This is a special year and losing is not in their vocabulary."
