By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Red Devils, behind a beefy offensive line, totaled 274 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Dermott Kramer, whose 63-yard scamper opened the scoring, gained 115 yards on 19 carries and running back Kevin Allen added 121 yards and the game-sealing touchdown with 1:19 remaining.
"We have reasons to be unhappy and disappointed, but we should feel good about being able to hang with them," Bruins coach Steve Carroll said. "The kids weren't intimidated by their size and that's something I'm really proud of. We're a young team that needs to do a better job at crucial times. We'll get there."
Freeport's already there it seems. Coach Russ Cellan's average offensive lineman goes 6-foot-1, 260 pounds, and Kramer is the main beneficiary. His touchdown run midway through the second quarter came two plays after Baldwin senior Alex Williams boomed a 53-yard punt. "It's a trap play we run all the time," Cellan said. "It certainly helps being big. We needed everything we had because they gave us all we could handle. When you come away from Baldwin with a win, whether it's by one point or 18, you're very thankful."
The Bruins (1-1) moved the ball into enemy territory on five of seven possessions and twice got inside the Freeport 20-yard line. Their strongest drives came in the third quarter with the Red Devils holding a 12-0 lead. Senior Joey Giampiccolo had a 30-yard run and senior Brendan Bellew a 29-yard reception from senior quarterback Paul Murphy to keep separate drives alive, though each would eventually stall on downs.
"Our running game is a big factor and we didn't do nearly as well out of the Power-I as we did in the first game," Carroll said. "We couldn't get Williams out of the backfield as much as we wanted. They're fast at linebacker and close gaps quickly."
Williams had 57 yards a week after ripping off 135 in a 33-16 victory over Uniondale. Giampiccolo, who scored three times in the opener, had 78 yards. Juniors Andrew Martinez and Joe Ednie excelled on special teams, while junior two-way starting lineman Joe Doyle was solid on both sides.
"We made some good things happen," Carroll said. "No question Freeport was better than us today, but I wouldn't mind playing them again down the road."
Baldwin will try to get back on track when it visits Oceanside on Friday at 7 p.m. The Sailors are 0-2.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
