By Steve Siniski
Despite the miserable conditions, the Bruins faced another stiff test on the gridiron, this time from Uniondale, one of three unbeaten teams left in Conference I before the opening kickoff. By the final gun, Baldwin had taken over the top spot by hammering the Knights, 33-6, while previously unbeaten Plainview JFK dropped a 26-7 decision to Farmingdale.
"So far our game plans and preparations have worked almost flawlessly," Bruins coach Steve Carroll said of his team, which has outscored its four opponents 121-30. "Special teams is playing well, the defense and offense are playing well. We're scoring and stopping teams."
It took one quarter for Baldwin to break a scoreless tie, thanks to Ricky Manigat's (16 carries, 107 yards rushing) 1-yard plunge on the second offensive series of the game. It was the first of his five touchdowns on the afternoon, which ran the gamut from short yardage (1 and 4 yards) to big plays (20, 43) and even special teams, where he returned a punt 25 yards for a touchdown late in the first half. "The punt was shanked but [Ricky] Manigat picked it up and ran it in," Carroll said, noting that most teams avoid the ball once it hits the ground because of the potential for a turnover off a bad bounce. "It bounced high enough [for him to grab it] and everyone else just looked around. We put a lot of time into our special teams and it's paid off."
The box score, scoreboard and headlines from the battle with Uniondale literally have Manigat's name written all over them.
He wasn't a one-man wrecking crew, merely the player afforded the opportunity to reap the benefits of his team's overall effort. Quarterback Joe Vanella, for instance, was limited to offensive snaps only because of a thigh bruise, yet his replacement at cornerback, Brendan Murphy, turned in an MVP-type performance of his own. Murphy had a hand in stopping a dozen plays, forced a fumble, recovered it and ran it down to the Uniondale 1, then capped his day with a 60-yard interception return to the Uniondale 10.
Fellow corner Aaron Weaver got the call to handle Knights tight end Andrew Quarless, who entered the game with five touchdowns (four from 55 yards or better) and aspirations of potentially playing Division I football. Weaver came out on top in that battle, limiting Quarless to just four catches, none of which netted any points. "He's a big tight end," Carrolls said. "But Weaver was quicker than him and could jump just as high. He did everything he had to do [to limit Quarless' effectiveness]."
Outside linebackers Chris O'Donnell and Teddy Murray also played big roles in a defensive effort that took away running lanes and forced Uniondale to take the inside routes on handoffs. By the time the Knights finally broke through in the fourth quarter, Baldwin had built up an insurmountable 26-0 lead. "We're always getting pressure on the quarterback," Carroll said. "A lot of teams want to pass but their wide receivers are covered."
The Bruins put their undefeated record on the line at Port Washington (2-2 in Conference I) this Saturday at 2 p.m. The Vikings dropped a 35-0 decision to Valley Stream Central last week but remain a dangerous opponent thanks to the presence of Jermaine Parchment and Dan Koh, who've each scored five touchdowns.
"We're going to treat them just like a Farmingdale, Massapequa or Uniondale," Carroll said. "Because they can take you down just as easy as you can take them down. They have some talented [players] and some good schemes and run an identical defense to us."
