By:Steve Siniski
After 48 minutes of waiting for someone to blink - or, in this case, to make a mistake - both coaches were left with dry eyes. In fact, after the first two drives of the game, neither team sniffed the red zone until the Dalers prevailed in overtime, 12-6.
"Both of us were playing to see who would make the mistake," Bruins coach Steve Carroll said. "I learned that from him [Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker]. Just be patient, and something will happen. They just didn't have a turnover all night. The guys gave everything they had, and didn't leave anything on the field."
After stopping the Bruins on four plays in overtime, the Dalers got a heads-up 9-yard run from quarterback Ryan Bagnasco on third-and-8 at Baldwin's 18. Two plays later, tailback Nakyle Bethay punched the ball in from two yards out to seal the Dalers' 12-6 victory, and a date with Massapequa in the Nassau County Conference I championship game at Shuart Stadium this Thursday.
"It was a run [or] pass play, so the option to run was there," said Krumenacker. "If [Bagnasco] doesn't like [what's developing] he can keep it and run. We live off the running game, and play good defense. [Starting] from the 20-yard line in overtime, we felt good about that, because we're a 'slam it and run' team."
The final score didn't tell the full story of a game that, in the opening minutes, had all the makings of a high-scoring shootout. Just 3:28 into the game, the teams were tied 6-6 after trading touchdowns on their opening drives. The Dalers needed only three plays to get on the board, with Anthony Barksdale darting through a seam in the line for a 49-yard touchdown.
The Bruins, though, answered with a quick strike of their own. Aaron Weaver, their jack-of-all-trades, returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards - somehow keeping his balance along the sideline after running into a teammate - to the Farmingdale 48. Weaver's fancy footwork ignited a six-play drive that culminated in Joe Vanella's 3-yard scoring pass to Matt Billia to tie the score.
Despite the opening fireworks, late-arriving fans were treated to the normal brand of Baldwin-Farmingdale football. Neither team would find the end zone in regulation again.
"We played a 14-0 game during the regular season, and it was 7-0 late, and this was the same type of game," Krumenacker said.
The Bruins' defense was able to keep Barksdale, the Dalers' 6-foot-2, 238-pound do-everything senior, in check. A part-time quarterback, part-time wingback and part-time receiver, Barksdale saw action in all three roles, but was met by a phalanx of Bruin defenders every time he carried the ball. He rushed for 64 yards on the opening drive, but had only 36 yards on 11 carries the rest of the way.
"We were able to slow Barksdale down," Carroll said. "We wanted to get him before he started [moving]. If he gets to the edge full-speed, we're not going to be able to tackle him."
The battle for field position was intense, boosted on the Baldwin front by Weaver, who is also the team's punter. While he didn't have a catch on the offensive side of the field, his special-teams play was a huge factor in the nip-and-tuck battle. Early in the fourth quarter, Weaver boomed a third-down quick kick 54 yards, which pinned the Dalers on their own 24. After the Bruins' next offensive series bogged down at midfield, Weaver's aim was again true, as he placed a punt inside the Farmingdale 1-yard line.
"We wanted to give them a long field, which we did," Carroll said. "If you start on your own five, you have a six percent chance of scoring a touchdown. At your own 10, 90 percent of the time you're not going to score."
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