By ANDREW McCLURE
On a hot, humid afternoon, the Rams gave a lesson in intestinal fortitude and knocked off Lynbrook, 21-20, in a Conference III football game last Saturday.
Clarke junior quarterback John Schilt¹s 49-yard touchdown run with 2:03 left in the third quarter put the game away for the Rams. Senior halfback Jordan Spirou led a balanced rushing attack with 59 yards on eight carries.
The Rams drew first blood after their defense stopped Lynbrook on fourth down at midfield. After driving to the Owls 10-yard line, the visitors faced a third-and-long situation. Senior wide receiver Matt Johns caught a pass from Schilt at the 12 and followed a wall of blockers into the end zone for the game¹s first points.
Lynbrook answered with a touchdown, but missed the extra point. The score didn¹t remain 7-6 for long. On the ensuing kickoff, Clarke senior Ryan Mackey took the ball on the run at his own 25-yard line. He blazed past the first line or would-be tacklers and put on the after burners. Mackey sprinted, virtually untouched, 75 yards for the score. Curatolo¹s kick made the score 14-6.
The Owls came right back. A strong kickoff return by Brandon Ayers gave Lynbrook the ball at midfield. Five plays later, Mike DeNapoli bulled in from a yard out. Lynbrook attempted to tie the score, but the two-point conversation failed. The Owls nearly scored before the half ended, but the Clarke defense came up big on fourth down deep in Rams¹ territory.
With the sun beating down and the Rams looking tired, coach John Boyle had to rest some starters. ³We knew coming in that we would have to use a lot of players and have more boys step up,² Boyle said. ³They really showed their resilience, especially in the second half.²
While Clarke is used to getting contributions from Spirou and Travis Kakareko, sophomore John Chodkowski had a big game on both sides of the ball for the Rams. Filling in at safety, Chodkowski registered six tackles. He also rushed for 20 yards as the Rams amassed 192 yards on the ground. Senior John Gould had seven tackles and an interception and senior fullback Anthony DiFilippi rushed for 51 yards, mostly between the tackles.
Boyle was very satisfied with the effort. ³The boys really showed us something,² Boyle said. ³We asked some of them to play positions that they haven¹t played before. They have a lot of character.²
Clarke, 3-1 and in striking distance of first place, will travel to Wantagh for a Friday night matchup with the undefeated Warriors, who come off a 40-14 win over Great Neck North. Game time is 7 p.m.
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