The Bulldogs gained 486 yards on the ground and got touchdowns from five different players in a 33-7 runaway victory over the Cyclones, who managed a late score to avoid the donut.
"We played well on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches," Coach Jay Iaquinta said. "It was a hot and humid night and that made it tough on the players. We had an excellent crowd and it was a nice way to start the season."
The offensive line was nothing short of dominating. Senior center Jeff Natter and senior guards Jeff Malina and Ian Assael paved openings for a host of runners, including the quarterback tandem of senior Eytan Saperstein and junior Steve DeNapoli.
"We rotated the quarterbacks just about every series and it worked the way we wanted," Iaquinta said. "We'll continue to do what we're doing and who is in there will sometimes depend on the opponent and the situation. They both did an outstanding job."
Saperstein rushed for 118 yards on nine carries and hit senior Jason Casanova on a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter to make it 14-0. A 7-yard touchdown dash by DeNapoli earlier in the quarter was the game's first score.
"We want to mix things up from time and time and Eytan hit Jason on a flanker screen and he made it all happen from there," Iaquinta said. "It was a play we'll watch on film more than once."
Casanova made three South Side defenders miss on his way to the end zone. He would later add an interception from the cornerback spot.
Hewlett padded its lead in the third quarter on touchdown runs by seniors Aaron Marsh and Randy Platnick. Marsh had 102 yards on merely seven carries and Platnick 50 yards on five attempts. They too made large contributions on the defensive front, along with Assael who had six tackles. Senior linebacker Matt Meltsner had 13 tackles and got into the action on offense with 39 yards rushing.
"They had some decent drives but whenever they got something going we made all the key defensive stops," Iaquinta said.
Junior Jeff Jang closed the scoring for the Bulldogs with a 13-yard touchdown run early in the fourth. He gained 12 yards on his only other carry and senior Tom Wolinetz had 70 yards on four carries.
Next up for Hewlett is a trip to MacArthur on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The Generals are coming off an upset loss to Westbury.
"MacArthur will come out hungry, but I still like our chances," Iaquinta said.
