By Steve Siniski
Sure, the offense broke off a pair of big-play touchdowns, as quarterback Mike Tracy hooked up with Mike Callaghan for a 35-yard score in the first quarter and Matt Bright ripped off a 38-yard touchdown in the third. But the defense clearly earned its stripes by holding Hicksville to minus-12 yards rushing on 21 carries and racking up eight sacks.
Andrew Rubenau even capped a goal-line stand just before halftime when he broke up a fourth-down play at the East Meadow 5. Those four plays netted a loss of one yard for the Comets, as they attempted to tie the game. ³The defense played well,² East Meadow coach Vinny Mascia said. ³We did our share of blitzing and they couldn't pick it up.²
Chris Bright was in the Hicksville backfield so often he should have been wearing its jersey. Making life miserable for the Comets quarterback, Bright sacked him three times while also knocking him down after seven other pass attempts. Matt Bright, Garrett Dolgon and Brian Weber all broke through for one sack each and keyed a ferocious upfield rush. Matt Bright also forced a fumble on the first drive of the game.
The win keeps the Jets in the postseason shuffle heading into this Saturday's road battle with first place Baldwin (5-0). The Bruins come in after blasting Port Washington 49-6 last Saturday, and own the biggest scoring differential in Conference I.
They've outscored opponents by a 170-36 margin and feature a versatile attack led by tailback Ricky Manigat (13 touchdowns) and wide receiver Aaron Weaver. If the term ³versatile attack² sounds familiar it should, because East Meadow may be the only other team in the league with as dynamic an arsenal.
³Going into the season I think our guys felt they were the top team in the conference,² Mascia said. ³This is a chance to show that they are the top team.²
Unlike the Bruins, East Meadow's attack revolves around a trio of tailbacks rather than one, and Matt Bright comes in off back-to-back 100-yard efforts. He led a 36-carry, 233-yard effort against Hicksville with 10 totes for 102 yards.
³I think it's going to come down to line play,² Mascia said. ³I think we can really try to buckle down. We have three guys [in the backfield rotation] and as a defense you cannot concentrate on just one.²
If the Jets do have an area of concern, it's inside the red zone, where several scoring opportunities have been squandered over the last several weeks.
In the win over Hicksville, East Meadow missed one field goal attempt and had another blocked and didn't earn a point on a third trip inside the 15. ³We keep getting the ball inside the 20 but we're struggling for some reason [after that],² Masica said. ³We've got to start playing like we did in the first half against Freeport [the Jets led 21-0] and we haven't done that.²
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
