By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Blue Waves were too fast, too strong and too opportunistic for anyone they faced all season. Senior running back Miguel Maysonet rushed for 225 yards and four touchdowns and Elmont committed four turnovers as Riverhead capped a perfect 12-0 season by winning its first-ever L.I. crown.
“I thought we could play with them,” Spartans coach Jay Hegi said. “We had film of 10 of their 11 games, so there’s no excuses. They went right down the field on us and scored on their first three possessions, and before we knew it we were down 20-0.”
Elmont (9-3) took the field with an eight-game winning streak, including it’s first Nassau County title since 1986. Before Saturday, the Spartans hadn’t lost since suffering a 24-22 setback at Hewlett on Sept. 27. “Our kids showed a special quality after a 1-2 start,” Hegi said. “It was an exciting playoff run. The kids created a buzz throughout the school and community that will be remembered a long time. To look up at the crowds we had at Hofstra and Stony Brook and see guys that played here in the 1990s showed all the support we got.”
There was little to cheer about last Saturday, however. After taking the opening kickoff, Riverhead drove 75 yards on 10 plays to take a 6-0 lead on Maysonet’s 5-yard run.
Elmont began its first possession on its own 46 after a nifty kick return by senior James Myers Senior running back Justin Mayers, who had 156 yards rushing and three touchdowns (one on special teams) in the its 28-7 victory over Hewlett in the Nassau Conference II title game, gained two yards on the first snap from scrimmage and two incompletions from junior quarterback Diashawn Miller followed as the Spartans went three-and-out. A punt put Riverhead back in business at its own 26, and Maysonet went to work again. He had runs of 21, 5, 5, 11, 5, 5, 8 yards and capped another impressive drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Greg Meyer ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-0.
“They’ve got all the ingredients,” Hegi said of Riverhead, which beat West Islip 13-0 in the Suffolk Division II final. “Their defense was relentless and our defense was on roller skates.”
The Spartans dug a deeper hole after botching the ensuing kickoff. Edwin Perry recovered for Riverhead at the Elmont 33, and on the next play quarterback Timothy Velys froze cornerback Adelbert Clerge with a pump fake and hit a streaking Tim Fitzgerald down the sideline for a 20-0 advantage.
It was 35-0 at halftime. “I just told the kids to keep their heads up, keep hustling and earn some respect.”
They did.
Two minutes into the third quarter, senior Brian Cole caught a 7-yard screen pass from Miller to break the shutout. The score was set up by a 53-yard punt return by Myers. Later in the quarter, Elmont punted on its next possession and the Blue Waves answered with a 23-yard touchdown run by Maysonet.
“Maybe we didn’t have a lot of fun today,” Hegi said after the game, “but I can guarantee no team had as much fun as we did this season. It was unbelievable.”
Myers, Mayers (1,600 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns), Miller and senior linebacker/guard Jimmy Brown earned All-County honors. Senior tight end/defensive end Nikita Josephs was All-Conference.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
