By Andrew McClure
Senior quarterback John Kenny completed 12 of 16 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. Kenny also rushed for 58 yards, and scored the touchdown that put the game away late in the fourth quarter.
This was the 20th meeting between the two schools, and East Rockaway leads the series 13-7. The game capped the school's Homecoming festivities, which included a dance the night before, during which the king and queen -- Kenny and Heather Crosley -- were named. The following morning there was a breakfast, parade and ceremony at the goal post for athletes and their parents.
The first half of the game was scoreless, as the teams battled for field position. East Rockaway had the best opportunity to score after a muffed punt gave the Rocks possession at the North 30-yard-line. But the Spartans defense, led by linebackers Dan Giuliante and Ryan Andrews, came up big and forced East Rockaway to turn the ball over on downs. Giuliante and Andrews combined for 18 tackles on the day.
Both teams came out of the locker room for the second half fired up. But North head coach Tom Schiavo was confident that his Spartans would have an edge. "We know when we play East Rockaway, it's going to be tough, physical game," said Schiavo, whose team advanced to the semifinals last season -- its first appearance in the playoffs since 1989 -- before losing to Cold Spring Harbor. "Our game plan was to use our depth and have fresh legs in the second half."
It didn't take long for the Spartans to get on the scoreboard. The team began the second half deep in its own territory, and faced a third-and-12 situation from its own 8-yard-line. Kenny threw deep down the left sideline for Rich DeRosa, but the ball bounced off his hands and into Giuliante's waiting arms. Giuliante's catch and run covered 52 yards. On the very next play, Kenny threw a strike to Vincent DelMaestro, who had blown by the East Rockaway safety, for a 40-yard touchdown. Henry Greco's kick split the uprights to give North a 7-0 lead.
The Rocks took over, and moved the ball effectively until a dropped pass on third-and-nine forced them to punt. Mike Farrell's kick was blocked by Andrews and recovered at the East Rockaway 43-yard line. From there, the Spartans, 2-1 in Conference IV, moved the ball quickly to the Rocks' 1-yard line, where Joe Shea ran it in for the touchdown. Greco's extra point made it 14-0.
The Rocks battled back. Tough inside running by Tom Dwyer and Cesar Munoz took the Rocks deep into North territory with about eight minutes remaining in the game. Munoz took it in from 10 yards out and converted the extra point to get East Rockaway within striking distance.
The Rocks, 0-3, battled mightily, and even stopped North with a gritty goal-line stand late in the game, but couldn't sustain another drive. The North defense, anchored by Evan Lukaske and Ricky Gladstone, would yield no more on this afternoon. Kenny added a late touchdown to put the finishing touches on a well-earned victory for the Spartans.
Schiavo is optimistic about this season and the program's future. "We have a great thing going here at North," said Schiavo, who is in his eighth year at the helm for North. "We have a terrific group of boys and the potential to beat anyone in the conference."
This Saturday, the Spartans will host undefeated Roosevelt, the defending Long Island champion, at 3 p.m.
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