Two late touchdowns lift Sailors
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Tyler Heuer passed for 120 yards in Oceanside's victory.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
When Rob Blount took the head coaching position, he knew the challenge went beyond wins and losses; he had to change the reputation of Oceanside football. With a thrilling, come-from-behind 21-20 Homecoming win over Uniondale last Saturday night, Blount and the Sailors took another step in the right direction.
Junior Nick Sherry’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:02 to play tied the score, and then Danny Goldstein split the uprights to give Oceanside the win. Sherry’s first touchdown run, with just over five minutes to play, brought the Sailors within striking distance.
Blount was pleased with the victory. “This definitely means a lot to the program,” he said. “We’re trying to change the football culture here. Any successful program has the community behind them. We’re building something. We have the teachers, the administrators and the student body all supporting us. They’re all into it.”
The Sailors (4-3) looked rusty for much of the game. Uniondale, the third-seeded team in Conference I, took a 7-0 first quarter lead on its first drive. However, the Sailors answered when Tyler Heuer ran it in from two yards out. The junior quarterback ran for 102 yards on 16 carries for the game. The game was tied at 7-7 at the half.
Uniondale appeared to have things wrapped up after a strong start to the second half. The Knights scored twice to take what appeared to be a commanding 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter. But Oceanside would not go down.
First, Sherry plunged in from two yards out to get the Sailors within one score. On the ensuing kickoff, Goldstein’s onside kick was recovered by senior Charlie Jordan to set up the dramatic final drive. Heuer, who was 12 for 20 for 120 yards through the air, led the team on the scoring drive that may have put it in the playoffs.
Blount was impressed with his signal-caller. “Tyler did a tremendous job,” Blount said. “He’s basically a quiet kid. But he has really taken control of the offense. We didn’t have a lot of rhythm on offense through the game. Tyler showed poise and confidence on the last drive.”
With Sherry, Heuer and Jeremy Lee carrying the ball behind a line anchored by senior captain Joe Wetherell, and the energetic Oceanside faithful on their feet in the stands, the Sailors marched 55 yards in 11 plays to even the score at 20. The virtually automatic Goldstein nailed the extra-point try to give Oceanside its first lead of the game. Goldstein is 25 of 26 on extra-point kicks for the season.
With a win in their final game, the Sailors will clinch a playoff berth. Blount likes the direction the program is going. “We’re excited about getting a chance to get back to the playoffs,” he said. “The guys really stepped up. I reminded the seniors before the last drive that this would be their last time on this field. They all rose to the occasion.”
Oceanside will face Herricks (1-6) in the regular-season finale on Friday at 7 p.m. at North Hempstead Park.
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