V.S. Central rally falls short

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Despite committing five turnovers and failing to make key defensive stops in the first half, Valley Stream Central was alive until the final play of last Saturday’s Nassau Conference II game against Manhasset — a desperation heave towards the end zone — fell incomplete.

Manhasset held on for a 21-14 victory before a spirited crowd at Memorial Junior High to spoil VSC’s homecoming. The Eagles never led but scored with 4:28 left and drove to the Indians’ 30-yard line in the closing seconds to give the visitors a scare.

Both teams are 3-2 and in a playoff position with three games remaining.

“It was an exciting one,” Manhasset head coach Jay Iaquinta said. “They’re good and we’re trying to be good. We were nursing the 14-point lead but they kept coming at us. If they had a few more minutes I’m not sure how it would’ve turned out. Fortunately, our defense made a lot of big plays.”

Four of Central’s turnovers came in the second half and one led to the game-changing play late in the third quarter. The Eagles, who trailed 14-7 at halftime, used a mix of running and passing plays to drive from their own 30 to inside the red zone on their opening possession of the second half when a fumble gave the ball back to Manhasset at its own 14.

The Indians faced a third-and-19 on the ensuing possession when senior quarterback Tim Barrett was flushed out of the pocket in the end zone, avoided a potential safety and while on the move floated a pass to Ahmad Crowell, who caught it at the 20 and took it the distance for a 95-yard touchdown. Manhasset led 21-7 entering the fourth.

“Ahmad was his third read,” Iaquinta said of Barrett, who also hit Crowell and tight end Aidan Mulholland on touchdown passes in the first half. “That turned out to be huge.”

The Eagles threw interceptions on the final snap of the third quarter and with 8:31 remaining in the fourth but nearly overcame the mistakes. With the offense unable to sustain drives, head coach Mike Rubino inserted senior receiver John Beaubrun at quarterback and he gave Manhasset’s defense fits down the stretch.

Central drove 81 yards and got to within a score on Beaubrun’s 17-yard touchdown run. During the possession, however, senior wideout Nate Grimsley, who had an 8-yard touchdown grab on a second-quarter throw from senior quarterback Jordan McCray, left the game with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

The Indians thought they put the game away on Rory Connor’s second interception with 2:30 remaining, but Central’s defense made a fourth-down stop inside of a minute and gave McCray and the offense one last opportunity.

McCray completed two passes to Beaubrun totaling 48 yards to create some drama, but his last-ditch attempt was batted down at the Manhasset 5 at the horn.

“We made too many mistakes,” Rubino said. “They’re a sound, well-coached team and we needed to play better to win.”