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Bellport, Longwood, Pat-Med players compete
for Long Island Football All-Stars
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BY JIM FURLONG
Five Bellport High football standouts hoped to share success in their last
game together, but they experienced a setback.
Vaughn Flake, Edwin Goins, James Pendergast, Denzal Person and John Sprill
joined former Longwood High standout Mike Marino and former Patchogue-Medford
lineman Kevin Martin to participate in the 2007 annual Outback Steakhouse
Empire Challenge.
The seven area players were among 46 Long Island All-Stars who competed against
the New York City All-Stars before a crowd of 7,892 at Shuart Stadium on the
campus of Hofstra University.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity," said Prendergast. "To come out in front of the fans
and they are cheering for you. It was an honor to be a (Long Island game)
captain and I will never forget it. This is one of my best highlights; a great
memory to be selected one of the Long Island All-Stars."
William Floyd head coach Paul Longo worked as the Long Island offensive coordinator
and long-time Bellport coach Joe Cipp worked as the defensive coordinator.
Goins, the record-setting running back for Bellport, scored two early touchdowns
before the faster New York City squad rallied for a 35-27 victory. A costly
lost fumble halped boost the New York All-Stars, who scored 21 points in the
fourth quarter.
"This is my last high school game," Goins said. "We tried our best, but we couldn't get the job done. . . . Missed opportunities."
After a 14-14 halftime tie, Long Island went ahead by a touchdown before New York surged. With the score tied 27-27 in the fourth quarter, Long Island owned possession and looked to go ahead, but fumbled at the opponent's 26-yard line with 4:41 remaining.
"That fumble really hurt," said Marino, who started at defensive tackle. "That bought us down and bought them up. . . . All-Star games are supposed to be high scoring. Defensively, we had mishaps. You really can't do a lot in eight (pregame) practices."
Kenny Munson, a wide receiver from Tottenville High, scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:50 left. He alertly grabbed a tipped pass from quarterback David Legree of South Shore High to complete a 9-yard scoring play.
Long Island's lost fumble opened the door for NYC's decisive 74-yard drive.
"It was a real competitive
game, really close," said Person, who started at wide receiver. "We
made a couple of mistakes and New York City capitalized."
Flake, who started at linebacker, pointed to one key play which influenced
the outcome.
"We made a big mistake
on offense. We fumbled," Flake said. "If that had not happened,
the whole game would turn around."
The New York rushing attack proved impressive as its speedy runners combined
to gain 326 yards on 52 carries, New York gained 398 yards on 66 plays, compared
to Long Island's 328 yards on 60 plays.
"We tried to stop their running, but we couldn't," Flake said. "We weren't prepared for their speed."
The Long Island offense
lacked an effective passing attack and was unable to throw long passes.
New York's smallest player, 5-5, 155-pound Antonio Walcott of Fort Hamilton
High, finished with a game high 175 yards rushing and he scored on two TD
runs. Walcott added a two-point conversion for his team's final two points.
Legree, an elusive scrambler, threw two TD passes and had no turnovers
"New York had the speed; a lot quicker than we were," Prendergast
said.
Gowins, who earned the 2006 Hansen Award as the top prep player in Suffolk County, scored twice in the first half. His showed his exceptional speed to give Long Island a 7-0 lead with a 12-yard run. In the second quarter, he ran one yard to the end zone.
After that, Gowins rarely
touched the ball and finished with 27 yards on eight carries. With Martin
providing some of the blocking, Mike Mayo of Roosevelt (13 carries for 78
yards and one TD) and Will Porter of Freeport (11 carries for 77 yards) paced
Long Island's ground game.
Cipp said Gowins, who owns many Bellport scoring and rushing records, is used
to getting more carries.
"When he gets his
shoulders squared, he is a load to bring down," Cipp said. "He squats
650 (pounds) which is legitimate."
Ronnie Cameron, an aggressive defensive end from Holy Trinity, made three
sacks and three tackles for loss, and was named the Long Island MVP. Walcott
earned the Player of the Game award.
Marino contributed to
seven tackles. Flake and Prendergast, who played 35 snaps, were in on six
solo and assisted tackles
Spruill, who was selected as a wide receiver, was unable to compete. He suffered
a dislocated ankle in May.
"I was very happy that I was picked (an All-Star), but upset that I didn't
get a chance to play because of my injury," Spruill said. "It would
have been nice to play with the guys."
Flake was pleased to be involved with the Empire Challenge.
:I am very happy to be selected," Flake said. "I had a lot of hard work."
Marino, Gowins and Flake all said they enjoyed making new friends.
"This meant a lot to me to play with a lot of great athletes," Marino said.
Person also will long remember being considered being one of the best senior players in Nassau and Suffolk chosen for the Empire Challenge, which is organized each year by the Boomer Esiason Foundation.
"I feel it is a privilege," Person said. "I am happy I got picked. There is a lot of talent on Long Island.
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