Brown, Barnes help Freeport stay perfect
Freeport High School running back #5 Jere Brown, left, looks to evade a tackle by Oceanside #27 Alexander Meller in the first quarter. (Sept. 23, 2011) Credit: James Escher
Jere Brown, rain streaming down his face, uniform soaked, refused to play the expectations game.
Sure, Freeport remained the lone undefeated preseason No. 1 seed in Nassau after a 20-0 win over host Oceanside on Friday night. But the expectations for such a storied program are always sky high.
"Swagger has been at Freeport for years," Brown said. "We're just trying to help carry on tradition."
Brown's role in that effort included a part in three touchdowns as the defending Class I Long Island champions improved to 3-0 in the pouring rain.
"The conditions were pretty difficult, but we practice in the rain all the time," Isaiah Barnes said, "so it was just like another practice out here -- singing in the rain."
After an Oceanside three-and-out to open the game, the music started when Brown returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown just 1:47 into the game.
But if Freeport's offense came out of the gate electric, Oceanside's had no current. It failed to gain a single first down in two more first-quarter possessions, the second ending on a failed fake-punt attempt.
On Freeport's ensuing drive, Barnes found Brown in the back left of the end zone for a 5-yard score. Oceanside got its initial first down 35 seconds into the second quarter on quarterback John Grassi's 17-yard run, but the positives remained few for the Sailors (2-1).
On the same drive, Grassi, looking at the sideline, was hit in the leg when the football was snapped early on fourth down. He fell on the ball, but the turnover on downs led to another Freeport score.
On third-and-14 from the 22, Barnes threw a lateral to Brown, who launched it to Leondre Simmon. Simmon caught it in stride for a 78-yard touchdown with 8:14 left in the second quarter.
The Oceanside defense, backed into a corner for much of the game, fended off what could've been another Barnes score as time expired in the half.
"We usually come out slow on offense and turn it up in the second quarter or so," Barnes said. "This time, we wanted to start early."
Still undefeated, Freeport shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
