'D' lifts Newfield to first county title
Newfield's Michael Silva breaks to the outside for a first down. (Nov. 18, 2011) Credit: Alan J Schaefer
Something new for Newfield . . . the first county championship in school history and its first trip to the Long Island Championship.
Something old, too . . . a punishing defense that's been its trademark for the past two seasons. The 'D' rose up in full force in the second half Friday night, as the Wolverines rallied for a 14-13 victory over East Islip in the Suffolk II championship game at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium.
Newfield (8-3) will face Garden City (11-0) in the LI championship game next Friday at Hofstra at 4 p.m. East Islip, which is 5-13 in county title games, finished 8-3 and saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end.
"Oh my God! Look at me! I'm speechless! I'm so excited! I don't know what to say!" exclaimed fullback/linebacker Ron Denig, who scored on a 4-yard run with 3:00 left in the third quarter that combined with Thomas Keute's extra point gave Newfield a 14-13 lead.
The Wolverines' other points also came in the third quarter when Zach Powell carried for the first time and bolted 70 yards for a TD that jolted Newfield back to life after being dominated in the first half.
"I couldn't wait to get the ball. My first touch, a touchdown!" Powell said. "Just a nice sweep to the outside and the blocking was incredible. This is amazing. I'm just so happy."
There was a lot of unrestrained joy on the turf after the game, as Newfield's players raced to the bleachers and shared the moment with a large contingent of fans. "We won it! We're playing Garden City in the LIC!" said Denig, a senior and a leader of the defensive unit that held East Islip to just 96 yards in the second half.
EI had scored on Tyler Rigo's 59-yard TD run, his school-record 23rd touchdown of the season, and Pete Hanaberg's 35-yard TD pass to Joe Modica, but Hanaberg missed the extra point and a couple of field goals that proved costly.
East Islip seemed in control at halftime, but Newfield switched from a three-man front into a four-man defensive line in the second half and that caused chaos. Hanaberg, who was 15-for-26 for 191 yards, was under duress frequently and threw two interceptions.
James Manginelli made two big plays from his defensive tackle spot. With East Islip desperately trying to drive for the winning score in the fourth quarter, Manginelli sacked Hanaberg for a big 7-yard loss on third down. The Redmen managed to pick up a first down, but Manginelli & co. pressured Hanaberg into an inaccurate pass two plays later that was intercepted by Mike Silva (101 yards on 12 carries).
"I took an outside rush and hit the gap between the center and guard," Manginelli said of his sack. "I was wide open. What a good feeling. We changed things up in the second half and that changed the whole game."
Dylan Harned, a sophomore, also picked off Hanaberg in the fourth quarter. "I was just reading the quarterback's eyes," he said. "Our line made him rush his throw. It was a bad ball and I just came out and got it. This is just crazy. What a great thing it is for the seniors."
For junior Manginelli, too. "This is such an amazing feeling," he said. "Yeah, we're crying. But it's tears of joy."
