Ward Melville football beats Floyd on Matt Hubbard's two-point stop in final minute in battle of unbeatens
Ward Melville celebrates a touchdown by Joey Benedetto, far right, during a Suffolk Division I football game against Floyd on Friday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
There were 22 seconds left on the clock.
It was decision time. Go for the two-point conversion and the win. Or convert the extra point kick and force overtime.
William Floyd coach Paul Longo chose to go for the win. His Colonials were on the road and trailed Ward Melville by a point. And a Paul Longo coached team had never lost to the Patriots in East Setauket in his 30 years at the helm.
In fact, Longo’s career record against Ward Melville was 20-2. He chose to go for the win.
And it made sense. Just two minutes earlier, Floyd’s junior halfback Ja’Quan Thomas scored easily on a two-point conversion run to tie the score at 15. Ward Melville countered with a 52-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Hudson Philbrick to wide receiver Joey Karpowicz and Ethan Jargo added the kick for the lead with 1:06 left.
Floyd added to the frenetic ending with a three-play, 64-yard TD drive capped by a 9-yard pass from AJ Cannet to wide receiver Jack Molini to make it a one-point game with 22 seconds left setting the stage for Longo’s decision.
“We knew they would go for two,” Ward Melville coach Chris Boltrek said. “It’s what they do.”
Ward Melville stacked the box on defense and positioned itself to try and stop the run. Floyd went to play action to the surprise of everyone but Patriots cornerback Matt Hubbard. He blanketed Floyd wide receiver PJ Gilhauley across the back of the end zone. The 5-10 Hubbard swatted Cannet’s two-point pass away from the 6-3 Gilhauley to seal Ward Melville’s 22-21 win on Friday in a battle of unbeatens in a Suffolk Division I football game.
Ward Melville improved to 5-0 and Floyd fell to 4-1.
“That was a great play,” said Ward Melville linebacker Liam Cronin, who had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. “We were ready for the run and they tried to switch it up. Our coaches put us in a position to win and we made plays all game.”
Hubbard was mobbed in the end zone after the defensive gem.
“We’re told we’re small and have no chance, but we got after it on defense,” Karpowicz said. “Our defensive coordinator Jon Sorbera is all about 11 hats to the ball. And against Floyd and that big back you need everyone involved.”
Thomas, who had 115 yards on 17 carries, opened the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown run with 4:43 left in the half. The scoring run came two plays after the Floyd defense stopped the Patriots on a fourth-and-3 conversion at the Colonials 38.
Ward Melville set up its first score with a big defensive play.
On Floyd’s opening possession of the third quarter, Cronin recovered a fumble at the Colonials 37. On the very next play, Philbrick found Joe Benedetto for a 37-yard TD pass. Jargo’s kick tied the score at 7.
“It was the first time we played Floyd at home and it was a great atmosphere with all of our fans, the band and the community,” Cronin said. “We prepped for the big back and Floyd’s line and I thought we had a great game plan.”
The Ward Melville defense forced another turnover when Nate Wain intercepted a deflected pass at the Patriots 36. Two plays later, Philbrick fired deep down the field to Benedetto on a post-corner route for a 56-yard TD and a 13-7 lead.
“I just put it out there and trust our receivers,” said Philbrick, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 277 yards. “He made the over-the-shoulder catch.”
Ward Melville threatened to take a two-score lead early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots drove 87 yards in 13 plays to the Colonials 3 before fumbling at the 1-yard-line. The ball was recovered by a Floyd defender who retreated into the end zone and tackled for a safety and a 15-7 Ward Melville lead, setting up the final frantic moments.
“We talk a lot about toughness,” Boltrek said. “People question our toughness. Every game becomes a statement game.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
