Mepham defense records third straight shutout, defeating Calhoun
Mephan's Lenny Archan breaks free of a tackle as he runs for a touchdown in the 1st half during the Nassau Conference 2 football game at Mephan, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 Credit: Neil Miller
From the opening possession, it was clear the Mepham defense wasn’t playing around.
Mepham, which entered Saturday not allowing a point all season, forced turnovers on each of its first two defensive possessions and finished with five takeaways in a 31-0 home victory over Calhoun in Nassau Conference II football and a matchup of two schools in the same district separated by less than two miles.
“We play with anger, we play with aggression and we play for each other,” said senior running back and linebacker Matthew Biscardi. “Everything we do is based around our defense. It’s about aggression. We just play so angry.”
Biscardi recovered a fumble in Calhoun’s second possession after James Quilty recorded an interception on the fourth play of the game. Although Mepham didn’t score off those drives, it sent the message that a defensive takeover was underway.
“I think that was the swing in momentum,” Quilty said. “It really got us going. We had a couple of bad first drives on offense but once we get going, we never let up.”
Mepham held Calhoun to 75 total yards, including 43 yards over the first 10 drives before most of the starters sat for the final possession.
Tyler Rannacher and Eric Rivera each had an interception and Stephen Soel had a fumble recovery for Mepham (3-0). The Pirates' Jayden Perez also blocked a punt in the win.
“Honestly, I think we have the best defense in the conference right now,” Quilty said. “Our energy is unmatched.”
Lenny Achan led the Mepham offense with 80 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns. He opened the scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:26 left in the first quarter, breaking five tackles during the scamper.
Achan was determined to finish the run in the end zone.
“That’s my No. 1 goal always — stay off the ground,” Achan said. “Even if they are pulling on my jersey, I’m not going down. I’m breaking tackles and the first goal is not to go down then the second is the end zone.”
Achan added a 7-yard touchdown run with 10:01 left in the second quarter and a 2-yard touchdown run with 5:34 left in the second to give Mepham a 21-0 lead.
“He’s really good between the tackles,” coach Tom Mazeika said. “Reading and finding the hole, there’s a couple of times when you watch the film and it seems like there’s not a lot there but he’s always moving forward, getting up the field and all of a sudden he squeezes out and as you saw on that first (touchdown) run, he finds daylight.”
Ryan Bayer also made a 27-yard field goal and Owen Heller found Rannacher for a 32-yard touchdown for Mepham. Biscardi also rushed for 72 yards on nine carries and Heller added five carries for 63 yards. Calhoun falls to 1-2.
The Mepham players and coaches said they aren’t focused on the current shutout streak. But it also can’t be ignored.
“We just want to play good defense,” Quilty said. “Shutouts are nice, obviously, you always want to get a shutout but at the end of the day, we just want the win.”
