QB Jack Halpin leads potent offense as Bellport beats Lindenhurst, 47-14

Bellport’s Jack Halpin jumped up on the single bar of the goalpost and started pulling himself above his teammates who circled around him just before kickoff on Saturday.

"It’s a great feeling," he said. "The whole team was there for me."

The senior quarterback more than returned the favor on Saturday.

Halpin accounted for 236 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as host Bellport looked impressive in a 47-14 win over Lindenhurst in a Suffolk Division II football game before a crowd of 400.

Lindenhurst (3-1) was faced with a dilemma every time Bellport had the ball. The Clippers mix in a good amount of run-pass-option plays.

Basically, the Lindy defense had to pick its poison: Stop Halpin, or concentrate on talented junior running back Donte Phillips (who had 127 yards rushing on 14 carries with two scores).

"We’ve been playing football together since we were five [years old]," said Halpin, who will attend Albany next year and play lacrosse. "I was the quarterback and he was the running back for the Bellport Youth Football League."

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: Lindenhurst vs. Bellport football

Halpin threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Riley Murphy, and Phillips added a 9-yard scoring run as Bellport (3-1) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs answered when wide receiver Johnny Aquino hauled in a long pass along the Bellport sideline and ran the distance for a 74-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Calvin Pedatella and Bellport led 14-6 with 10:36 left in the first half.

After both teams turned the ball over, Phillips scooted in from 2 yards out with 6:04 remaining to give Bellport a 21-6 lead.

Clippers two-way lineman Alex Brigadir made, perhaps, the play of the game when he intercepted a pass thanks to a hit from teammate Jason Hunt. The 6-2, 225-pound Brigadir, whom coach Jamie Fabian called "one of our fastest linemen," rumbled 73 yards to the Lindenhurst 11-yard line.

Four plays later, Halpin scored on a 1-yard run. The PAT was blocked and Bellport led 27-6 at halftime.

Halpin scored on a 61-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half on an option play and the rout was on. He finished with 136 yards rushing and three scores on eight carries.

He was 3-for-6 passing for 100 yards with one TD and one INT. Halpin also handles the Clippers’ long-snapping duties.

Lindy’s Jake Trovato was limited to 15 yards on 11 carries by a ferocious Bellport defense led by Marc Promutico, who had 12 tackles, including two for a loss.

Pedatella and Hunt each had six tackles in a game that some around Division II might see as a surprising final score. But not Halpin.

"I have the same mindset before every game," he said. "I always expect to win."