Longwood's Isaiah White racks up 5 TDs
Longwood RB Isaiah White bursts through midfield and runs 60 yards for the TD in a game against Sachem North on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Credit: George A. Faella
Isaiah White is the do-it-all playmaker for Longwood. He made plays everywhere Friday night in Longwood's 62-14 win over Sachem North in a Suffolk Division I football game. It was the Isaiah White show.
The senior halfback rushed 15 times for 231 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of play. He made seven tackles, forced a fumble and grabbed two interceptions.
"He's an incredible athlete," Longwood tackle Matt Weiss said. "He makes us look good all the time. I don't even think it was our best performance on the line but his running was spectacular."
Longwood (7-0), Long Island's top-ranked team, scored on all nine possessions. The offense was so efficient, the Lions scored on the first or second play of four possessions. And no possession took longer than six plays -- it was pure domination.
"It's unbelievable having a guy like White," said Longwood quarterback Marquis Simpson, who threw for two touchdowns. "He's a great runner and our guys block hard until the whistle. We did a great job up front."
White opened the scoring with a 51-yard touchdown run. Mike Linbrunner added the kick to make it 7-0 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. On the next possession, Simpson used a neat play fake to White to draw the defense and then fired a 51-yard scoring pass to a wide open Sean Rausch to make it 14-0.
"Just like every game, we're out to make a statement," White said. "These guys were the defending champs and it means something to us to beat them. I felt like I exploded through the defense a few times."
White's second touchdown was special. From a shotgun formation, he took a direct snap and jetted over the right side of the line and went untouched for a 68-yard scoring burst in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead. White added a 21-yard scoring run just before the half for a 35-14 advantage.
"We were clicking," Simpson said. "Everything was working."
Sachem North (3-4) halfback Kevin Bragaglia scored on runs of 11 and 58 yards to keep the Flaming Arrows within striking distance at the half. Bragaglia finished with 139 yards on 15 carries and sat out the second half.
White scored on runs of 1 and 43 yards in the third quarter to make it 48-14. He grabbed his second interception on Sachem North's next possession and on the ensuing return was tackled hard and appeared injured on the Sachem sideline.
The Longwood staff sprinted across the field with their star player down.
"We were relieved it was nothing more than a charley horse," Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. "Thankfully, he's fine."
Junior halfback Michael Scalice replaced White and scored on a 15-yard run. In a show of sportsmanship, the teams agreed to play with a running clock for most of the second half.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
