Terrance Robinson runs for 271 yards in Longwood victory
Longwood RB Terrance Robinson takes the handoff and looks for running room against Ward Melville in a Suffolk Division I football game on Friday at Ward Melville. Credit: George A Faella
Terrance Robinson dipped into the middle of the defense and emerged unscathed as he broke toward the visitors’ sideline, and 67 yards later, he was in the end zone. Robinson’s touchdown sprint helped Longwood open a two-score first-half lead in a 23-20 win over host Ward Melville on Friday night in a Suffolk Division I football game in East Setauket.
Robinson was the difference maker. He rushed 34 times for 271 yards as the Longwood front pushed Ward Melville around all night.
“It all starts up front with our line,” Robinson said. “I’m nothing without those big guys opening running lanes and moving bodies.”
Robinson weaved in and out of the Ward Melville defense for 185 yards on 17 carries and five first-down runs in the first half. He followed big blocks from center Clint Chichester, guards Wallace Wilson and Josh Jackson and tackles Brian Heidrich and Tyler Hammel.
Longwood-6-7-7-3-23
Ward Melville-0-0-13-7-20
L – Robinson 67 run (kick failed)
L – Hauser 16 pass from Corbett (Blank kick)
WM – Gaffney 3 run (kick failed)
WM – Morgan 29 pass from Belli (Morgan kick)
L – Kaleb 22 run (Blank kick)
L – FG Blank 23
WM – Weber 15 pass from Belli (Morgan kick)
“We play bully ball and push people around,” Longwood tight end Mason Hauser said. “I’m a blocking tight end. We spent all winter in the weight room getting stronger and it showed tonight. We were very physical.”
After Robinson’s long first-quarter touchdown run, Hauser caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Caleib Corbett for a 13-0 lead with 1:58 left in the half.
“This is a big win for our program,” Longwood coach Sean Kluber said. “It was an important step against a really good football team.”
Ward Melville (1-1) managed only 19 yards rushing in a first half dominated by the Longwood defense. But the Patriots drove 75 yards in four plays to start the third quarter and get on the scoreboard. Andrew Belli hit Nick Gaffney for 19 yards to open the march and added a 58-yard catch and run to Brody Morgan to set up Gaffney’s 3-yard touchdown run. The extra point was botched, and Ward Melville trailed 13-6.
The Patriots forced a three-and-out and took over at its own 35. Belli engineered a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to tie the score at 13. Belli found Morgan for a 29-yard scoring strike with 6:21 left in the third quarter.
“We had to grab the momentum back,” Hauser said. “And we went back to our ground game.”
Longwood responded with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a Lou Kaleb 22-yard run with 1:52 left in the third quarter. Sophomore kicker Dan Blank added the extra-point kick to make it 20-13.
Blank then drilled a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for the 23-13 lead.
“I’m very proud of him as his kicking was one of the keys in tonight’s win,” Kluber said. “He hit what proved to be the winning field goal. And his punting continually flipped the field position.”
Ward Melville drove 69 yards in six plays and Jackson Weber caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Belli to draw within 23-20 with 59 seconds left.
The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds and with no timeouts, Longwood (2-0) kneeled for two plays to run out the clock and earn the road win over the second-seeded Patriots.
“I felt we set the tone with the first touchdown,” Robinson said. “We came in to pound the ball down the field and the line did not disappoint.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
