James Hegel's 4 picks, James Napoli's 4 TDs push MacArthur over Mepham
James Hegel of MacArthur pulls down the interception during a Nassau Conference II football game against Mepham on Saturday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
James Hegel began his Saturday facing the challenge of the SAT.
He later ended it by etching his name into the MacArthur record books.
Hegel was all over the secondary for the Generals, broke the program’s single-game record for interceptions with four and returned the final one 100 yards for a touchdown in a 47-21 road victory over Mepham in a Nassau II football game.
Though Hegel was excited to set the record, he was already turning his focus to next week’s game.
"It’s a great achievement," said Hegel, who took the SAT earlier that morning. "But I’m really focused on Carey. I was just reacting really. I’d see the quarterback roll right and just look at my guy right away. Just drop until the ball is thrown."
MacArthur improved to 4-0, while Mepham suffered its first loss and is now 3-1.
MacArthur coach Bob Fehrenbach said the program’s previous record of three interceptions in a game was held by eight different players. He joked that Hegel needs to begin every game day in similar fashion.
"That’s pretty special," Ferhenbach said. "I told him he needs to take the SAT before every game from now on if he’s going to play like that."
Hegel’s 100-yard touchdown with 5:50 remaining, his first-ever interception return for a touchdown, extended the lead to 47-21 and was the finishing touch for MacArthur in a stout effort on both sides of the ball.
In addition to Hegel’s ball-hawking ways, running back James Napoli set the tone for the offense with another remarkable performance. He rushed for 314 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries.
Napoli’s 3-yard rushing touchdown opened the scoring and completed a 13-play, 93-yard drive for MacArthur to give the Generals a 7-0 lead with 2:12 left in the first quarter. He tacked on two more short rushing touchdowns around a 1-yard touchdown run by Mepham quarterback Nicholas Honerkamp, giving MacArthur a 20-7 advantage entering halftime.
"The offensive line just worked hard all week and they knew what they were doing," Napoli said. "They helped me out big-time."
Napoli added another rushing touchdown in the second half, along with quarterback Ryan Muller’s two, as the Generals maintained at least a two-possession lead the rest of the way.
After watching Hegel turn a long day into a record-setting one, Napoli didn’t need many words to describe his teammate’s performance.
"He’s a beast," Napoli said. "That’s all."
