MacArthur QB Jimmy Kelleher tries his best but team comes up short
MacArthur quarterback Jimmy Kelleher (10) rolls to his right to throw during the second half of the Long Island Football Championships at Hofstra University on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Jimmy Kelleher didn't get angry when he went into the MacArthur locker room at halftime in the Long Island Class II championship game at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium on Friday night.
Instead, he and his team calmly focused on a simple message: Stick to the plan.
That strategy came together in the second half as the Generals scored three consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter before falling to Newfield, 41-33.
Kelleher, who had 1,412 passing yards and threw 15 touchdown passes (in 89 completions) in the regular season, worked his way through a tight secondary, finding receiver Jared Wolfe for key plays to keep the game alive.
"Just keep the effort going," Kelleher said about his thought process. "[The receivers] were all doing a great job sticking with their guys, trying to get a little bit of a release. I think I just had to get rid of the ball at the right time."
The game didn't finish the way Kelleher wanted it to, but he added 158 passing yards in the second half to his 90 yards in the first half. He was 17-for-37 in MacArthur's short passing game against a strong secondary. That, coupled with Newfield's strong defensive line, made for what he called a quarterback's worst nightmare.
"A lot of those guys are probably going to be Division I, Division II athletes," Kelleher said. "So for the receivers, I think being able to stay with them and give them their all shows a lot and I'm proud of them."
Coach Bobby Fehrenbach said he tasked Kelleher with trying to complete short passes and establish timing with his receivers.
"We're not really looking to go deep so much, just looking to maybe go inside, then outside really quickly and get the ball in our hands in 8, 10 yards," Fehrenbach said.
But a successful season came up just short of the ultimate goal, leaving Kelleher to walk off the field one final time with a bittersweet feeling.
"It's tough," he said.
