Zach Wolfe rushes for 183 yards, 3 TDs as Mount Sinai beats Glenn
Mt. Sinai running back Zach Wolfe rumbles in for the touchdown from the five-yard line in the first quarter. (Sept. 20, 2013) Credit: George A. Faella
An explosive running attack and a great defensive effort by Mount Sinai ended Glenn's two-year reign as Suffolk IV champions in the quarterfinals of the playoffs last season.
Friday night's early season rematch followed a similar script.
Behind the legs of Zach Wolfe and Mike Cortese and a defense that allowed only seven points in the final 47:20 of the game, Mt. Sinai beat Glenn, 32-14, under the home lights.
"It was a real team effort," Wolfe said. "Our line killed it today and just like last week we came back harder and stronger. With me and Cortese you really don't know who is going to get the ball and our line did all the work."
It didn't start smoothly for the Mustangs (2-0). On the first play from scrimmage Glenn (1-1) quarterback Tom Balacki found receiver Steven Orkiszewski wide open over the middle for a 78-yard touchdown. Orkiszewski finished the game with seven catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
"This could be a long night," is what Mt. Sinai coach Vinnie Ammirato said he was thinking just 20 seconds into the game.
"We worked on our pass drops into the dark this week and to have them hit that first play . . . " he said. "But our kids are pretty resilient and I'm really proud of the way they came back and I'm proud of the way they kept their heads in it. I think we did a nice job from there on out against their passing game."
The Mustangs had a quick answer to Glenn's opening salvo. On the ensuing drive they marched down the field, running the ball six times and gaining 68 yards. Wolfe had the big run, a 30-yarder, and eventually punched it into the end zone from 7 yards.
Wolfe finished with 183 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
After forcing a Glenn three-and-out, the Mustangs took over the ball at their own 39-yard line and needed only two plays to score when Cortese plowed into the line, kept his legs churning and muscled his way to a 52-yard touchdown run.
"We just picked everybody up off their backs," Cortese said about the game's early moments. "Nobody got down on themselves and everyone was trying to pick each other up. It was a great team effort."
The Mustangs made it 3-for-3 on touchdowns when Wolfe scored on a punishing four-yard run on Mt. Sinai's third drive.
"I think what really has helped us this year is that we really have a quarterback who can run the ball really well," Ammirato said. "Coles [Williams] only had a few carries but he rushed for a couple of first downs and took some of the pressure off of Zach and Michael."
Glenn scored in the final seconds of the first half but Mt. Sinai came back strong in the second half, scoring touchdowns on two of its first three drives to provide the final margin.
Beating a familiar foe in Glenn early in the season is important for playoff seeding as the Mustangs try to battle back to the division final.
"You only get eight games and you might as well enjoy all eight," Ammirato said. "That's what we'll do -- we'll enjoy this one now and then get back to work [Saturday] morning."
