By Bill Landon
Rocky Point hadn’t lost a game since Oct. 1, when the Eagles suffered their second loss of the season, a 42-14 defeat, at the hands of Sayville. No. 4-seeded Rocky Point found itself back up against that same team in the Division III semifinals Nov. 12, and still struggled against the No. 1 Golden Flashes, falling 42-8.
“It’s not about one game — it’s about the year, and we have a lot to be proud of,” Rocky Point head coach Anthony DiLorenzo said. “I feel like we’ve put Rocky Point back on the map.”
The Eagles were on the move in the final minute of the first half, marching down the field during their first scoring threat. The team made it to Sayville’s 9-yard line, but the opposition’s defense denied Rocky Point, and took over on downs.
With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, Rocky Point was on the move again, making its way to the 4-yard line on 4th-and-goal. Again, the Eagles failed to find the end zone, and turned the ball over on downs. Sayville marched the opposite way during a sustained drive, helped in part by flying penalty flags on Rocky Point’s defense. Sayville punched into the end zone for its fourth touchdown with 4:13 left in the quarter, and after a successful point-after attempt kick, broke out to a 28-0 lead.
Carry after carry, Rocky Point running back Petey LaSalla ground and pounded the ball up the middle for most of what offense the Eagles could muster. As a result, the Sayville defense heavily targeted the junior.
On the opening drive in the final quarter, LaSalla — after several carries — punched into the end zone for the team’s only touchdown of the day. LaSalla lined up under center to attempt a 2-point conversion, and after a bad snap went over LaSalla’s head, he recovered the ball, slipped passed several would-be tacklers and threw the ball to senior running back Michael Brewer, who made the 15-yard catch and lunged over the goal line to bring the score to 28-8.
Despite the result, DiLorenzo was impressed with how his 7-3 team finished the season and its playoff push.
“I just thank the seniors for giving me their hearts,” he said. “I said to the kids as much as it hurts to lose 42-8 right now, we’re headed in the right direction.”
