Walt Whitman Wildcats outlast Ward Melville Patriots
Ward Melville junior Nick Gaffney drew first blood in the Suffolk Division 1 semifinal playoff road game against Walt Whitman on a 16-yard run to put the Patriots out front, 7-0. Walt Whitman is the No. 1 seed for a reason as they matched the score on an 80-yard run from the line of scrimmage at the 8:15 mark of the opening quarter.
On a trick play Ward Melville quarterback Chris Prussen lateralled the ball to tight end Kevin Dolan who threw to a wide-open Frankie Carroll in the endzone to put his team out front.
After Whitman matched the score, Prussen, on a keeper, eluded three would-be tacklers, to put his team ahead, 21-14, but the lead was short lived. Whitman scored two unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-21 lead into the halftime break. After a scoreless third quarter, Whitman struck again in the fourth to lead by two scores before Frankie Carroll caught his second touchdown pass, but it was too little too late as the Patriots fell to the Wildcats, 35-29.
Ward Melville concludes their 2021 campaign with a 7-4 record.
