Wildcats football heads to county finals
So far it’s been another perfect season for the Shoreham-Wading River football team, as the No. 1-seeded Wildcats move into the Division IV finals today, where the team will take on No. 2 Elwood-John Glenn at Stony Brook University at 7 p.m.
After going 8-0 in league play, the Wildcats moved on to face No. 8 McGann-Mercy in the qualifying round, where the team demolished its competition, 41-7. Next up was Bayport-Blue Point in the semifinals, and again, Shoreham-Wading River came out on top, 21-6.
In the game against Bayport, the opposition scored first, which was just the second time the team had allowed an opponent to score first all season. The only other time, was when Elwood-John Glenn got on the scoreboard first in the second quarter of the team’s Oct. 17 matchup. But as has been the case with the Wildcats all along, the team found its groove and consistently piled on the points.
Scoring first was senior wide receiver Jon Constant on a five-yard run with six minutes left in the first quarter, which gave Shoreham-Wading River the lead for good, at 7-6. Junior quarterback Kevin Cutinella completed five of seven passes for 85 yards, and also rushed in the team’s next score, to put the Wildcats out in front, 14-6. Senior running back Chris Rosati scored the final touchdown of the game on a 47-yard run, and senior kicker Daniel Mahoney remained nearly perfect on the season, as he split the uprights for the final time of the game. Mahoney only had one kick blocked and two kicks miss the entire season.
Senior fullback Will Loper had 10 tackles with a forced fumble, and junior defensive end Ethan Wiederkehr had six tackles and a forced fumble in the win over Bayport-Blue Point.
As was the case last season, the Wildcats always found ways to score, while also limiting their opponents to two scores or fewer. Three of the team’s games were shutouts this season, and while Shoreham-Wading River tallied 353 points this season, the Wildcats only allowed 60 points against.
