BY MARC JIMENEZ
Good evening and welcome to Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium as Plainedge and Bethpage are set to square off for the Nassau Conference III championship. The last time these two teams played, Bethpage plowed for 361 yards on the ground en route to a convincing 42-12 win on Oct. 11. If Bethpage (9-1), which defeated Wantagh 28-7 in the semifinal, is going to win again, Kevin Glueckert and Joe Miceli will need to have big games running the ball.
Expect Plainedge (8-2), which beat Lawrence 27-14 in the semifinal, to put up a better fight this time around. The Red Devils have been playing really well as of late. They have won their last four games (by at least two touchdowns) and are led by QB Mike Rossi and a trio of talented runners: Nick Camera, Kevin Kennedy and A.J. Fusco.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Both teams are warming up now and doing their best to stay warm. Will be back with updates throughout the game.
Update: Bethpage will receive the ball first. Kickoff is just underway.
6:28 Bethpage started at the 16-yard line and keep in on the ground the entire drive. Kevin Glueckert broke off a 50-yard run before getting dragged down at the 9. Two plays later, QB Ed Conway ran it in four yards for the score. Scoring drive: 84 yards on 10 plays in 5:32. The two-point conversion was no good. Bethpage 6, Plainedge 0.
5:59 Bethpage recovered Robert Bellairs’ fumble on Glueckert's big hit.
4:07 Bethpage couldn’t take advantage of the fumble and punted after getting stopped on 4th-and-6 on the Plainedge 39.
2:36 Plainedge QB Mike Rossi missed Rob Bellairs on a deep pass on 2nd-and-22. Too bad for them because they were forced to punt. Bethpage took over at the Plainedge 46.
End of First Quarter: Bethpage dominated the action in the first. They led in time of position, 10:14 to 1:46. Bethpage 6, Plainedge 0.
8:20 Glueckert picked up 10 yards on 4th-and-2 to bring it down to the 27. Then on 4th-and-10, Conway ran the ball for 8 yards and was stopped on the 9 as Plainedge took over.
4:21 Plainedge picked up one first down on a scramble by Rossi. But then its drive stalled. On 1st-and-10 at the 30, Nick Camera rushed for a no gain. Justin Browning then caught a 1-yard pass before Rossi overthrew his receiver as Plainedge was forced to punt. Glueckert dropped the punt as Plainedge got another chance to score.
1:01 On 4th-and-3 on the 17, Rossi nearly picked up a first down, but he fumbled on Mark Basich’s hit.
0:10 Glueckert ran for 44 yards and was tackled on the Plainedge 33. That set up Cody Ryan’s 35-yard field goal attempt, but he missed it.
Halftime: Bethpage 6, Plainedge 0.
Stats: B: Glueckert 132 yards on 11 carries. P: Rossi 23 yards on 7 carries.
11:53 Plainedge started at the 36 to begin the second half.
9:46 The Red Devils were not able to move the ball. A fumbled-snap on 3rd down forced them to punt.
5:00 On 3rd-and-3 at the 39, Glueckert gained two yards and was short of the first down. Jimmy Haugen, however, rushed for 3 and picked up the first. A delay of game, forced a 3rd-and 11 at the 44. No matter, Glueckert plowed for 15 yards to pick up the first. He is at 150 yards on the day!
3:21 Miceli's 8-yard run put Bethpage on the Plainedge 30. Two plays later, Glueckert rushed for 28 yards for a score and ran in the two-point conversion. Bethpage 14, Plainedge 0.
2:15 Plainedge was able to move the ball on its drive. They were charged with an intentional grounding on 3rd, forcing them to punt. Bethpage takes over at the 48.
End of Third: Bethpage is at the Plainedge 31.
11:54 Luongo fumbled and Anthony Fusco recovered. Plainedge takes over on its 30.
7:07 Fusco gained 22 yards and was grabbed by the face mask to set up a 1st-and-goal. Kevin Kennedy gained 6 to bring it to the 4. On 3rd-and-4, Rossi was stopped for a 1-yard gain. Then on 4th down, Rossi tried to run it in. It looked like he fumbled? But Nick Camera came up with the ball for the score. Bethpage 14, Plainedge 7
6:00 Bethpage was forced to punt.
4:45 On 1st-and-goal, Rossi hit Bellairs for an 8-yard TD catch. They went 50 yards on four plays. This one is all tied up. Bethpage 14, Plainedge 14.
4:42 Bethpage takes over at the 20.
3:50 Glueckert's 16 yard gain brings it to the 33.
1:54 Timeout Bethpage, which has the ball on the 35.
1:00 On 3rd-and-7 at the 25, Conway converted on a naked bootleg for the go-ahead score! Conway ran the 2-point conversion in. Bethpage 22, Plainedge 14.
Final: Bethpage 22, Plainedge 20.
Comments (2)
come on plainedge do this for all the cool kids in plainedge
Lets go Bethpage...time to take home another conference III championship....go eagles