BY BOB HERZOG
I finally got a chance to see Riverhead sensation Miguel Maysonet on Saturday as the Blue Waves rolled over Bellport. That meant I got one eyewitness look at both of Newsday’s “cover boys” for this year's special preview section, having seen Hempstead's Terrell Williams run all over the field in a victory over Freeport last month.
We featured Maysonet in our Suffolk edition and Williams in our Nassau edition. Looks like we picked the right guys, too, as both had huge senior seasons for their playoff-bound teams and are serious candidates for the coveted Hansen and Thorpe awards as the best player in their respective counties.
Both players are difference-makers on offense and defense, and both are game-changers who present all kinds of challenges to opposing coaches.
Freeport coach Russ Cellan elected not to focus his game plan on Williams, hoping he could contain everyone else. Williams wound up having a big game and Hempstead handed the Red Devils their only loss. Bellport coach Joe Cipp decided to concentrate on Maysonet and got burned by the quarterback-receiver tandem of Tim Velys and Rasheen Moore instead. No easy answers for these hard-to-stop star players.
What impressed me most about both Williams and Maysonet was not just their considerable running abilities but their dedication to defense. Williams ran an interception back 102 yards the day I watched Hempstead, while Maysonet made a couple of outstanding defensive plays in Riverhead’s big win on Saturday. Both players have acknowledged their love for defense, even though both will likely be running backs at the next level.
Nice to see two big-time players make a commitment to do whatever it takes to help their teams win at this level before worrying about college.