Riverheaders taste national title
Hobson, Meekins share in New York Tech's Division II crown
By Bob Liepa
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By "we," Meekins was referring to the Bears, and by "it," he meant winning the N.C.A.A. Division II championship.
New York Tech collected its fourth national title and third in six years by defeating defending champion LeMoyne College, 16-11, in the final on Sunday before 24,317 fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. In the process, junior middie Jeremy Hobson and Meekins became the first products of the Riverhead High School team to become national champions.
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New York Tech (13-1) twice overcame three-goal deficits in the first half. Austin Carino's second goal of the game tied the score at 7-7 with 15 seconds left in the first half. That was the second of five straight goals by the Bears, who led the rest of the way although LeMoyne (15-2) pulled to within one goal three times after that.
"Once we settled down, we took over," Hobson said. "We turned it on."
Keith Henderson, the Division II goal-scoring leader with 62 this year, scored five goals from six shots for New York Tech. Matt Messina added two goals and three assists while Chris Powers made 11 saves in 59:30.
Nick Gatto netted three goals for the Dolphins, leaving him with 24 on the year.
Hobson, a second-line middie, put two of his five shots on goal and had a ground ball for the Bears, who enjoyed a 39-25 advantage in that category.
New York Tech reached the national final last year before falling to Mercyhurst College, which in turn lost to LeMoyne. That experience might have made the Bears more determined this time to capture the crown.
"Last year we were one step away. It just left a bad taste in our mouth," Hobson said. "This year we did it."
Although Meekins didn't play in Sunday's game, he could appreciate the moment. "It felt like a movie almost," he said. "This is probably one of the best feelings I ever had."
Meekins said that when he was being recruited, New York Tech coach Jack Kaley told him that if he wanted to play in a national championship game, Tech was the place to play.
For Hobson, the experience was all the more memorable because the game was played at Gillette Stadium, home to his favorite football team, the New England Patriots. Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi gave a motivational speech at a banquet dinner the night before the game. "The N.C.A.A. treated us like kings," said Hobson, who was cheered on by his father, Jerry, and stepmother, Darlene, as well as Riverhead Blue Waves coach Tony Lawrence and Hobson's elementary school coach, Bill Hedges.
Hobson, who suffered a torn labrum earlier in the season, has totaled seven goals, 23 assists, 64 shots and 68 ground balls over the course of his career at New York Tech. At first he said he could have had a better 2008 season, and then he caught himself, saying, "It's a good season any time you're a national champion."
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