BLUE WAVES 28, EAGLES 7
Air game gets more than a passing grade
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Riverhead forward Liz Tilton, shown dribbling around West Babylon sweeper Erin McArdle, scored in the Blue Waves' 2-1 loss.
A reminder of that was served on Saturday when the Blue Waves used Maysonet as a decoy on play-action passes to draw West Babylon defenders toward the line of scrimmage, and then burn them with passes to open receivers. The result was a 28-7 victory by the top-seeded Blue Waves over the No. 4 Eagles in the Suffolk County Division II football game at Mathew Wilensky Athletic Field.
Riverhead's first-string quarterback, Tim Velys, showed no ill effects from surgery on his left throwing shoulder this past June. In his first start of the season, the senior went 12 for 18, passing for 248 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating in excess of 406.
Velys threw scoring tosses of 29 and 42 yards to Tim Fitzgerald as well as making a 51-yard connection with an obscenely wide open Tyler Gilliam down the middle of the field for a touchdown.
When the Eagles packed the box out of concern for stopping Maysonet, the Blue Waves made them pay.
"That's what happens when you have a strong running game," Blue Waves coach Leif Shay said. "The fact that our running game is so solid, it just opens up things in the passing game. If you look at the box score, you'll say Maysonet didn't have a good game, but he really did have a great game, I think, because of the fact that it basically took 10 guys to tackle him, and they were leaving guys open."
"I think they were kind of keying on me, and they were just leaving the hitches wide open, the seams wide open," said Maysonet, who ran for an impressive three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After being hit in the backfield, Maysonet spun, and then drove forward, over the goal line.
Four of Riverhead's first five drives ended with touchdowns in a game that saw all the scoring confined to the first half. Riverhead's offense was so effective that it totaled more than three times as much in total offensive yards as the Eagles, 364-113. The Blue Waves (2-0) converted 8 of 14 third-down plays (to 2 of 11 for the Eagles), gave up only 25 yards in penalties, and gained 14 first downs to only four for their hosts (the first Eagles first down didn't come until late in the second quarter). Riverhead's punter, Joe Maglione, didn't punt for the first time until there were about two and a half minutes left to play.
"They're tough, but I guess we have to be tougher," Maysonet said. "We won."
The Riverhead defense didn't fare too badly, either, and was perhaps a bit unfortunate not to have recorded a shutout. With the Blue Waves leading, 14-0, a punt by West Babylon's Ryan Pasieka bounced off the foot of Blue Wave Malcolm Cater, and Jesse Powers recovered the ball for the Eagles (0-2) on the Riverhead 20-yard line. On the next play, Robert White floated an accurate touchdown pass to Michael Munch.
The Blue Waves didn't take long to reply, though. Their second play after regaining possession was Gilliam's touchdown reception.
"We just got some play action, and they bit," said Fitzgerald, who made five first-half catches for 109 yards.
No one could argue the truth that Maysonet's mere presence helps Riverhead's passing game.
"Our team doesn't just rely on me," said Maysonet, who was sporting a swollen right hand after the game, the result of twice being hit by a helmet. "We have other weapons on the team that could do just as great a job as I can. If I didn't play today, we still would have won because they don't need me. They can do it just by themselves."
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