The ball was in Bellport’s possession on the five-yard line. Eight seconds were left on the clock. Bellport took its final timeout. A game drenched in a constant heavy freezing rain all came down to this. The score was 9-7. Riverhead was ahead.
Bellport lined up for the game-winning field goal.
Riverhead’s head coach Leif Shay called his first timeout of the half, attempting to ice the kicker.
“That kicker was kicking it into the end zone on kickoffs,” defensive end Tyrese Kerr said. “He was punting the ball 50-60 yards.”
By all means, Bellport’s quarterback, kicker and punter, Nick Fountis was fully able to knock it through the uprights. Everyone knew it, on and off the field. The game was seemingly over.
Shay called his second timeout. Fountis stayed on the field and worked the exact spot he would kick from. He stomped the area down with his cleats and patiently waited for his chance to win the game.
“We gotta win,” middle linebacker Raheem Brown was saying to himself before the snap. “We gotta block it. We gotta go back and ring that bell.”
As Shay attempted to call a third timeout, he was denied the request by the referee.
“He told me that I didn’t have any timeouts left,” Shay said. “I know we had all three left.”
He continued to argue with the referee. And before Shay knew it, the ball was snapped. Fountis took a few steps and put a strong kick on the ball.
It never made it to the uprights. The ball was blocked. Troy Trent’s arm had just won Riverhead the game.
“We went out there knowing we had to block that field goal,” Trent said. “We lined up heavy right and I happened to look up and see the space right in front of the ball. I knifed in, threw my hands up and hoped for the best. Honestly the energy was so intense all I felt was the thud of my shoulder pads and I knew it was blocked.”
“It feels like a dream right now,” Brown said, covered from head to toe in mud.
“I feel like I just won life,” Kerr said, his face splattered in mud.
“I feel like I’m walking through the gateways of heaven,” defensive tackle Ethan Greenidge said.
It was that special.
Riverhead knocked off the undefeated Bellport Clippers in Bellport.
“This reminds me of the olden days of Division II football,” Shay said. “It’s awesome.”
“It’s a great catapult going into playoffs,” Shay continued. “Plus it earned us a home game in the first round of the playoffs. It’s a signature win in a hostile environment.”
With the victory, Riverhead secures a top four seed in Division II. Where they finish exactly will depend on how the power rankings sort out. More will be known Monday.
Ryun Moore who had carried the entire offensive load, taking the ball just about every play for the Blue Waves, suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and left for medical attention at halftime. His status is unknown.
“All the trainer told us was that he couldn’t go,” Shay said.
He had 20 carries for 73 before he went down with the injury.
Raheem Brown filled in for Moore and played out of his mind. Everyone knew Riverhead was going to run the ball and Brown refused to be stopped. He barreled over defenders. The only way to bring him down was to gang tackle.
“Stepping up for Ryun was big for me,” Brown said, who scored on a 2-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 9-0 in the fourth quarter. “I wanted to win it for Ryun.”
Brown who hadn’t took a snap from the running back position all season was up for the challenge. He ran for 101 yards on 27 carries.
“The will to win was what won us the game,” Brown said.
Greenidge, who normally plays offensive tackle, played fullback for the majority of the second half, leading the way for Brown’s bursts.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing at first but it was working,” Greenidge said.
Nico Bossey kicked a 27-yard field goal to put Riverhead on the board first.
Games like this don’t happen often. Sometimes you have to make adjustments. And oftentimes the team who makes the right adjustments wins the game.
Brown called this game the best game of his life but the season isn’t over, he acknowledged.
“The main focus is for next week,” Brown said, his teeth chattering after a series of interviews. “We have to get ready for playoffs.”
He was the last man on the bus as the Blue Waves left to ring the bell in Riverhead.
On Monday, section XI will release the playoff schedule; until then the Blue Waves will enjoy the victory.
As Shay always says, “enjoy this for one day and then Monday, it’s back to work.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.
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