The football balance of power has shifted back to Long Island.
Oceanside’s Tyler Heuer’s 2-yard quarterback keeper gave the Island the lead for good in the fourth quarter of an eventual, 17-14 win over New York City last night in the 16th annual Empire Challenge high-school all-star game in front of a record 11,992 at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium.
NYC had won three of the last four contests, but Long Island now leads the series 7-5 in the game’s current format.
After Heuer’s dive, the City had a chance with 3:30 left in the game. But Lynbrook’s Mike Kozlakowski came up with a huge sack of Christ the King’s Syracuse-bound quarterback Terrel Hunt to set up 2nd-and-19. Kozlakowski, who is headed to Maine, was named the game’s most valuable player with six tackles and two sacks.
“Playing with this group of guys, you have to step up a lot,” Kozlakowski said. “Everyone out here is an all-star.”
On the City’s last series, Xaverian kicker Michael Marando’s 52-yard field goal attempt with time expiring was about 7 yards short. That would have tied the game, which counts Outback Steakhouse among its sponsors.
“I’m never eating Outback Steakhouse again,” NYC defensive lineman Wayne Williams of Lincoln said. “Way too much steak.”
NYC had a lackluster first quarter, but actually outplayed the Island thereafter. The City went ahead for the first time, 14-10, on a 6-yard pass from New Utrecht’s Jordan Paul to Poly Prep’s James Barry with 8:22 left in the third quarter. Tottenville’s Steven Browne set up the score with a 59-yard reverse down to the 9.
Paul, who will play at Gardner-Webb, went 8-of-12 for 114 yards and a touchdown and was named NYC’s player of the game. He said it was tough to get into a rhythm, though. The City rotated running backs into the game on every play and he, Hunt, Campus Magnet’s Scott Gadsen and Lincoln’s Andrew Vital all played under center.
“I was out for the whole third quarter,” Paul said. “I’m not used to that. Me and Terrel were talking, we’re both used to starting.”
NYC outgained Long Island, 304-198, but the Island had a greater time of possession – 30:15 to 29:45. The City was a woeful 1-of-10 on third-down conversions.
“It’s an all-star game,” head coach Danny Perez of Fort Hamilton said. “We tried to get everybody playing time. All the guys are superstars on their own teams. We tried to get them as many touches as we could. [Offensive coordinator Jim] Munson had a tough job to do and I thought he did a good job.”
Long Island started scoring when Heuer hit Lawrence’s Seiddrik Ervin for a 26-yard touchdown with 11:44 left in the first quarter and went up 10-0 on a 26-yard field goal by Kellenberg’s Tim Wienclaw with 3:31 left in the first.
NYC got on the board with 15 seconds left in the first half on Paul’s 26-yard strike to Cardinal Hayes wideout Abraham Ocasio, who initially bobbled the ball in between two defenders before securing it and lunging toward the end zone.
Long Island, though, would be the last to score.
“Things weren’t going well,” Long Island coach Russ Cellan of Freeport said. “We stumbled a little bit. With six minutes left, we said it was now or never and they answered the call.”
Williams left Hofstra with more than just indigestion.
“It was very frustrating,” he said. “We played better than them. New York City is definitely better than Long Island. We let them off easy.”