Mt. Sinai’s football team usually knows how this chapter ends, but this time, Mike Sabella was made sure to rewrite the ending.
The senior running back scored two touchdowns and his Mustangs defense held Elwood-John Glenn (5-2) scoreless the final 34 minutes of a 21-6 home win to maintain Mt. Sinai’s undefeated streak.
“It felt absolutely phenomenal to finally beat this team,” he said. “This is my sixth start against John Glenn dating all the way back to freshman year and we have lost to them every single time. They have ended my season every year up until now. This time, it’s different.”
With a 14-senior core the Mustangs (7-0) sure look different. The defense forced John Glenn, which ended Mt. Sinai’s season last year with a 27-10 win in the county quarterfinals, to punt on its first drive. Sabella, who had 27 carries for 167 yards, quickly moved the chains until he ran the ball in 15 yards for the game’s first points.
“The connection we have translates on the field,” Sabella said. “If we didn’t get along we wouldn’t be able to do what we’ve been doing.”
The Knights’ Nick Ford quickly countered on a 45-yard runaway, but Liam McGrath charged through the line to block the extra-point kick to give Mt. Sinai a 7-6 lead that held up by halftime.
“This is a great group of guys that’s been working all week for this moment,” senior linebacker Andrew Sartori said. “The coaches work hard to get our technique down and we implemented it in this game. We put the history behind us; wanted to keep this train rolling.”
The Mustangs extended their lead to 14-6 with a 1-yard run by senior quarterback Dominic Buscarino that capped off a 60-yard drive. Sabella iced it with a 3-yard run with 8:58 remaining in the game.
“Our offensive line has been phenomenal all season long — they’ve been pushing everyone around — and that’s what we have to attribute our run game too,” Sabella said. “We wouldn’t be anything without them.”
He said he’s excited to see what the future holds for his team.
“We’re looking to capitalize on the opportunity we’ve been given,” Sabella said. “We haven’t had a team like this in a very long time, one with a chance to really make a push in the playoffs. Everyone is going to have to get through us this year. They’re going to have to come here and they’re going to have to beat us to get to Stony Brook, and that’s just special.”
