A trick play was saved for a special moment, a game-changing moment.
Lindenhurst quarterback Mike Varela laterally passed the ball to halfback Mike Anderson, who pitched it to wide receiver JC Canobbio, who traveled 5 yards back before making a left-handed 20-yard pass back to Varela, who caught the ball and ran another 10 before diving just inside the pylon for the winning play in the No. 2 Bulldogs’ 21-17 upset of previously undefeated West Islip.
“We’ve had that drawn up, waiting to use it,” Canobbio said. “We never felt it was the right time. Coach thought this was it. And I’m so happy that he did.”
The go-ahead score came with 4:23 left in the fourth quarter. Lindenhurst’s Will Ruckert intercepted a pass with 90 seconds left to bring the Bulldogs that much closer to the finish line, but West Islip had time for a few more plays.
“Coach always tells me to trust my reads,” Ruckert said. “And I always read screens before I go after the quarterback.”
The Lions used three timeouts before forcing Lindenhurst to punt with 1:03 left, moving the ball from their own 40. West Islip got as close at the 5-yard line, but an illegal procedure brought the ball back to the 10. On fourth down with seconds on the clock, West Islip quarterback Mike LaDonna (two touchdowns) was stopped short of the goal line to seal the deal.
“Our defense did a stellar job,” Lindenhurst head coach Nick Lombardo said. “We tried to take our time, keep Mike LaDonna off the field, and all our options helped. What it really comes down to though is we’re more than Bulldogs, we’re warriors. We battled, and we showed a lot of heart in the end.”
LaDonna carried the ball on scoring runs of 1 and 76 yards. After his first touchdown, Anderson countered with a 7-yard run to knot the score in the second, but LaDonna’s run re-extended the lead heading into halftime. Jack Hogan punched the ball into the end zone for the only touchdown of the third to put the teams back at even. West Islip was held to a 23-yard field goal by Bobby DiCapua in the fourth before the big play.
“That stop was huge,” Anderson said of the third down that forced the Lions to go for 3. “It changed the tone for the rest of the game.”
Lindenhurst will take on Garden City (11-0) for the Long Island Division II championship title November 23 at Stony Brook at noon.
