Max Barone said momentum is on his team’s side.
The Shoreham-Wading River junior running back sure has it behind him, too, as he scored three touchdowns to double his season total in the Wildcats’ 41-0 windswept win over host Miller Place (1-1) March 26.
“I felt good. I’m just playing for the guys next to me,” Barone said. “Everyone on the line is doing their job — I just run it to the outside. And the passing was working well.”
The victory over another crosstown rival was Shoreham-Wading River’s 10th straight, dating back to 2019 when the Wildcats won the Division IV Long Island championship. Barone said when he and his teammates heard that the fall season was going to be moved to the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his teammates worked hard to be ready. The junior said that and the Wildcats’ focus on each opponent has been a recipe for success. Shoreham-Wading River toppled Amityville 61-7 in their season home opener and blanked visiting Mt. Sinai 28-0 last Friday.
“Once we heard the news everyone started working hard to get back in shape,” Barone said. “And I think everyone’s doing a good job of watching film, seeing what the other team is going to do and being prepared for it. After winning last season, we know we have a target on our backs — everyone wants to get us — but I don’t think that affects us. We just work hard in practice, everyone does their job and everyone’s focused.”
Senior quarterback Chris Visintin threw for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 9-for-13 passing. A Jake Wilson interception set up his first score, a 32-yard connection to Johnny Schwarz (four receptions for 66 yards). It was the only touchdown of the first quarter. Schwarz said he’s been elated each and every opportunity he gets to be back out on a field.
“I play lacrosse and football, so I haven’t competed since last football season,” the senior wide receiver said. “It’s also awesome to play my senior year and finish this out with all the guys I’ve been playing with since I was in first grade.”
Barone’s (98 yards on 17 carries) two rushing touchdowns sandwiched a David Tedesco (54 yards on 12 carries) 12-yard touchdown run. Jeffrey Lachenmeyer’s fumble recovery and Barone’s first interception of the season (two in the game) set up the first two.
Lachenmeyer came through again when a kick by Miller Place junior quarterback Justin Klein hit one of his linemen and bounced behind him. The Shoreham-Wading River senior guard and defensive end quickly pounced on the ball.
“We had almost 11 helmets on the ball every single tackle,” he said.
Four plays later, Visintin connected with Wilson (two receptions for 21 yards) for a 12-yard touchdown pass, and the Wildcats continued to make good use of their opportunities.
On the ensuing kickoff, Jake Ekert’s boot bounced the ball onto the turf, but the Panthers just watched as Daniel Mercado (two receptions for 14 yards) covered it up. Four plays later Barone scored on a 16-yard touchdown catch from Visintin to give Shoreham-Wading River the game-winning score by halftime. Visintin was replaced by sophomore Dylan Zahn (45 yards on five keepers and a fake) after halftime.
“Everyone played together and strong and we got the shutout,” Barone said. “We played as a team and shut down their offense.”
Senior running back Sean Miller gained 39 yards on six carries, and senior guard and defensive end Dylan Blanco had a sack and forced fumble.
Schwarz said what provided some extra motivation was head coach Aden Smith reminding the Wildcats about their 28-0 loss to the Panthers on the same field in the Suffolk County semifinals back in 2017.
“Coach put that in our brains and we wanted to beat them. We’ve been working hard all week for this,” the senior said. “Teams are gunning for us, so every team is going to give us their best, but we’re firing on all cylinders.”
