Oceanside clings to playoff hopes

The No.2-ranked team in the preseason is clinging to playoff hopes in Nassau Conference I.

Oceanside needs a win over undefeated Baldwin in this Saturday’s regular-season finale or help elsewhere to finish in the top eight after falling to visiting Massapequa last Friday night, 55-35. The Sailors (2-5) scored four touchdowns in the second half but couldn’t overcome a 27-point deficit.

“It’s gut-check time,” Oceanside head coach Rob Blount said. “We still control our own destiny. We’ve got some big injuries, but we’re also not playing near our potential. We’re not making the kinds of plays we should. We’re still making mistakes that we should’ve cleaned up by Week 3.”

Already without top receiver Mike Checco (concussion), and with defensive standouts Kyone Murphy (knee) and Morgan McCarthy (high ankle sprain) participating at less than 100 percent, the Sailors lost leading rusher Gilly Ruiz to a possible concussion in the second quarter. The status of Checco and Ruiz for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff against Baldwin is up in the air, Blount said.

Chris Bacotti proved unstoppable for Massapequa (3-4), which needs a win over Hempstead to secure a playoff spot. Bacotti totaled 220 yards and scored five touchdowns, including on runs of 44 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter to keep the Sailors at an arm’s length. Quarterback Joe Butterworth passed for four scores, including a 35 yarder to Griffin Barnathan with 10 seconds left in the first half to make it 34-7.

“I spoke to our captains at halftime before we went inside,” said Blount, referring to Checco, Murphy, McCarthy and junior quarterback Vinny Guarino. “We needed to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and get our defense off the field. We weren’t getting stops on third and fourth down.”

Massapequa scored on all five of its first-half possessions, including three where it faced fourth-and-6 or longer. 

Bacotti opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown grab, but the Sailors answered immediately when senior JT D’Angelo returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. D’Angelo found a seam down the middle and was barely touched.

Oceanside trailed 14-7 early in the second quarter and had the Chiefs facing a fourth-and-11 from the 25 after a Nick Pizzarelli sack. However, Butterworth zipped a 25-yard touchdown pass to Barnathan, and it was 21-7 after Casey Kimmel’s extra point.

Ruiz went down on the next possession and the Sailors aided Massapequa’s next scoring drive with a pass interference penalty. Bacotti scored on a 6-yard run one play after keeping the march going with an 18-yard catch on fourth-and-6.

Oceanside’s offense came alive in the second half. Guarino capped an 80-yard drive to start the third quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 34-13. Guarino, Brandy Diaz and D’Angelo added touchdown runs, but the Chiefs’ balanced attack kept producing.

“It’s frustrating,” Blount said. “We have a lot of talent. We know we have to bring our best against Baldwin.”