South Side defeats Glen Cove

South Side’s football team traveled to Big Red Stadium last Saturday and soundly defeated Glen Cove, 35-14, for its second straight win to start the season.

The Cyclones’ success was centrally focused on their ability to spread the ball amongst their collection of big-play capable playmakers. Senior quarterback Trent Davis and junior quarterback William Pickett were interchanged at various points of the afternoon, both having a large impact in the Nassau Conference IV matchup.

“We wanted to keep it very similar to what we have been doing, we know we run a two-quarterback system with William Picket and Trent Davis, they both do a lot of things nicely and we try to distribute the wealth between them,” South Side head coach Phil Onesto.

Both quarterbacks were nearly equally effective, as all five of the Cyclones scores came from them. Davis, the more traditional pocket passer, completed 10 of 14 passes for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns. Pickett scurried for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 6 carries, bringing his yards per carry to just under 20 yards a tote.

Junior wideouts Nick Licalzi and Ezavier Brewster both caught touchdowns from Davis and were heavily involved in the passing game.

“When you’ve got playmakers like Nick (Licalzi) or ‘Zay (Brewster), you want to get them the ball in space and see what they can do,” said Mike DiGiamo, one of Onesto’s assistant coaches.

Although South Side marched out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Glen Cove nearly started a rally back. Just after South Side’s Pickett rushed for a 19-yard score, the Cyclone’s defense had forced a three-and-out from Glen Cove. A few plays later, the Big Red had punched out a forced fumble and recovered it. Devon Christopher, Glen Cove’s starting quarterback, could only muster a few yards before having to punt once more with 3:23 left in the half.

Just a few seconds later, the ball was sent into South Side territory and had hit off of a Cyclones player, making it a live ball. The Big Red fell on it for its second forced turnover in as many possessions, and was in good field position with ample time on the clock.

Just after Christopher ran for a first down, Glen Cove (0-2) was faced with a third down inside the red zone. Christopher, as he had been much of the game, was pressured and hit as he threw, and the ball was intercepted.

One play later, with 1:03 left in the half, Davis threw a quick hitch route to Licalzi who took it 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-0. “We just wanted to get the ball out of bounds,” Onesto said. “Then Nick takes it for 75 yards. It’s great to have him on the team.”

Glen Cove’s two scores came in the second half via an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown by Mayan Letellier and a late-game 10-yard scramble by backup quarterback Anthony Rant.

“We weren’t doing the right things, but they are positive, and we are going to move forward with a positive attitude now,” Glen Cove head coach Pete Kopecky said.