South Side tops Lynbrook in first round

The momentum of last Friday night's South Side-Lynbrook first round football playoff game in Rockville Centre swung on one play.

With South Side clinging to a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter and about to punt, junior running back Patrick Sullivan took a direct snap on a fake fourth-and-1 play for a first down to Cyclones 31 yard line. Senior running back Jack Lozito then raced 61 yards on the ensuing snap and four players later Owen West scored a quarterback keeper touchdown for a 14-point lead en route to South Side’s 28-7 Conference III quarterfinal win.

“They actually were aligned to stop it but we had confidence in our guys to gain that yard,” 13th-year South Side head coach Phil Onesto said of the crucial fake punt play when Lynbrook was lined up in its regular defense. “We like to play aggressive and we feel confident with the guys up front to get it done.” 

The offensive line, which is anchored by Colgate-commit Bobby Galindo, paved the way for a big rushing day from Lozito, who finished with 168 yards on 22 carries. West finished with 28 yards on the ground and completed 7-of-9 pass attempts for 80 yards.

West started off the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the game with 7:42 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. 

Lynbrook responded right back when quarterback Joseph McHale found Michael Hendrickson for a 13-yard touchdown pass against a heavy Cyclones’ blitz to tie the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter. 

South Side took the lead for good with an 11-play 55-yard drive capped by a Justin Singh 10-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the second quarter to make it 14-7 South Side. 

The Cyclones finished off the scoring when West found senior tight end Pat Mullin for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 7:17 remaining in the game for a 28-7 lead after the Nick Papadopulos extra point. Mullin finished with four receptions for 61 yards. 

“We ran into a better team day,” Lynbrook head coach Dave Yaker said. “Our kids fought until the bitter end, which is all I can ask as a coach and they certainly did that in every game this season.”

Lynbrook, which also fell to South Side 33-20 on Oct. 13, finished its season at 4-5. The Owls battled some key injuries throughout the season including starting quarterback Maxson Weiss, who was sidelined for the playoff game. 

Two-seeded South Side (9-1) now advances to the Conference III semifinals against two-time defending champion Plainedge this Friday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Plainedge handed the Cyclones their lone loss, 21-16, Oct. 20.

A big key that has propelled South Side to within two wins of the program’s first county title since 2001 is its defense, which has held teams to seven points or less in six games. 

“Our defensive coordinator Keith Lessuk does an outstanding job getting the guys ready,” Onesto said. “Points wise we were one of the top defenses in the county and we pride ourselves on that.”