Freeport tops Oceanside in thriller

Spectators hoping to see a little of everything from Oceanside and Freeport last Friday night got that and more. In one of the most entertaining football games in recent history, the Red Devils got a seven-yard touchdown run from Elyjah Campbell with 3:05 to play to break a tie en route to a 41-28 victory over the visiting Sailors.

The Sailors drove to Freeport’s 28-yard line on their final possession, but on fourth-and-10, senior Jaelin Hood’s 95-yard interception return for a touchdown secured the win for Freeport as time expired.

Oceanside, which fell to 3-4, was led by Derek Cruz. With Michael Scibelli, Vincent Schell, and Jake Gross blasting open holes, the junior running back amassed 219 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Sailors ran for 304 yards.

The game featured a pair of onside kicks recovered by Oceanside, four Freeport scores of 60 yards or more, some questionable calls by the officials, and a truly unheard of statistic. The Red Devils offense had the ball for just 19 seconds in the opening half and ran just two plays. Both resulted in scores.  

Freeport lineman Joel Cruz, who came up huge on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the fourth quarter, summed it up. “It came down to heart and finding a way to get the win,” Cruz said. “We were very tired at the half, but we had to reach down for more and make the plays. We got it done.”

With the game tied at 28, the Sailors faced fourth-and-goal from the four after driving 76 yards on 12 plays. But, Cruz was stopped for no gain with 5:37 to play, and the Red Devils took over on downs. Cruz had a touchdown nullified by a penalty three plays earlier.

Freeport’s game-winning drive started when it put the ball in the hands of one of the county’s most electrifying players. Quarterback Rashad Tucker took it up the gut, broke right, and went 71 yards to the Oceanside 24.

After having a touchdown called back, and a clutch reception by freshman Terrance Edmond, Tucker ran a power read option to perfection, opting to hand the ball to Campbell who marched into the end zone untouched. Tucker was 8-for-9 passing for 196 yards, and carried five times for 116 yards. The Red Devils improved to 6-1.

Oceanside used trickery to get on the board early in the opening quarter. On third-and-13 from the Freeport 44, quarterback Tommy Heuer threw left to Dylan Judd, who caught the pass and flipped the ball to Cruz along the left sideline. Cruz went the rest of the way for the score. 

Freeport answered with authority. On the first play from scrimmage, Campbell took a handoff from Tucker straight up the middle, and sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown. 

The Red Devils made it 14-7 the next time they got the ball when Tucker hooked up with a wide-open Hood for a 60-yard score. 

Freeport travels to Valley Stream Central this Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., while Oceanside welcomes in Massapequa