Freeport's rally falls short

Freeport’s near comeback attempt against Massapequa last Saturday was ultimately doomed by a series of miscues.

Five turnovers and multiple dropped passes combined with untimely penalties prevented the Red Devils from completing a rally from 21-points down in 21-13 defeat to their South Shore Conference I rival on a hot afternoon at George Emma Jr. Field. The loss before a large home crowd dropped Freeport to 2-1 on the young season before taking on neighborhood foe Baldwin this Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

 “We just made too many mistakes,” Freeport head coach Russ Cellan said. “I thought our defense played pretty well, but you can’t keep them out there all day. We weren’t able to sustain anything offensively and they just got worn down.”

Freeport dug itself an early hole when Owen Glascoe scooped up a fumble recovery and raced in for a 13-yard touchdown just over a minute into the game for a 7-0 Massapequa lead. The Chiefs then began to pull away in the second quarter with two more touchdowns, the second on a Angelo Petrakis one-yard touchdown run that followed Freeport jumping offside on a fourth-down-and one at midfield.

The Red Devils then mounted their comeback starting with 3:10 drive that feature tough yards from senior running back Greg Pimentel capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Terrance Edmond to freshman wide receiver Jayvian Allen. 

Freeport had a chance for further momentum before halftime after an interception by senior linebacker Ikce Quiles deep in Massapequa, territory. The Red Devils reached the two-yard line, but Massapequa stuffed a running attempt on the half’s final play to maintain a 14-point lead at halftime. 

Edmond’s athleticism kept Freeport within striking distance in the second half.  Facing a long 3rd- and-goal early in the fourth quarter, Edmond eluded multiple tackles in a 23-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 21-13 early in the fourth quarter. The sophomore later scrambled for a clutch first down on a 3rd-and-8 to the Massapequa 41-yard line before Glascoe intercepted the next play on a bomb thrown down the left sideline.

“He has to be a little more consistent at the quarterback spot and that’s just a matter of a young guy who is learning,” Cellan said of Edmond. “He will get more consistent.”

After the interception with 2:26 left, Freeport forced a punt and attempted to block the kick with an all out rush and no returner.  The Red Devils came close to executing, but was called for a roughing kicker the penalty with 47 seconds left to clinch the win for Massapequa.

Freeport has a quick turnaround to move on from the Massapequa loss with a Thursday matinee at rival Baldwin. The Red Devils opened the season 2-0 with convincing wins against Syosset and Uniondale and Cellan hopes his young team that features four underclassmen starting on defense learns from the first loss and strives to improve as the Conference I season kicks into high gear.

“There are some growing pains,” Cellan said. “You can’t talk them through it, they have to go through it and learn from the experience.”