West Hempstead tops Clarke in opener

West Hempstead came into the 2013 football season with big expectations. After an opening game rout of Clarke, there’s certainly reason to believe that the lofty goals are justified.

The Rams scored early and often, and came away with a decisive 56-21 home win on Sept. 12. Senior Bruce Gibbs carried the ball eight times for 130 yards and four touchdowns to lead the way. Senior Enrique McFarlane added for 134 yards on eight carries. 

Head coach Dom Carre was pleased to see his team get off to a good start. “We did a lot of things pretty well, but, of course, there are plenty of things for us to work on,” Carre said. “I was actually a little surprised at how physical we were. We preach it, but you never know how they’re going to get after it. The guys really came to hit.”

It didn’t take long for the hosts to get on the board. On the second play from scrimmage, McFarlane, who was last spring’s county champion on the track in both the 100 and 200 meters, took a handoff from junior quarterback Anthony Beaubrun, broke off left tackle through a huge hole, and went 79 yards untouched for the first score of the day. Anthony Messina split the uprights to give the Rams a 7-0 lead just 45 seconds into the game.

“That play went exactly how we drew it up,” Carre said. “The line did its job, and Enrique hit the hole hard. Once he got past the defensive line, he was gone.”

Clarke went three-and-out on its first possession thanks to a solid play from the defense. Defensive end Andy Benitez sacked quarterback John Zaino on third-and-five and forced Clarke to punt.

Late in the opening quarter, West Hempstead found the end zone again. Gibbs capped off a seven-play drive when he plowed in from a yard out. Messina’s kick made the score 14-0 with 39 seconds left in the first quarter. 

The rout was on when Beaubrun (three carries for 67 yards) called his own number and went 60 yards to the Clarke five-yard line. On the next play, sophomore Jahhari Creightney found the end zone to put West Hempstead up 21-0. 

Things got worse for Clarke when a misplay on the ensuing kickoff gave West Hempstead the ball deep in Clarke territory. It looked like Clarke would keep West Hempstead from scoring, but on fourth-and-10, Beaubrun found senior Akil Philip for a 20-yard touchdown reception.

Gibbs got loose for a pair of long touchdown runs to give West Hempstead a 42-0 lead at the half. McFarlane’s 70-yard kickoff return highlighted West Hempstead’s scoring in the second half. Clarke got scores from Nestor Haddo, Juan Gomez, and sophomore Aaron Dawson in the final quarter.

Clarke head coach John Boyle said he knew his team was up against a solid opponent. “We expected them to be very good,” Boyle said. “We loaded up on the defensive line, because they like to run the ball. Once their backs got through the line, it was tough to stop them. They’re very strong up front. We have a great group, but we’re a little inexperienced. We’re going to get better.”