Bayport-Blue Point’s football program added another chapter to its dynasty Friday evening, and it took quite a comeback to do so.
The Phantoms scored 23 unanswered points to rally past top-seeded and previously unbeaten Babylon, 23-14, in the Suffolk Division IV championship game at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium.
It’s the fourth consecutive county title for BBP, which got a pair of touchdown runs from senior quarterback Colin Clark and one from senior running back Colin Reyer on the way to avenging a 27-6 regular-season defeat to the Panthers Oct. 17.
“This is one of the most satisfying wins I’ve ever had as a coach,” BBP head coach Mike Zafonte said. “You never want to be down 14-0 in a game like this, but our guys just stuck together and really executed on both sides of the ball in the second half. They all had the same goal and played unselfish football.”
Senior Ryan Space had two monster plays on defense in the fourth quarter to secure the third-seeded Phantoms’ (9-2) spot in the Long Island Class IV championship game against Seaford this Saturday at Stony Brook at 4:30 p.m.
With BBP clinging to a 16-14 lead, Space forced a fumble with 9:22 left that Reyer recovered. Then, after Clark led a 63-yard scoring drive to put the Phantoms up two scores with 2:36 remaining, Space sealed the outcome with a late interception.
“Losing back-to-back games during the season to Babylon and Mount Sinai lit a spark in us,” Space said. “We’re a second-half team. That’s when we thrive and once we got the momentum we weren’t giving it back.”
It was a disappointing end to a memorable season for Babylon, which finished 10-1.
“I’m very proud of my team on an amazing season,” Babylon head coach Rick Punzone said. “I had a great group of kids who came to practice every day and worked extremely hard. It’s not easy to go 10-0. As far as the seniors, they were magnificent and led by example.”
Two of those seniors, star running back/linebacker Aiden Winter and quarterback Kai Jankow were especially instrumental in the double-digit win figure and the 14-0 lead in the title game.
Jankow opened the scoring with 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter, capping a 63-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Bayport went three-and-out on the ensuing possession and the Panthers needed just three plays to take a 14-0 lead early in the second on Winter’s 74-yard touchdown reception. All but a few yards came after the catch.
But the complexion swung late in the opening half when Bayport got on the board with a safety — a holding call in the end zone on Babylon. The Phantoms then marched 53 yards on seven plays and cut the margin to 14-9 at halftime on Reyer’s 1-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left.
“We were calm at halftime and going over adjustments we wanted to make,” Zafonte said. “I can’t say enough about how the offensive line and defense played in the second half.”
Bayport led the for the first time, and for good, with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter on Clark’s 21-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-5. It was 16-14 after junior Tom Steyert’s extra point.
After Space’s fumble recovery, Zafonte called Clark’s number on 10 of 13 plays on the championship-sealing touchdown drive that culminated with a 4-yard score. The O-line of center Bradley Carvallo, Blake Romano, Patrick Ahern, Charles Crisera, Andrew Mohring and Nehemiah Meade, along with Reyer, threw the key blocks for Clark.
“We all believed in each other the whole time,” Clark said. “We’re never going to forget this moment.”
