Freeport ups win streak to 16

Red Devils drop Oceanside to .500

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Coming off an undefeated season, defending Rutgers Cup champion Freeport has been nothing short of dominant through the first half of 2019 with four lopsided victories.
The Red Devils, winners of 16 straight, made the most of only 10 minutes and 17 seconds of possession time at home last Friday night, scoring six touchdowns, including five in the opening half, on the way to defeating Nassau Conference I rival Oceanside, 42-0.
Junior Ausani Allen had a pair of touchdown runs and senior Makhai Jinks added an interception and capped the first half with a 35-yard scoring run as Freeport blanked Oceanside for a third straight meeting. The Sailors, who beat the Red Devils for the county title in 2017, slipped to 2-2.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how we’ve performed on the field,” Freeport head coach Russ Cellan said. “We’ve done a lot of good things and we’ve got a lot of kids contributing. Anyone we’ve called upon is going out there and making plays.”
Oceanside trailed by three touchdowns when it was knocking on the door late in the first quarter, but a fourth-and-13 completed pass in the red zone from sophomore quarterback Charlie McKee to senior wideout Nick Platia left it three yards short of moving the chains. It would be the visitors’ best drive of the night.

“We were hoping to compete better but that’s probably the best team in the state,” Sailors head coach Rob Blount said. “They’ve got a ton of talent on offense and they were attacking like sharks in the water on defense. We’re pretty young and it was definitely a learning experience.”
Freeport scored on its second offensive snap when junior tailback Jayvian Allen raced down the middle 55 yards for a touchdown and it was 7-0 with barely a minute gone. A sack by senior Shamel Howard forced Oceanside to punt away its first possession and the Red Devils needed just five plays to double their lead. An 18-yard run by senior quarterback Terrance Edmond set up Ausani Allen’s 12-yard touchdown.
“Ausani can fly…he can really go,” Cellan said. “He’s always been a strong ball-carrier. Where he’s really improved is as a blocker. He’s become a complete back and he understands how important it is to be able to do it all.”
One play after Jinks picked off McKee, Edmond scampered 33 yards for a touchdown and it was 21-0 with 8:27 gone.
The Sailors moved the ball well on their next possession, with McKee hitting three different receivers including senior Thomas Schmitt for a 16-yard gain to the Freeport 17. But a tackle-for-loss by senior Dan Murphy, recently elevated to starter, helped stall the threat. Senior Amos Zereoue capped the victory with a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Senior Chayse Gordon continued his dynamic kicking, going 6-for-6 on PATs and drilling long kickoffs.
The Red Devils will look to stay hot against Baldwin at this Saturday’s Homecoming at 2 p.m., while Oceanside tries to rebound against Uniondale.