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Football: Improved Mercy is off to 2-0 start

This is not the same Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School football team as last year. No way, no how.

The team’s early-season results and the way it plays on the field speak for themselves.

As if Friday night’s game being a home opener wasn’t enough, Mercy was also motivated by facing rival Greenport/Southold/Mattituck. It was Greenport that embarrassed Mercy by a 40-0 score on their home field last year.

Well, the Monarchs, who are trying to erase from their memory a 1-7 season last year, got payback.

Ryan Razzano passed for three touchdowns and ran for 107 yards and John Urrico made a spectacular over-the-head, lunging catch for a touchdown as Mercy blasted the Porters, 30-14, at Harold T. Murray Memorial Field in Riverhead. It’s Mercy’s first 2-0 start to a season since 2012, said coach Jeff Doroski.

All of Mercy’s scoring came in the first half. The Monarchs had charged out to a 15-0 lead by the time the Suffolk County Division IV game was 8 minutes, 43 seconds old.

Urrico returned the game-opening kickoff 70 yards for a TD, but it was called back because of a holding penalty.

Mercy got on the scoreboard soon enough, though, thanks to its defense. Ethan Aube pulled down Greenport’s Sean Sepenoski on a double reverse for a safety and then Mercy cashed in again after receiving the ensuing punt. Razzano (11-for-15, 176 yards), rolling to his right, squeezed a pass in to Max Beyrodt while Ahkee Anderson attempted an interception. The 27-yard score and Anthony Bassone’s extra point made it 9-0.

Urrico came up with the first of four fumble recoveries by Mercy (the others were by Matt Paglia, Liam Egan and Gabe Boro). Three plays later, Egan rumbled eight yards, taking two defenders with him into the end zone.

Before the quarter ended, Greenport (0-2) put up its first points, Anderson (9-for-14, 145 yards) finding Dante Tramontana wide open in the middle of the field for a 61-yard TD reception.

But the Mercy offense wasn’t done. On successive second-quarter possessions, Razzano hit Egan on a 67-yard TD pass (Razzano ran in the two-point conversion) and then connected with Urrico on a 28-yard score. On the play with 49.2 seconds left in the half, the right-handed Razzano scrambled to his left before lofting a ball high and deep toward the end zone. Urrico (six catches, 61 yards) managed to get both hands under the ball. With Bossone’s kick, it made the score 30-6.

Greenport retained a glimmer of hope by scoring on the first possession of the third quarter. After completing passes to Tyrus Smiley (three catches, 73 yards) and Brandon Clark, Anderson used his speed to dart around the left side for 11 yards and a TD. He then passed to Jude Swann for two points.

The remainder of the game was scoreless.

Greenport had been looking forward to the return of running back/cornerback Jordan Fonseca, who was coming off a high ankle sprain and had sat out the season-opening loss to Hampton Bays a week earlier. Fonseca did not play much before he was seen sitting on the bench in the first quarter. Coach Jack Martilotta said Fonseca had ankle trouble and couldn’t change direction.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Porters lost the services of their only returning lineman from last year, Jonathan Rodriguez. Rodriguez exited the game early in obvious pain. A trainer looked at the senior right tackle/defensive tackle’s right shoulder before the player was taken to nearby Peconic Bay Medical Center for X-rays. Martilotta said the X-rays “came back fine.”

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Photo caption: Bishop McGann-Mercy quarterback Ryan Razzano (11-for-15, 176 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) looks for a receiver while Greenport/Southold/Mattituck’s Tyler Marlborough (54) is blocked. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)