Wildcats football falls short in tight division match-up
On fourth down with the ball spotted on the two-yard line, Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats had a chance to break a 14-14 deadlock against Center Moriches. Eight minutes remained on the clock. A decision loomed: Would it be a field goal or a do-or-die try for a touchdown?
“We have the utmost confidence in our guys up front to punch that ball into the endzone and get us those two yards,” SWR head coach Aden Smith said. “In a situation like that, we have to simply want it more than the other team. But maybe I should have reconsidered.”
The call was a keeper by quarterback Noah Gregorek — a play that had worked all game long. The team had to rely on Gregorek, the freshman QB, with senior standout halfback Sean Casey out with a foot injury. Gregorek took the snap and surged forward, instantly meeting a plethora of Center Moriches defenders who broke through the offensive line. The turnover on downs sparked some momentum for the Red Devils, who took the ball the length of the field, with the help of some penalty calls. It set up a 29-yard field goal attempt by Dan Jurgens that split the uprights with 0:00 showing on the clock to secure the 17-14 victory on Friday afternoon at Center Moriches High School.
Casey’s absence definitely played a role for the Wildcats, who sport a 3-2 record in Division IV. Casey had 560 all purpose yards and 10 touchdowns coming into the day but had to settle for being a supporter on the sidelines against Center Moriches.
“We’re a young, talented team and when a key player goes down we have to have others step up,” Smith said. “We can’t just be a one-man show. We have to find a way to get better because we’re talented.”
The Wildcats threw the ball more often and were finding success. Gregorek was carving up the defense, whether it was through the air or on the ground. Sophomore Lucas Diamond was the main option at halfback with Casey out. He got Shoreham-Wading River on the board first with a two-yard run in the second quarter. Center Moriches (3-2 Division IV) would answer later in the quarter on a 21-yard pass from Brayden Hromada, which was hauled in by Shane Gallagher to take a 7-6 lead.
Shoreham-Wading River came storming back and marched the ball down the field thanks to a few passes and a long run by Gregorek to set up one of the highlight plays of the game from 25-yards out. Michael Casey, Sean’s brother, tried to pick up the slack for the team. He brought down pass after pass but nothing was more impressive than the 25-yard touchdown catch with just 20 seconds left before halftime.
Gregorek’s pass was thrown to the corner of the endzone, putting the ball where only Casey could catch it. Casey readjusted his route and stuck one hand out, snatching the ball out of midair and bringing it down for the touchdown. It was truly a moment reminiscent of Odell Beckham, who had one of the best one-handed catches in NFL history. Gregorek ran in the two-point conversion to give SWR a 14-7 lead.
Going into halftime off that electric play should have ignited the Wildcats offense but that was their final score of the game and the Red Devils defense reigned supreme the rest of the way. Hromada later tied the game in the third quarter on a 56-yard scamper before Jurgens won it on the field goal.
“Even with the loss our outlook on the season is positive,” Smith said. “We’ve got a young team out there that’s really built toward the future. We just need to keep working out there and have tunnel vision going forward. There’s a lot of parity in this league. Anybody can beat anybody from the two spot [in the division] and down. We just have to focus on getting better. We’re right in the playoff hunt, we can’t back down now.”
