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Panthers outslug Amityville, 35-27 thriller On Saturday, October 5, the Babylon Panthers put a damper on Amityville’s Homecoming Day at Lou Howard Field by defeating the Warriors in a thriller, 35-27. Babylon won it up front as the powerful Panther offensive line would not be denied. Center Lee Bliss, guards Tim Halvorsen and John Telesca, tackles Nick Fowler, Zach Rude and Chris Ribando and tight end Harry Hansen led the way as Babylon blasted for 326 yards on the ground. Previously unbeaten Amityville opened strong, stopping the Panthers’ initial possession when Darrel Young picked off a tipped pass in the secondary. Three plays later, Jerod Gatling veered right and scooted all the way, 47 yards for a touchdown. Dan McDonough kicked the first of his three extra points. Babylon came back on a fifteen-play march, capped by John Carr’s 5-yard blast through the left side. Mike Parrinello kicked the first of his five extra points. On the Warriors’ next possession, Gatling sped through left guard, cut outside and broke free down the left side. Panther cornerback Sean Kerr flew all the way across the field and made a touchdown-saving tackle at the Babylon 28. The play covered 48 yards. It was the defensive play of the game and one of three super plays by the fleet Panther back. Amityville scored next after Shane Melia covered a loose ball at the Babylon 22. They took six plays and Gatling ran through right tackle for the TD putting the Warriors ahead 14-7. Less than a minute later, Kerr cut through a seal by Halvorsen and raced straight up the middle 63 yards to tie it up again. Babylon’s last possession in the half appeared as though they’d run out the clock deep in their own turf. On third and seven at the Panther 21, Kerr skirted the right side around Hansen’s block and flew 79 yards to score with 12 seconds on the clock putting the Panthers ahead 21-14 at the half. In the second half, the Panthers marched all the way to the Amityville 7, but the Warriors covered a loose ball to stop their drive. They then mounted a drive of their own but were contained at the 48. Young’s punt was fielded by Andy Rodgers at the Babylon 16. He broke right and carried it back to the Warrior 48. The Panthers marched the distance in eight plays with John Axmacher diving over a fine block by Bliss to score from the 1 and Babylon went ahead 28-14. Amityville came right back, going 65 yards on seven plays with Brian Clinton sneaking in from the 1. A strong rush by Miguel Soto from the right and Dan King from the left resulted in Soto’s block of the extra point attempt - another key defensive play. Babylon was still ahead 28-20 with 1:29 remaining in the game. But it wasn’t over yet. McDonough’s onside kick went out of bounds at the Babylon 44. Carr bulled it up to the 50 on two plays while the Warriors used two timeouts to stop the clock. With everyone in the park thinking run and the Warrior defense bunched, King fired a quick post hitting Soto over the middle at the 34. The receiver outran the secondary for a touchdown to put the Panthers up 35-20. Amityville still refused to die. They went 65 yards on four plays and scored on a 10-yard pass from Clinton to Williams with nine ticks remaining. Surprisingly, they went for the one point kick to make it 35-27. Their next onside kick went out of bounds at the Babylon 40 before King knelt it out on two plays sandwiching Amityville’s last time out. The Babylon backs had a solid game. Ever the workhorse, Carr pounded for 129 yards on 25 carries. Kerr filled in at tailback for Trevon Rodney and carried nine times for 159 yards. Axmacher carried twelve times for 42. The trio scored four times. For Amityville, Gatling carried nine times for 104 yards and a pair of TDs. Saturday is Homecoming Day for Babylon. The Panthers host the Mercy Monarchs at Williams Field. Game time is listed at 2 p.m.
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