Islanders/Rangers. Yankees/Red Sox. Jets/Patriots. Giants/Cowboys. While these are some of the greatest rivalries in professional sports, they pale in comparison to the competition between Bethpage and Plainedge. The rivalry between these two great football programs is the stuff of legends. From Pappardelle’s to Pappalardo’s, from Sweeney’s to Sal’s Place, this is a competition that goes beyond the gridiron, involving the entirety of both communities. Every episode of the “Stewart Avenue Showdown” is one for the ages. Bethpage Peanut Blue added to that legacy on Sunday October 13th, as they captured their first win of the season in dramatic fashion against a very tough Plainedge Bobcat squad.
From the first snap of the ball on the cool October morning, this match had all the makings of a classic Bethpage/Plainedge battle. Bethpage’s offense took the field first, and quickly moved down the field. Peanut Blue’s “Five Blocks of Granite,” comprised of offensive linemen Michael Lacerenza, Anthony Helfrich, Jack Lapertosa, Ryan Tesler, and Nick Morolla provided outstanding blocking for the Eagle backfield. William Lynn, making his first start at quarterback, put the ball into the capable hands of Anthony Guarasci, who took the ball 59 yards to the Plainedge one-yard-line, before being driven out of bounds. Facing a goal line stand, the Bobcat defense stiffened, stopping runs from Max Dominick, AJ Perazzo, and Jack Lapertosa for no gain. On fourth down, Ryan Tesler, running behind blocks from Lapertosa, and Morolla, punched the ball in, giving Bethpage its first lead in a game all season.
Taking the ball on the change of possession, Plainedge answered the Bethpage score, but not before a fierce battle with the Eagle defense. With Lynn, Lapertosa, Morolla, and Mike Gaudio anchoring the D-Line, Bethpage found its way into the backfield on several plays. Linebackers Cameron Graziano, and Ryan Tesler, and safeties Max Dominick and Tommy Lagan put relentless pressure on the Bobcat line. Advancing to the Bethpage 1, a swarming Eagle defense kept Plainedge out of the end zone for three plays, before finally conceding the tying touchdown.
Undaunted, the Bethpage offensive machine went to work, and quickly answered with a score of their own. Matt Cusicanqui, Tommy Lagan, Michael Gaudio and Max Dominick kept up the strong offensive line play, helping spring Nick Mororlla for another run of 50 yards. Anthony Guarasci took a Lynn handoff behind a gaping hole carved by Lapertosa and Tesler to retake the lead. After a Plainedge turnover on downs, Lapertosa would score a touchdown of his own. Plainedge answered with a score to close the half with Bethpage leading , 18-12.
The second half of this battle continued to be a slugfest. Although Nick Morolla scored to extend the Bethpage lead to 12, Plainedge would not quit, and scored twice, tying the score at 24 late in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied, and quarterback William Lynn on the bench with an injury, Bethpage turned to an unlikely hero for the game's final score. Cameron Graziano, Bethpage's defensive specialist, took over at fullback. Taking the ball from Anthony Guarasci, Graziano ran over Plainedge defenders on every play. On his seventh consecutive carry, and wrapped up by three Plainedge players, Graziano kept his legs churning, and plunged into the end zone, putting Bethpage ahead, 30-24.
As fans on both sides of Stewart Avenue can attest, a Bethpage/Plainedge game always comes down to the last minute. Plainedge took over with four minutes to go, and were determined to tie to the score. Bethpage, however, had other plans. On third down, Plainedge nearly broke a play outside, but Graziano, Lagan, Lacerenza, Perazzo, and Gaudio swarmed the carrier to bring him to the turf. Ryan Tesler blasted through the Plainedge line on fourth down, combining with Helfrich, Dominick, and Gaudio to force a turnover on downs.
Although they had stopped the Bobcat offense, the game was yet to be decided. Plainedge’s defense held the Eagles to no gain on three consecutive gains. A turnover on downs would have given the Bobcats one more chance, but Matthew Cusicanqui, on his first carry of the season, secured the win with a long run on what proved to be the game’s final play. With the clock at 0:00, the Bethpage sideline and stands erupted, as Peanut Blue wrote its own chapter in the history of this great rivalry between two great football programs.
Needless to say, Peanut Blue’s coaches, Tony Dominick, Bill Guarasci, Tom Lagan, John Lapertosa, and Mike Tesler, are extremely proud of the boys for their total team effort. They hope they can get on a winning streak, as they take to the road for their final regular season games, against Broad Channel, and Glen Cove.
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