Patchogue-Medford defeats Farmingdale 27-13 For LI Title 

By Gregg Sarra NEWSDAY Staff Writer November 30, 2002

They said it couldn't be done. No one could rush for 200 yards against Farmingdale; no one has all season. And it was unfathomable that a running back could get off against its defense and All-Long Island middle linebacker Matt Albanese on the grand stage of the Long Island Championships.

They were wrong.

The defending champs got a taste of what Suffolk Division I teams knew along. The A train stops for no team. Patchogue-Medford halfback Alex Baez gained 200 yards on 35 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Raiders rolled over Farmingdale, 27-13, yesterday before a crowd of about 6,000 in the Class I Long Island Championship game at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium.

Baez also set the Suffolk record for yards rushing in a single season with 2,198. How fitting, that he needed exactly 200 to surpass the record of 2,197 yards set by Amityville's Eugene Nottingham in 2000. His record-breaking total was an encore to his performance to the record-setting 331 yards rushing in the Suffolk Division I final against Sachem.

It was also Patchogue's third Class I title in the past six years. No other Class I school has won as many.

"You get one shot to win a Long Island Championship,” Baez said. "And we made the most of it. We beat an excellent football team.”

Farmingdale (9-2) never faced a halfback the caliber of Baez this season. Only one team -- Lindenhurst -- held Baez to fewer than 200 yards this season. Baez shredded the Dalers' defense for 140 yards in the second half.

"He's a great back, much respect to him,” Albanese said. "He has great vision and makes his own blocks. And he's hard to tackle. You have to wrap him up.”

It was stout defense that put points on the board for both teams in the early going. Farmingdale struck first, bottling up Baez on the first series and forcing a Patchogue punt. Dalers sophomore defensive back Nakyle Bethay blocked Nick Funaro's kick at the 30-yard line and Josh Sutherland recovered at the Patchogue 23. Five plays later, Farmingdale quarterback Matt Danowski went option left and scored untouched on a 6-yard run with 2:40 left in the first quarter. Brendan Skakandi added the kick for a 7-0 lead.

It would be the last time Danowski would roam free against a swarming defense. "When he got out of the pocket my heart pounded a little faster,” said middle linebacker Jesse Miller, who had 11 tackles and forced a fumble. "But our guys just chased his butt all over the place until they got him.”

The Patchogue-Medford defense made life difficult for Danowski. The free-wheeling, opportunistic quarterback found few lanes to run and his passes were off target, completing just 2 of his first 11 passes for 22 yards.

"He's a great athlete and the key to the offense,” Patchogue-Medford coach James Chiarello said. "Our objective was to contain Danowski. And we knew it wouldn't be easy.”

Patchogue-Medford was effective. Miller had the Raiders riled up as they chased him sideline to sideline, sacking him four times, seven times for a loss, and forcing two turnovers. The first fumble was returned 16 yards for a touchdown by defensive tackle Mike Sanchez on the first play of the second quarter.

"The ball flashed at my feet and I just scooped it and followed Gill to the end zone,” said Sanchez, who returned a fumble 65 yards for a score against Smithtown on Oct. 5. The two-point conversion run failed and Farmingdale held a 7-6 lead.

"The referee should have blown the whistle,” said Farmingdale tight end Will Presti, who will attend Princeton. "We had it -- the ball was kicked out of the pile. And then they're running for a score. It was unbelievable.”

Patchogue (10-1) would keep the momentum the rest of the way. The Raiders would score 27 straight points. The go-ahead score came after a 74-yard, eight-play move capped by a Baez 2-yard run with 1:17 left in the half. Patchogue quarterback Jay Pontieri fired the two-point conversion pass to Alan D'Meza for the 14-7 lead. A 20-yard pass to wideout Mike Smeja and a Baez 36-yard run keyed the march.

"We play power football just like they do,” D'Meza said. "They never saw the kind of blocking that we bring. The O-line, everyone's involved.”

Patchogue-Medford opened the second half wth a 72-yard, 13-play touchdown march -- Farmingdale style, rather -- Patchogue style. Pontieri capped the drive with a 1-yard sneak for the score with 6:06 left in the third quarter for a 20-7 lead.

"How cruel, that we ran them over, the way they expected to run us over,” said Miller, the Raiders' fierce and intimidating leader. "And they knew we were coming – they just couldn't stop us.”

Patchogue mixed the run and pass to keep the Dalers guessing. Pontieri rifled passes of 9 yards to Smeja and 10 yards to Evan D'Meza on consecutive plays before Baez ripped off runs of 11 and 31 yards to the Farmingdale 6 on the drive.

"Jay's made big passes all season,” Smeja said. "He's given our offense that other dimension.”

And he led them to a Class I title with some help from a record-breaker extraordinaire -- Alex Baez.

Scoring: F -- Danowski 6 run (Skakandi kick) P -- Sanchez 16 fumble return (run failed) P -- Baez 2 run (A. D'Meza pass from Pontieri) P -- Pontieri 1 run (kick failed) P -- Baez 1 run (Gill kick) F -- Lambe 10 pass from Danowski (kick failed)