Bellport football's Braydon Cipp rushes for two TDs in third quarter to rally past Connetquot
Braydon Cipp of host Bellport rushes for a touchdown in a Suffolk Division II matchup against Connetquot on Saturday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Just the thought of another second-half letdown gnawed at Bellport captain Braydon Cipp.
“We had a 10-0 halftime lead over a very good East Islip team last week,” Cipp said. “And we got complacent. We let them take the win away from us. That was not happening today.”
So, he did what smart leaders do. He went into the locker room at halftime of a scoreless battle with Connetquot and promised his teammates this week would be different.
“We needed a morale boost,” he said. “Guys were playing inspired defense. But the offense needed to get it going.”
Cipp and his offensive line made his words stand up. The quarterback ran for two third-quarter touchdowns to lead Bellport in a 16-7 come-from-behind win over Connetquot in a pivotal Suffolk Division II football game at Joe Cipp Field in Bellport.
His first touchdown run came on a burst up the middle for a 10-yard run to cap a 10-play, 79-yard drive with 3:12 left in the third quarter. Anthony Diaz-Sanchez added the extra-point kick to tie it at 7.
Cipp keyed the march when he connected with A.J. St. Fort Colin for a 25-yard pass play on a third-and-6 to midfield.
“We stuck to the game plan,” Bellport coach Jamie Fabian said. “We were moving the ball early on and not finishing drives.”
The Clippers' long TD march came on the heels of a blown defensive coverage that allowed Connetquot to take a 7-0 third-quarter lead.
T-Birds quarterback Vincent Feraca found sophomore wide receiver Nick Mastriano wide open behind the secondary for a 64-yard touchdown with 8:13 left in the third quarter. Joe Parise added the kick to give the T-Birds a 7-0 lead.
“It was a great way to respond to a little adversity,” Fabian said. “The offense came right back and moved the ball down the field with no mistakes.”
It was a statement drive.
“We let the game get away last week against a very good team and it was on their minds,” Fabian said. “History wasn’t going to repeat itself.”
Bellport (1-1) would be resilient. On the ensuing Connetquot possession, Feraca went back to work. He hit halfback Javon Barnwell on a screen pass for 18 yards and then found Mastriano for 13 yards and another first down to the Clippers' 41.
His next pass down field, however, slipped through the hands of his intended receiver and was intercepted by Matt Chojnacki at the 32 and returned 10 yards.
Cipp wasted little time making the T-Birds pay for the transgression. Two plays later, he went over right tackle and ran through an arm tackle in the secondary for a 58-yard TD run and a 13-7 lead with 1:01 left in the third quarter. The extra-point kick clanked off the right upright.
“I saw a hole and there was daylight so I hit it as hard as I could,” Cipp said.
On Connetquot’s next possession, the T-Birds tried to convert a fourth-and-7 from the Clippers' 34, but defensive end Nazir Turner came off the blind side and ran down Feraca for a 10-yard loss and his second sack. Feraca completed 19 and 35 passes for 265 yards and two interceptions.
“We pressured the quarterback and made him uncomfortable all game,” said Turner, who had eight tackles. “We didn’t want him to have any time to look downfield. I had a few real good runs at him coming off the edge, forcing him out of the pocket.”
Bellport took a two-score lead when Diaz-Sanchez nailed a 31-yard field goal with 4:11 left to make it 16-7. Cipp’s 20-yard run set up the kick. He finished with 145 yards and 18 carries.
“This division is deep,” Fabian said. “We’re ready for it to be like this all season. This was a critical win. No one wants to start 0-2.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
