Long Island Lutheran football fails to cash in on opportunities

Here were the gold-plated opportunities: First-and-goal at the 9, then first-and-10 at the 11, then first-and-goal at the 8.

Long Island Lutheran had its chances to put up more than eight points in the second half against Riverdale Baptist. But it emerged with no points from those three situations.

So Riverdale Baptist boarded the bus back to Maryland after Saturday’s football game buoyed by a 34-24 win that was also fueled by quarterback Luke Wuhrer throwing five completions that receiver Caden Jackson turned into 210 yards and four touchdowns.

“We definitely had opportunities to capitalize and take the lead for sure,” said Tiquan Garner, LuHi’s first-year head coach. “A couple of miscues, things of that nature. But those are things we’ll clean up in practice.”

Long Island Lutheran plays as an independent. The goal is to turn the program into a state and regional power. But this edition is off to a 1-3 start.

“We know we’re a good team,” said senior receiver Jacob Butler, a Stanford commit who also played some at quarterback in the second half. “We know that as long as we just fix the stuff that we’re making mistakes on, we can turn it around the next couple of weeks.”

Madison Murrell carried 19 times for 125 yards and two scores for LuHi. Trevor Benjamin Jr. showed why he’s a Marist commit with two sacks. And Dylan Pierce blocked a punt that rolled out of the end zone for a late safety.

But the home team didn’t have standout senior QB Peyton Robinson, down with a sprained toe.

So an eighth grader, Knox Mellert, had to step in for his first varsity start.

After Micah Scott returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a Riverside Baptist TD, Mellert started slowly in a 1-2-3-kick series.

“I came out with some jitters, first-ever high school game,” Mellert said. “I’m still in eighth grade, so coming straight from youth (football). The nerves were there, but after the first drive, it was just business, trying to win the game.”

Mellert settled in, throwing for 138 yards. He went 10-for-23 with a 78-yard catch-and-run TD pass to Kameron Roy and two interceptions.

“Really, really did a good job,” Garner said of Mellert. “… He’s going to be a really, really special player in a couple of years.”

Murrell slashed a 12-point halftime deficit to 28-22 with a 15-yard scoring run in the third quarter. LuHi then had a chance to cut it to three early in the fourth.

But Lucas Francisque, who drilled a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter, had his 21-yard attempt blocked. Josiah Lawrence returned it to the LuHi 39.

“Definitely a huge turning point,” Garner said.

Because Wuhrer, who threw for 242 yards, went long for Jackson on third down — 36-yard touchdown, 34-22.

“Just like Nick Saban said, 'Get your playmakers the ball,' ” Riverside Baptist first-year head coach Bruce Hocker said of Jackson’s big day, which helped make it a big day for Hocker because this marked his first win in four tries.

Long Island Lutheran trailed 14-0 after one quarter, then trimmed its problem to 20-16 in the second quarter before Wuhrer found Jackson for an 81-yard touchdown. It was 28-16 at the intermission.

“Nobody is discouraged,” Garner said. “… I have the utmost confidence that we’ll turn it around for sure.”