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Football: Porters go to ground, pound Center Moriches

Greenport:Southold:Mattituck football player Keegan Syron 091716

Because of a last-hour coaching shuffle, the Greenport/Southold/Mattituck high school football team was, for better or worse, committed to the spread offense last year. It was mostly for worse, as the Porters failed to score a point in their final four games.

My how things have changed.

This season Greenport is playing to its strength. The Porters decided to tailor their offense to the ground game. They took that game plan into the season and ran with it. They haven’t stopped running since.

Just take a look at what all that running has done. The team that was shut out for the second half of last season, has lit up the scoreboard with 78 points in two games. In those two games, the Porters have run for 612 yards. Keegan Syron already has 353 rushing yards to his credit (with an astounding 18.6 yards-per-carry average) and three touchdowns. And, most importantly, the Porters are off to a 2-0 start with their second blowout win in as many weeks.

The Porters piled up 362 rushing yards Friday night when they pounded Center Moriches, 38-14, in a Suffolk County Division IV game at Dorrie Jackson Memorial Field in Greenport. Officials stopped the game with 2 minutes, 27 seconds remaining after a scuffle among players broke out following Brad Sakellarides’ nine-yard touchdown run for the Red Devils. Greenport coach Jack Martilotta said one of his players, Antonio Anderson, was ejected, which means he will have to sit out Greenport’s game at Babylon next Friday night.

Greenport’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage as Sean Sepenoski ran for two touchdowns. Syron turned in runs of 76 and 70 yards (the latter for a touchdown) as part of his 197-yard output from only 10 carries. During one memorable charge up the middle, the senior carried tacklers on his back and dragged them for extra yardage.

Teammate Jake Skrezec, who is considered Greenport’s fastest player, showed why. He turned on the jets for a 61-yard touchdown dash and later added a 40-yard run to help him finish with 112 yards from three carries. Gage Suglia also ran for a touchdown.

Syron and Skrezec each ran in a two-point conversion.

Greenport’s Kyle Schultz recorded a pair of safeties within 1:48 of each other late in the first quarter to help the Porters to a 12-0 lead.

It was 18-0 before Center Moriches (0-2) scored on a three-yard keeper by Sam Cila.

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Photo caption: Greenport/Southold/Mattituck’s Keegan Syron breaks around Center Moriches’ Sam Cila, on the way to his 70-yard touchdown run. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)