Last week’s practice proved to be very interesting for the 10-year-old Hicksville Crusaders because they had to prepare for a team that they have never seen before and knew very little about. Not knowing whether the Syosset Braves used primarily a running game or a passing game made it challenging for Hicksville’s defense and meant the offense had to be prepared for a number of different defenses.
However, when the whistle blew on Sept. 27, the Crusaders were ready. The team won their third game in a row with a 14-7 victory over the Braves.
The Crusaders shocked the Braves by scoring on their first play from scrimmage. Julian Franco took the ball 52 yards for the touchdown and Alex Parciak ran it in for the extra point.
When Syosset took over they put together a 4-minute drive but were stopped by Hicksville’s dynamic defense.
The second quarter opened with quarterback Peter Capel going to the air. Capel completed a pass to T.J. Delfino for a 40-yard gain. Moments later, Capel went downtown to Franco with a perfect spiral for another score. The extra point was made on another Capel to Delfino hook up. Near the end of the first half, the Braves broke away and scored their only touchdown.
Syosset began another drive in the second half but fumbled. It was now time for Hicksville’s offensive line to do their thing. Alex Parciak took the ball and behind the blocking of Alex Pierce, Jake Kinnaman, Tom Fleming, Matt Zwickel and Steve Austin as well as Sam Lipien, George Krauch and Connor Dalton, played ball control gaining 10-yard clips.
It was the fourth quarter before Syosset got the ball back. Now it was up to the defense. Parciak once again became a major factor making a number of outstanding tackles. The Syosset Braves turned out to be a most formidable opponent but in the end the Crusaders prevailed.
The Crusaders have lost another valuable player to the disabled list; fleet-footed running back Stephen Ketelsen aggravated an old injury in the game and will be side lined for a few games – hurry back! Hicksville, however, is determined to not let this temporary set back influence their season. They will persevere!
