Mineola Football Drops 2011 Opener to Falcons

Locust Valley, the No. 3-ranked team in Nassau Conference IV, played to their status on Saturday, defeating mistake-prone No7 ranked Mineola 26-6, in the 2011 season opener.

The Mustangs, a that made the playoffs last year with a 5-3 record, hurt themselves with ill-timed penalties that thwarted offensive drives, including two that were inside the Falcons’ 20.

Turning Point: After Mineola closed to within 14-6 in the second quarter, following a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rob Clarkin to wide receiver Nico Pantelides, the Falcons’ Callum Ewen took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown with 1:41 left before the half.

Bottom Line: Inopportune penalties hurt Mineola as three drives in the red zone (inside Locust Valley’s 20) went for no points. The good news: the Mustangs will win by forfeit next week and should be 2-1 when, hopefully, get All-Conference running back Steve Napolitano returns to action from his broken ankle.

“I should be ready in a couple of weeks,” Napolitano said before the game.

Quotable: "We have a lot more games left but we have a lot more to do,” coach Dan Guido said. “We need to push each other more in practice. We have to make each other work harder.”

Hero: Mineola senior Joe Massaro was a stalwart on defense, with a few aerial tackles and timely blitzes that produced losses or sacks. Offensively, Pantelides was made several key receptions, including a 30-yard TD.

Key Stat: Penalties. Mineola committed 12 penalties, hampering two scoring drives which kept the Mustangs from mounting a comeback.

Who’s Next: The Mustangs win by forfeit next week because Friends Academy was unable to field a team for the season. Mineola will return to action Sept. 24 with a homecoming contest against Oyster Bay. Game time at Hampton Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.