Ward Melville Wins Homecoming 40-33

Katie Koester, Staff Writer

The victory for the Ward Melville Patriots during their homecoming game on Saturday, October 25th, was unforgettable. The boys came out with a 40-33 win against the gritty Bayshore Marauders, to hold a record of 3-4 for their fall season. The spirit of the students and community preceding, during, and after the game made for a celebratory weekend, filled with Patriot Pride.

Bayshore’s record going into the game was 1-5 and they came out firing against Melville’s tough defensive line, coached by Bryan Miller. Throughout the game, seniors Dan Roberts and Jacob Arditti had two crucial sacks. After a competitive first quarter the score remained in a stalemate of 0-0.

The leader of Melville’s offensive line was quarterback Jeff Towle. Towle boasted two touchdown passes in the second quarter to take the lead. He completed 11 out of 17 passes, rushed for 132 yards, and totaled three touchdown passes. Other offensive stars included Mike Cusmano, a senior, who rushed for 115 yards on 12 attempts, one concluding in a touchdown, and sophomore Eddie Munoz, who had 7 receptions, 2 touchdowns and ran a total of 117 yards. Judging by his energy on the sidelines, Head Coach Christopher Boltrek was happy with his players’ performance.

By the third quarter the score of the game was 21-14 in favor of Melville. The fans were exhilarated by the performance, and grateful to be a part of a successful homecoming. The achievements on the field were simply the fruition of the hard work these young men and their coaches have put into their season since the beginning of August.

The community walked away proud of their team, with students excited by the victory and many younger players inspired to compete on that stage. For the seniors, however, they left with bittersweet sentiments as the Patriots finished 8th in Division I and will not proceed to playoffs this season. Zack Restucci, a senior member of the team, felt the victory was incredibly rewarding. He stated, “I’ve always wanted to win a homecoming game since middle school and now we have. You feel like you owe the school a homecoming win, and we finally made that happen.” Saturday was Ward Melville’s last home game, and unfortunately the last time those boys will step on that field, bound together by the unforgettable memories shared, and a common goal to win for each other. Hopefully, they will never forget how they bolstered the school spirit and left it all on the field.