Football: Vivonetto's 3 TDs lead Eagles
Rocky Point picks up first victory of season
By Joe Werkmeister
ROCKY POINT—When Anthony DiLorenzo tells the story of his first win as a varsity football coach, he’ll tell the story of Pete Vivonetto.
DiLorenzo earned his first career victory at Rocky Point Friday night thanks to a tremendous game from Vivonetto, who ran for three touchdowns and 230 yards on 29 carries against Eastport/South Manor. The Eagles led 32-0 early in the third quarter and held on 32-16 for their first win of the year.
Vivonetto also added an interception, one of five for Rocky Point (1-3 Division III). Tom King and Matt Palasek both picked off two passes as well. King had a third pick called back because of a penalty.
Vivonetto converted all four 2-point conversion plays for Rocky Point.
After two close losses the previous two weeks, the Eagles came into Friday night’s game desperate for a win. They didn’t waste any time getting on the board when Vivonetto capped of a six-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. The Eagles’ drive took only two minutes.
Vivonetto would add touchdown runs of 75 and 45 yards. His 75-yard run was the longest of the year for Rocky Point.
Junior quarterback Justin Oliver scored the Eagles’ other touchdown a 20-yard run that made it 22-0 in the second quarter. Oliver finished with 62 yards on seven carries. He had a second touchdown called back on a penalty. Palasek ran for 73 yards on six carries.
While the Eagles won the turnover battle, they had their own problems with fumbles. The Eagles fumbled five times and lost four for a combined total of nine turnovers in the game.
Rocky Point took the pressure off in the second half, but still limited Eastport’s offense. The Sharks got on the board with the first score on 26-yard pass play from Ryan Prokesch to Matt Gonzelez.
The Eagles had a block punt deep in their own territory which led to Eastport’s second score. Joe Galante corralled the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown.
Eastport mixed two quarterback in at offense. Both had their troubles. Prokesch was 8-of-17 for 91 yards with two interceptions. TJ Sundberg was 7-of-17 for 116 yards and three picks.
Rocky Point travels to East Hampton next week for a chance to improve to 2-3 and get back in the playoff race. The three teams to beat Rocky Point were all undefeated heading into Friday.
