Harrison Beats Pearl River in Part 2 of Suspended Game

Harrison football Head coach Art Troilo, Jr. said he saw a very different teams during the Huskies. two-day, 42-21 victory at Pearl River.

The game was suspended due to inclement weather with the teams tied, 14-14, in the second quarter Thursday. Harrison scored 21 unanswered points, then turned back a late Pearl River rally Sunday. 

"I think that was really a blessing for us," Troilo said of the suspension Thursday. "We were so flat. 

"We were in for a war Thursday. We came expecting them not to play."

Pearl River Head Coach Jeff Michael said he did not want to blame his team's loss on weather.

"Sure, we had some momentum (Thursday), but it still comes down to execution," Michael said. "We needed to execute Thursday, which we did. We needed to execute today, which we didn't. We had some dropped passes. We had some missed tackles. That's the story of the game. We matched them as far as fire. We matched them as far as intensity goes. They were able to execute and we didn't."

That began as soon as the game picked up where it left off, with Harrison at the Pearl River 15 with 6:44 remaining in the second quarter. The Huskies needed just two plays to score, both runs by Jake Marino. Marino's eight-yard touchdown run, the second of three scores he had in the contest, gave Harrison a 20-14 lead after the missed extra point. Marino had put the Huskies in position to score by breaking two tackles in the backfield and racing 62 yards on the final play before the game was suspended Thursday.
 
"He's an outstanding athlete," Michael said. "Other than (Mike) Amicucci, he was a guy we knew we had to key on and he was outstanding today. He came to play Thursday and he came to play today."

Amicucci, one of the top players in Section 1, was injured early in the game Thursday and did not play at all Sunday, though Troilo said he expected the standout running back to return soon.

Harrison extended its lead to 28-14 on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Pyne to Hunter Sable and a two-point conversion run by Marino. Pyne threw two touchdown passes in the game, including an 80-yarder to Daniel Quinn Thursday. 

Marino scored again to cap a six-play, 74-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, this time on a seven-yard run. He had scored on a 64-yard catch and run from Pyne, but the play was called back to Pearl River's 13 due to an illegal block. 

Pearl River finally got back on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, driving 58 yards on five plays. Rob Gullo made a tough, 23-yard catch in traffic to start the drive. Four plays later, Pearl River quarterback Chris Van Houten found Aidan Weir open on the left sideline and the senior receiver fought through two defenders for the 24-yard touchdown. 

Weir, who came out for football for the first time this year, also played a key role for the Pirates on special teams with multiple kickoffs into the end zone and a solid job punting.

Pearl River got the ball right back and drove from its 35 to the Harrison 20, with Van Houten completing a 25-yard pass to Pat Metcalfe to convert a fourth-and-22, but that drive stalled after an errant snap cost the Pirates 17 yards on third down. 

Pearl River could get no closer and Harrison added on an 11-yard touchdown run by Rashan Gilmore for the final margin. 

Gullo scored the Pirates' other offensive touchdown in the game, a 37=yard scoring run Thursday. Pearl River's other score came on a fumble return by Ronan Curry. 

Pearl River (0-2) will play at Walter Panas Friday.