Inconsistency concludes North's season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville North senior Josh Barrett runs with the ball as Orchard Park senior Nicholas Ramage closes in. North lost to OP, 27-0, in their homecoming and regular-season finale. The Spartans finished 1-7. Photo by Amy Krakowiak Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Williamsville North's broken record of inconsistency continued in its 27-0 homecoming loss to Orchard Park last Saturday.

Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, an attempted North punt went through the hands of the punter, and Orchard Park recovered around the Spartan 40. The Quakers' Jeff Tundo later scored on a 1-yard TD run.

The North offense also turned over the ball on downs around the OP 20 in the second and third quarters, and quarterback Anthony Longarzo threw an interception around the same area in the first half.

"It's more frustrating than disappointing because the kids have shown a lot of guts facing adversity throughout the season," said North coach Mike Mammoliti. "The positives are that they have shown progress in many areas. We just need to get the little things cleaned up so we can become competitive again."

Tundo ran in a 4-yard TD in the middle of the third quarter to put the Spartans ahead, 20-0. He had a 41-yard run on OP's second drive of the game. Joe Leavell added a 3-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

North sophomore Jim Gaines returned from a concussion he suffered in week five against North Tonawanda with 23 rushes for 84 yards.

Junior quarterback Anthony Longarzo completed 10 of 19 passes for 87 yards. Senior Josh Barrett had three receptions for 25 yards.

The Spartan defense was led by four seniors - P.J. Abbarno (11 tackles, four unassisted tackles, two tackles for a loss), Mike Toth (six tackles, interception), Andy Steinhaus (six tackles) and Barrett (seven tackles, one tackle for a loss).

North finishes 1-7. Thirteen of the team's 40 members are seniors. The team does return Gaines, Longarzo and the entire offensive line except Steinhaus.

"The last three years have been disappointing," said Mammoliti. "A lot of it falls on my shoulders. It's unacceptable. We're going to change things to get it back to where we were a few years ago (playoff team)."

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com