Riverhead Ends Season on High Note; Points to a Bright 2011

The Blue Waves closed out the 2010 Division II football season in style on Saturday, with an impressive performance in the present that also provided a glimpse into a bright future.

Riverhead opened the season finale at Smithtown East with a 20-0 lead and cruised to a 40-13 victory at Nicholas Schroeder Field. The win was Riverhead's second against six losses, but the Waves proved to be much better than their record would seem to indicate.

"The ball bounces in weird ways. We just didn't have any luck this year," said Riverhead coach Leif Shay. "Every game that we lost was a tight game. We're a good football team. The record may not show it, but we scored more points than we let up. It was just one of those weird years where we just couldn't catch a break."

Riverhead rolled up 365 yards of offense, including 226 on the ground, led by Charles Bartlett, who gained 127 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown. But the surprise of the afternoon came in the form of freshman running back Jeremiah Cheetum, who in his first-ever varsity game turned heads with two touchdowns, picking up 66 yards rushing on 11 carries.

The Riverhead quarterback tandem of Ryan Bitzer and Dave McKillop combined for 143 yards through the air, with senior McKillop completing 4 of 8 passes for 46 yards, and the sophomore Bitzer connecting on 5 of 6 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Rodney Rollins caught four passes for 83 yards and a score, and also had a touchdown on an 88-yard kickoff return.

Riverhead's defense let up a couple of big plays but nothing more than that, holding the Bulls to 96 total yards.

Shay said that he was proud with how the Blue Waves finished what was a tough season. "We wanted to play our best game because it's the right thing to do," he said. "Prepare for every game as we do because we're Riverhead football players. We have a lot of pride in our program, and we're going to keep fighting."

Riverhead opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with an 11-play, 56-yard drive that saw Cheetum gain two yards on fourth-and-a-foot from the Bulls 16. Three plays later, Bartlett scored on a five-yard run up the middle to put the Blue Waves up by seven.

Early in the second quarter, the Waves took over at midfield after a short punt, and on the first play from scrimmage, Bitzer hit Rollins with a deep pass down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead.

Riverhead forced another punt and again took over at midfield. Four plays into the drive, Cheetum took the ball around the right end and sprinted 38 yards for the score and a 20-0 lead.

Smithtown answered quickly, getting a break when Riverhead's Reggie Moore muffed a punt return. The Bulls recovered and Mike Buono hit P.J. Connelly for a 39-yard touchdown pass that made it 20-7.

Any momentum was short-lived, as Rollins returned the ensuing kick 88 yards to the house, and the point-after restored Riverhead's 20-point lead.

But the Bulls bounced back. A personal foul on Riverhead on the kick return gave the Bulls the ball at their own 47, and on the next play, Brendan Canese took an inside draw, broke through the hole and raced 53 yards for the score. The missed PAT held the Waves' lead at 27-13.

Riverhead kept coming. A 16-yard run by Bartlett and a 17-yard pass from McKillop to Christopher Bagshaw set up a six-yard touchdown run by Cheetum that gave the Blue Waves a 34-13 lead at the half.

Shay said Cheetum's two-touchdown performance was a sneak preview of things to come. "We think he's going to be a special one," he said.

Riverhead wasted no time in extending its advantage, forcing a three-and-out on the Bulls' opening possession of the third quarter. Smithtown punted to midfield, and six plays later, Mario Carrera scored on a reverse from nine yards out, putting Riverhead up, 40-13.

For Riverhead's seniors, the win ended things on a positive note. "Obviously it's emotional, but that's the nature of high school football," Shay said. "We tell the guys, they're not leaving us, we're sending them. So hopefully, they'll do great things."

As for the future, it's promising. "Bitzer's only a sophomore, and he's had a great year for us taking over the reins," Shay said. "We're going to be young in the skill positions, and hopefully next year, we'll reload."