Babylon Battles Past Glenn to Win Suffolk County Championship

The Babylon Panthers are your 2013 Suffolk County Champions after defeating rival John Glenn in the Division IV finals, 46-21.

The victory gives Babylon two back-to-back Suffolk County Championship wins along with 23 straight victories dating back to the first game of 2012.

The win did not come easy as the John Glenn Knights fought hard all night long against the Panthers. After going up early 19-0, Babylon gave back two scores after a scoring drive and multiple penalties pulled the Knights to within five with a few minutes left in the first half.

"Overall, we definitely executed well," Coach Rick Punzone said after the game. "Sometimes you don't overcome them [the penalties], but because we can score fast – that's how you overcome that."

Enter senior runningback Luke Zappia.

Zappia pulled out one of the biggest runs of his career, rushing 77 yards into the endzone right before the half to boost the lead back to 25-14, giving Babylon some breathing room heading into the break. It was one of Zappia's two touchdowns on the day, where he ran for over 115 yards on three carries.

"Jake [Carlock] made a good block, and the linemen did their job – that's what's a beautiful thing," Zappia said after the game, grinning. 

After half time, it was all Babylon – the Panthers ran rampant on the Knights' defense, outscoring John Glenn 21-7 in the second half.

"We had to bounce back and I think we did that," said wide receiver Jake Carlock. "There's no team like us on the island – we're a special group... we're all brothers."

Babylon will wrap up the 2013 season next Friday at Hofstra University where they will play Nassau County Division IV Champion Roosevelt for the second-straight year for the Long Island Championship.