Football Preview: Babylon at Amityville

Match-up:  No. 4 Babylon (1-0) at No. 1 Amityville (1-0)

Time/Venue: Tonight, September 16 at 7 p.m./Lou Howard Field

When Amityville dropped back down to League IV, they immediately became favorites to finish on top. And for good reason. The last two times the Warriors were in League IV (2007 and 2009), they won Suffolk County championships.  And with a multi-dimensional offense, there’s no reason to believe they can’t challenge again.

But if Babylon coach Rick Punzone’s team is concerned, it hasn’t shown in practice this week.

“[Our players] aren’t cocky, they’re confident,” Punzone said. “We think we can’t be stopped offensively. We do have a swagger.”

Punzone will look to keep his offense on the field as much as possible, keeping the ball out of the hands of Amityville’s offense. “They have three legitimate stars,” Punzone said, speaking of quarterback Sean Walters, running back Da’rell Hatcher and wide receiver Willie White. “It’s a three-headed monster. You have to take away all three threats to beat them.”

Look for Panther quarterback Zach Fredericks to play ball-control offense, using backfield runners Grant Shannon, Jeann Cruz and Joe Mankiewicz to pound the ball, chewing up yardage, and the clock. Linemen Andrew Watson and Harrison Dittmeier return to the lineup after missing the team’s first game, which will help Punzone’s ball-control attack.

“We have to make them work on offense,” Punzone said. “If they go three plays, 80 yards for a score, we’re in trouble. They’re explosive. We have to get them out of their game.”

Live Tweeting: Can’t get to the game? Patch will be tweeting the score after each quarter. Follow us every day through twitter @BabylonVPatch.