Ojany: Oh, my! Belliard scores six TDs in romp over Whittier
- Currently 0.0 with 0 votes.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
Thursday, November, 24
By Mac Cerullo
WEST ANDOVER — When Ojany Belliard woke up on Thanksgiving morning, he knew it would be the last high school football game he’d ever play.
Might as well go out and make it a memorable one.
Belliard put on a performance for the ages, rushing for 216 yards and scoring six touchdowns to lead the Reggies to a 51-6 win over Whittier Tech. The senior running back set the tone with a 65-yard touchdown on the third play of the game, and finished with four rushing touchdowns plus a pick six and a kickoff return touchdown.
“This is the best way to end your career,” Belliard said. “This is my last high school game of football ever, and I’m never coming back, and I’m beyond pleased on the way it ended. I’m beyond pleased.”
After the first touchdown, the Reggies forced a three-and-out and drove 63 yards in six plays, capping things off with a 4-yard Belliard score.
Then on their next drive, quarterback Kyle Vasconcellos connected with Leyton Barr for a 49-yard touchdown to make it 22-0 after the first.
In the second quarter, Belliard got loose for touchdowns of 79 yards and 31 yards, and the defense kept strong to make it 37-0 at halftime.
After the break, Whittier controlled the ball for virtually the entire third quarter. The only time Greater Lawrence touched the ball was after Belliard snared an interception and then took it 75 yards the other way for his fifth score.
Whittier didn’t score on either of its two third-quarter possessions, but the Cats did break through in the fourth to avert the shutout. Starting with good field position after forcing a turnover on downs near midfield, the Wildcats drove into the red zone, and quarterback Kevin Bradley Jr. found Sam Rebinskas for an 8-yard touchdown.
But on the very next play, Belliard received the kickoff and took it 80 yards to the end zone to put an exclamation mark on an epic Thanksgiving performance.
“As a coach, I couldn’t be more proud,” said Greater Lawrence coach Tony Sarkis. “He’s turned into a nice young man who is going to be a great leader in his community when he goes to college and does great things there.”
In addition to Belliard, Greater Lawrence also got 38 yards rushing from junior David White and 32 yards from senior Vincent Mammola. Vasconcellos went 2 for 3 with 53 yards, and junior kicker Franklin Morales was a perfect 5 for 5 on extra point kicks.
Whittier was led by Bradley, who went 12 for 30 passing with 131 yards, senior Corey Greaney caught five passes for 55 yards, and Rebinskas had three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Greater Lawrence wraps up the season at 7-4, while Whittier finishes 3-8.
Game Statistics:
First Quarter
GL — Ojany Belliard 65 run (Franklin Morales kick), 9:37
GL — Belliard 4 run (Vincent Mammola run), 5:38
GL — Leyton Barr 49 pass from Kyle Vasconcellos (Morales kick), 3:39
Second Quarter
GL — Belliard 79 run (Morales kick), 7:46
GL — Belliard 31 run (David White pass from Mammola), 2:55
Third Quarter
GL — Belliard 75 interception return (Morales kick), 6:37
Fourth Quarter
W — Sam Rebinskas 8 pass from Kevin Bradley (pass failed), 2:26
GL — Belliard 80 kickoff return (Morales kick), 2:10
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Greater Lawrence (18-302) — Ojany Belliard 8-216, David White 4-38, Vincent Mammola 1-32, Zyel Silve 1-11, Jose Caceres 1-4, Kyle Vasconcellos 2-1, Marc Travers 1-0; Whittier (18-43) — AJ Marino 10-28, Kevin Bradley 2-7, Corey Greaney 5-5, Sam Rebinskas 1-3
PASSING: Greater Lawrence — Kyle Vasconcellos 2-3-0, 53; Whittier — Kevin Bradley 12-30-1, 131
RECEIVING: Greater Lawrence — Leyton Barr 1-49, Kyle Halloran 1-4; Whittier — Corey Greaney 5-55, Sam Rebinskas 3-49, Devon Braley 2-13, AJ Marino 1-5, Bob Lincoln 1-9
