The cow bells will be a-ringin’ come Thursday afternoon as the Riverhead Blue Waves prepare to defend their Division II Suffolk County championship by opening the football season at home against the ground-and-pound North Babylon Bulldogs.
Game time: 4 p.m.
New faces have surfaced, proving their worth through two-a-days, cementing their spot in a starting lineup that is mixed with youth and inexperience.
That youth was evident throughout the pre-season.
“We’re struggling in a lot of places,” said head coach Leif Shay. “We’re a young team and some guys just need a little game experience. Hopefully Thursday will go a long way in finding out what we are all about.”
Decimated with injuries, eligibility issues and graduated talent, the Blue Waves will have to prove themselves to the rest of the field this season; they are no longer the team of years past.
But no absence could be more detrimental than the loss of all-county halfback Jeremiah Cheatom. He is still nursing an injury and has yet to receive clearance from his doctor to return.
“He hasn’t practiced at all this season,” Shay said.
But the show must go on.
“We’re going to put the best 11 players on the field,” Shay said. “The guys that are ready to play are going to be out there. And the kids that are out there deserve to be out there because of their hard work.”
Filling in for Cheatom at halfback will be Ryun Moore. The sophomore will play both sides of the ball, lining up as a outside linebacker on defense.
Moore is the younger brother of former Blue Wave standouts Reggie and Rasheen. Rasheen was the starting wide receiver when the Blue Waves won the Long Island championship in 2009.
“He’s a great athlete and you’re going to see big things from this kid for the next three years,” Shay said. “He’s as good as they come. He’s a tough, low-to-the-ground runner but he’s going to make mistakes. It’s his first varsity game.”
Shay thinks the Blue Waves will be able to run the ball well despite the fact that they feature a rebuilt offensive line.
“Last year we were fortune enough to have two-year starters on the line,” Shay said. “This year we just don’t have that luxury.”
“I think we’ll be able to get movement up front with the group that we have,” he said. “We might struggle a bit in our pass protection with the blitzing and things like that. Things that they haven’t seen.”
The offensive line will be as follows: center Mikey Curtis, right guard Ryan Harkin, right tackle Mike Drexel, left guard John Lee and left tackle Ethan Greenidge.
And lining up behind center will be Cody Smith. Smith will have the opportunity to throw passes to either Dan Czelatka or Daren Jefferson at wide receiver and Mike Van Bommel or Jaron Greenidge at tight end/H-back.
Jaron Greenidge, also the starting free safety, will be an integral force in stopping the Bulldog offensive attack Thursday, said Shay.
“Jaron needs to play well for us,” he said. “He runs a lot of our ‘wild bear’ sets that allow us to stop their offensive game plan.”
At middle linebacker, Van Bommel will line up next to junior Raheem Brown. Playing opposite Ryun Moore at outside linebacker is Taiheem McKay. McKay has returned to Riverhead after moving down south three years ago. He will be entering his senior year. Seniors Czelatka and Ryan Hubbard are the starting cornerbacks. Defensive tackle will feature a three man rotation consisting of Ethan Greenidge, Mike Drexel and John Lee. At defensive end is returning starter Ryan Harkin along with sophomore Tyrese Kerr.
“We don’t know how good or bad we are right now,” Shay said. “But we are going to play Riverhead Football. We’ll find our way.”
North Babylon, Shay said, will try to play their traditional style to win the game as they do every year.”
“They will be the same North Babylon team if they can be successful at being them,” he said. “But if they start to struggle they’ll show something else.”
Last year, the Bulldogs surprised the Blue Waves with a ‘quads’ look, meaning there are four wide receivers. The Bulldog game plan involves the use of as many inside blockers as possible to create space to run even if they defender knows it’s coming.
“They are starting to show that they can go ground-and-pound and spread,” Shay said. “We’re going to have to diversify our defensive package to cover both of those.”
Coach Shay emphasizes that the Blue Waves are prepared physically.
“But now it’s just a mind game,” he said.
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