The Manhasset Indians soundly defeated the Malverne Mules, 26-7 in a pivotal battle of Conference Four teams with 2-1 records. Playing under the lights at windy and rain soaked Ed Walsh Field on Friday night, the Indians made a strong rebound statement after losing to Roosevelt the previous week.

The game began with a long, sustained drive by Malverne that finally stalled at the six yard line after senior safety Matt Sutherland tipped a pass out of the reach of the Malverne split end on fourth down.

The Indians took possession on the six and promptly gained 20 yards on an end sweep by back Terrence Molinari (106 yards, 10 carries on the day). A couple of plays later, the Indians ran the same play around right end with junior Danny Mullin (14 carries, 156 yards rushing) the ball carrier. About 8 yards downfield, he abruptly stopped, cut against the defensive flow, and scampered 63 yards for his first of two touchdowns in the game.

After junior kicker Phil Kalagiros boomed yet another kick-off into the end zone, Malverne again started their offense back in their own territory. This situation was reported several times during the game, as Kalagiros' long, high kicks kept Malverne in poor field position all day. When Malverne did make some offensive moves, the Indians alert linebacking corps of seniors Molinari, Matt Heske, Scott Madison and junior James Petracca consistently had the holes plugged.

The second quarter found the Indians on the march again, with a crisp, well executed drive. The key play was a neat 18-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Dodge to fullback Madison on a third and 15 situation. This brought the ball inside the Mules 20-yard line. The Indians plowed forward and scored on a knifing, twisting, diving run by Molinari for 12 yards behind the key block of senior tackle Tommy Morelli. 12-0 Indians at the half.

The second half began with speedy sophomore Shea Licata receiving the kickoff and working his way to the left sideline, where he sprinted approximately 50 yards, to the Malverne 46. From there Mullin and Molinari took over, running behind a surging offensive line, powered by co-captains Morelli, center Patrick Judge and tackle Greg Boukas, as well as guards Heske and John Kessler, and tight end Frank Coughlin. The big guys moved the Malverne defense consistently back. When a team runs for almost 300 yards on the day, the offensive line has really come through. This particular drive culminated in a one-yard drive for a touchdown by Mullin. A two point pass conversion, Dodge to Peter Miller, made the thirdquarter score 20-0.

The fourth quarter saw another fine defensive stop for the Indians, and then another long, relentless drive at five, six, seven yards a clip that finally produced the Indians final score with a second 12-yard dash by Molinari. Malverne just couldn't stop the Indians running game. Malverne finally scored on a one-yard run with about a minute to go, and averted a shutout, but the Indians had the game firmly in their grasp at 26-7.

Up next for the Indians is the Mineola Mustangs, this Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. under the lights at Manhasset's Ed Walsh Field.