Mineola's Varsity Football team hasn't gotten off to the best of starts but fans of the Mustangs are not disappointed. With only two wins against three losses so far this season, the team can litter a SportsCenter Top 10 with highlights from their abbreviated season. The highest scoring game in school history and a Saturday night near miracle comeback are sandwiched between a mistimed homecoming against Nassau's fiercest rival.

Led by versatile senior quarterback Jon Hock, the Mustangs opened the season with a tough 20-14 loss at Malverne. Mineola was twice denied the win on fourth quarter trips inside the Mules 10-yard line before a devastating interception forced their fate. Three hundred fifty yards of offense, 130 via the air into the hands of senior Rob Maloney, went for naught in a game that either team could have won.

The frustration wore off quickly when Friends Academy became a 32-7 victim in a September mid-week matinee. Making oatmeal of the Quakers, dominating play was demonstrated on both sides of the ball. The running game never paused with senior Ian Stanisic rushing for 100 of the team's 300-yard ground attack. The offensive line studs (seniors Mike Roo, Dan Campos, Kevin Brostek, Brian O'Malley and junior Zack Chichi) opened holes wide enough to mapquest the team bus. Defensively, Friends were held scoreless until the final minutes by seniors Chris Orlando, Mike Vasconcelos and Kurt Hetzer alongside juniors Dan Benbow and Mark Schiller.

The next game could become the signature event in Mustang sports lore. Traveling to East Rockaway, the teams lit fireworks on the scoreboard in a 50-49 shootout. Rocks and Mustangs evenly traded touchdowns en route to a 42 all tie into the fourth quarter. Every facet of the offense contributed while the defenses were blindsided. With two and a half minutes remaining, the Mustangs took the lead on Stanisic's third rushing TD of the afternoon and Roo's seventh conversion of the contest. The Rocks marched downfield with 50 seconds to go, courtesy of penalties rather than ball movement, and punched in a short pass to fall within a point. Certain the Mustangs could not be stopped, the Rocks risked convention and overtime by lining up for the two point attempt. A sweep to the right scraped the pylon giving East Rockaway the slim lead. The Mustangs drove the length of the field (who would expect otherwise) but were unable to attempt a long field goal as time expired. Roo's attempt at glory would come two weeks later.

Homecoming is a painful exercise when one of the best teams on the Island comes to town. The number one-ranked team in the conference, Roosevelt, feared an upset before shattering Mustang dreams. Staked to a 14-0 deficit by way of an interception return for a touchdown, Mineola fired back with consecutive scores on short runs by Hock and Orlando. The Roughriders, surely read the riot act at intermission, raced to 27 unanswered points in the second half to silence the drone of the homecoming faithful. Despite the dreadful outcome, Mineola showed grit and determination against the best the county has to offer.

One of the seminal events of the fall sports season is the Annual Saturday Night Lights Pigskin Spectacular. This year the Mustangs invited the Frogs of Carle Place to be their guest as Hampton Stadium transformed into Texas (or Florida, Ohio or Pennsylvania) for one evening. Without the fund raising efforts of the Mustang players, this night of pride would not be possible. Again the Mustangs would provide the necessary theatrics. In the first six minutes, Mineola held a shocking 21-0 lead. A 70-yard, four play drive in a little over two minutes put Hock in the end zone after a 49-yard sprint. After the Frogs fumbled away their first offensive play, Hock darted another 40 yards to paydirt. Three and out by Carle Place generated a four-play, two-minute stunner with Hock finding senior Marc Dadich for six.

After Chichi delivered a blistering hit in the Frog backfield early in the second quarter, Hock again spun his magic with his third TD scamper of the half. With a 28-point advantage in neon, the deciding plays occurred in the final minute before the break. A muffed Frog punt put Mustang leather on the Carle Place 30 with time winding down. A fumble inside the 10 turned the ball back to the Froggers. Assuming they would kneel into the locker room, Carle Place made a fatal mistake finding the waiting arms of junior safety TJ Gessner's interception. Mike Roo, who dissected the Frogs with three first half touchbacks, elicited memories of legendary Mustang placekicker Matt Bispo with what may be a school record 43-yard field goal.

The lights and atmosphere must have inspired the neighbors as Carle Place came out firing on all cylinders. Despite a bone crushing tackle by Brostek, a fake punt by the Frogs retained possession and eventually put the Green in the scoring column. A TD by quarter's end provided an innocuous 31-14 tally but the Frogs would not toad. A near miss 68-yard TD strike from Hock to Benbow may have salted the win before another Frog trip to the goal line. Seeking to burn clock, Mustang Head Coach Dan Guido and Offensive Coordinator Helms Bohringer gambled. Electing to go for the first down on fourth and one from their own 30, the plan worked. One play later, the Mustangs fumbled away their opportunity. One play after that, the Frogs fired a 39-yard rocket for a 31-28 barn burner that was Mineola's halftime nightmare. Facing an onside kick, the Mustangs "hands team" retained possession to end the free for all. With the stands filled to capacity, the smiling crowd filtered out. All on-site defibrillators are now recharging.

The Mustangs play their final game of the season this Saturday on the newly renovated turf field at Manhasset High School. The field, complete with lights, was paid for with private donations (including support from Boomer Esiason) and is fast becoming one of the premiere on-campus football facilities on Long Island. There may be no better place to watch one of the most exciting teams in Nassau County end the season in heart-stopping fashion.