The 9 year old Mineola PAL Chiefs beat the Baldwin Bombers 14-0 in front of a crowd of over hundred screaming rain drenched fans this past Sunday and advanced to the Nassau County Championship Game against the Massapequa Mustangs. This is a first for any Chiefs age group in over a decade.

The rain was heavy Sunday, but that didn't stop the Chiefs offense from throwing the ball. On both scoring drives Quarterback Thomas O'Connell went to the air and completed passes to Michael Patalano, Andrew Cunningham and Teddy Capsis. The drives also featured key runs by Ryan Eccher, Brian Smith, Cunningham and O'Connell. The Chiefs offense moved the ball all day long because of superior blocking by the offensive line of Gavin Dowd, Michael Delio, Andrew Hastings, Dominic Paggi, James Gerstner and Lucas Golon. Scoring is summarized below:

* Thomas O'Connell 1 yard Touchdown Run.

* Teddy Capsis extra point Run.

* Thomas O'Connell 20 yard Touchdown Pass to Michael Patalano.

* Teddy Capsis extra point Run.

The defense battled hard against the Baldwin Bombers all day long and dominated their offense. The defensive line led by Kyle Facibene, Joe Pino, Naim Smith and Capsis kept the pressure on Bombers offense. The linebackers and cornerbacks attacked the ball and finished the job. They were led by O'Connell, Smith, Cunningham and Thomas Davis. On a key play in the second half, Cornerback Kyle Spruill chased a Bomber running back in the open field and made a fantastic score saving tackle from behind. The defense once again held on in the red zone. That was it, game over and a chance to move on.

All the Chiefs and their coaching staff showed outstanding character and sportsmanship. All the boys played and participated in the playoff victory.