It's difficult to describe what being overmatched feels like. A player may believe that the team is keeping pace with its opponent, while in reality the opponent is doing nothing but pulling away. This must have been how the players on the Syosset Braves Varsity football team felt during their season opener last Saturday. The 30-0 loss to the visiting Uniondale Knights exposed a lot of the same weaknesses that plagued the Braves during last years 2-6 season.

Uniondale started the game by marching down the field and eating up most of the first quarter. The drive stalled however at Syosset's 35-yard line and Uniondale was forced to punt. Syosset's first drive would have been a perfect opportunity for the Braves offense to make an early statement. The Braves drive would stall and Syosset would be forced to punt. Despite the lack of scoring, the Braves were encouraged by their stellar first quarter defense that kept the score locked at zero going into the second quarter. The second quarter would not be as kind to the Braves. Uniondale would score 3 touchdowns in the second quarter. The third of which would come seconds before the end of the half and send the Braves to the locker room with 22-0 deficit.

Syosset was tormented all day by Uniondale star Andrew Quarless. The 6'4" 220 pound receiver/defensive back/ kicker gave the Braves fits with his long arms and effortless speed. "I think it came down to the fact that we did stop him but we just let him complete some passes that we should not have" said lineman Greg Mitchell. The inability to stop Quarless is not an uncommon problem however. The star is being recruited to play college football for Notre Dame, Virginia, Miami, and Syracuse.

Syosset came out in the second half down 22 and looking to climb back into the contest. The first drive fizzled and Uniondale got the ball back with a short field. Uniondale took advantage of the short field and scored another touchdown and converted a two-point conversion to increase the Uniondale lead to 30-0. Syosset's next few drives were littered with miscommunication and penalties. Syosset would not score at any point during the rest of the game. The loss was not without its missed opportunities for Syosset. The Braves dropped many passes throughout the game that would have led to big results. One play was especially heartbreaking for the Braves. Late in the first half, quarterback Brian Bergin let loose a perfect pass to a wide open Joe Reali. The ball hit Reali's hand and dropped to the ground. The pass would have resulted in a Syosset touchdown and cut the Uniondale lead in half. Instead Syosset was forced to punt. Other drops yielded much of the same results throughout the course of the game. The combination of over-anxious play and miscommunication on both sides of the ball eventually led to the 30-0 defeat. "I don't think our offense executed as well as they could have. We missed some big blocks. But I think our defense played well, we hit hard but our offense needs to play better" said Greg Mitchell. Maybe that's what being over matched feels like.

Jordan Lauterbach can be heard on "The Sporting Edge"- Fridays from 5 - 6 p.m. on WKWZ- 88.5 FM