Terriers' double threat tames CTK

Rory Creegan isn't your typical high school football double threat. He doesn't play defense, and at 5-foot-10, 145 pounds, the senior split end doesn't exactly instill fear in opposing defensive backs. &#8220Rory's a finesse player,” middle linebacker Shane O'Connor said. &#8220He doesn't have much power.”
Creegan's size, or lack thereof, however, didn't matter much in the Terriers' second straight win, a 13-7 victory over Christ the King last Saturday night at St. John's University's DaSilva Field.
In fact, the wide receiver, first-year punter and place-kicker may have been the difference.
A Gaelic football player with O'Connor in the off-season, Creegan caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Pat Sheehan and kicked an extra point, but of far more importance in this defensive struggle, he almost single-handedly won the field position battle for the Terriers.
He pinned the Royals inside their own 20-yard-line four times in the second half as they struggled to claw their way back. &#8220We do it all the time in practice,” he said of his directional punting. &#8220So it's not all that hard for me in the game.”
His experience in Gaelic football has sped up his development as a kicker. To pass the ball downfield, players can kick it to one another, which, essentially, is like punting. &#8220It comes in handy, yeah,” he said.
As Creegan was blasting high-arcing kicks into the night, the Royals struggled to even get the ball to their punter, twice giving the Terriers possession deep in their territory on erratically-high snaps.
After St. Francis Prep (2-1, 2-0 CHSFL AA) had gone 72 yards in 11 plays, scoring the game's first touchdown on an untouched two-yard burst from sophomore Robert Dougherty, the first blown snap gave the Terriers possession at the CTK 11. Sheehan immediately found Creegan in the left corner of the end zone. &#8220That ended up hurting us pretty good,” CTK Coach Kevin Kelly said.
Creegan, of course, had help from the Terriers' stout defense. Led by Keith Ferrara and O'Connor, who registered team-highs of eight tackles apiece, they allowed just a single touchdown for a second straight week, relentlessly hitting and rushing CTK quarterback Joe Nuss.
During the span of two plays, St. Francis Prep lost their top linebackers late in the first half. First O'Connor suffered a bruised left shoulder, and then Chris Fenelon was taken to Long Island Jewish Hospital in an ambulance after injuring his neck and spine. He initially felt numbness, but almost immediately regained feeling and was deemed fit to practice this week, after being sent home the night of the injury.
O'Connor returned to play the entire second half, leading the stingy unit. &#8220Everybody knew they had to step up,” he said. &#8220I had to lead the defense, do what I have to do to win the game. … I'm going to play until I'm not able to play at all.”
Nuss, the junior signal caller, did hit on three big plays, but after each completion drives stalled. CTK did manage a cosmetic touchdown in the final minutes when Nuss found senior Nicholas Perrazzo in the back of end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Terrier 7-yard-line, capping an 8-play, 69-yard drive.
Shutout in their opener last week, the Royals (0-2, 0-1 CHSFL AA) can only hope that last drive will carry over.
&#8220The thing I take out of it,” Kelly said, &#8220is our kids played hard all the way to the end, and that's something to build off of for next week.”