It was defensive football at its finest. South Side had moved the ball to the Bethpage 12-yard line and faced third down and 2 with 1:28 left in a Nassau Conference III semifinal playoff game .

Bethpage was clinging to a three-point lead and needed a big defensive stop. They got two.

Linebacker Jack Poppe roared through a gap on the left side of the South Side offensive line and tackled halfback A.J. Magaraci for a two-yard loss to the 14.

“I saw the guard come down on our nose tackle and the tackle go to kick out the end,” Poppe said. “I blew up the fullback and made the hit.”

Faced with fourth down and 4, South Side quarterback Connor McNulty rolled to his right, away from the pressure, and threw into heavy coverage where Vincent Morice made a juggling interception with 52 seco

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