By Danny Schrafel

dschrafel@longislandergroup.com

A little bit of rain on Saturday hardly dampened the homecoming enthusiasm for the Tornadoes football squad, which notched its first victory during a 22-0 shutout of the Mt. Sinai Mustangs during homecoming.

With the victory, the Tornadoes are now .500 for the season in Division III after two games.

The victory followed the annual homecoming parade, in which Harborfields High School celebrated the occasion as floats, following a sporting event theme, rolled down Broadway in Greenlawn with hundreds cheering them on. The senior class represented the Olympic Games with their float, the junior class designed a FIFA Soccer display, the sophomore class represented the Kentucky Derby and the freshmen class depicted “NASCAR.”

On the field, a fumble recovery by Alex Rappa with 9:05 left on the clock in the first quarter set the stage for the Tornadoes’ first touchdown. The Tornadoes marched down the field on multiple rushes by Connor Bennardo and quarterback Cody Cunningham. They found the end zone at 6:28, then padded the lead with a 2-point conversion. Another fumble recovery by the Tornadoes set the stage for a second touchdown pass in the second quarter.

But the Tornadoes had a little bit of a scare as halftime approached, and the Mustangs, powered by a 35-yard pass, went deep into Tornadoes turf. With just seconds left on the clock in the half, Harborfields thwarted a scoring attempt with an interception in the end zone, getting themselves out of the quarter unscathed.

Later, the Tornadoes secured the victory when Bennardo threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nick DiNapoli in the third quarter. DiNapoli also added a sack, while Daniel Morgan had an interception and a 22-yard-catch.

Leading the hit parade for Harborfields were Jack Crowley, Patrick Godfrey and Alex Reilly, who each had 10 solo tackles.

The Tornadoes are set to be on the road Saturday against Rocky Point, and are to host Islip Sept. 27. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

See our complete gallery of photos from the event below!