FOOTBALL: Cater (4 TDs, 239 yards) shoulders load when Meyer goes down

BY BOB LIEPA | SPORTS EDITOR

WEST ISLIP -- The West Islip Lions were "Caterized."

"Caterized" is the term former Riverhead Blue Waves lineman Andrew Smith came up with to describe the rock-hard hits Malcolm Cater delivers on defense. Well, "Caterized" may also be used to describe Cater's hard-hitting, punishing running style when he carries the football on offense.

When Riverhead 's first-string tailback, Greg Meyer, left Saturday's game late in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, the Blue Waves didn't panic. They just placed the ball in Cater's hands, and he handled things from there.

Cater ran for four second-half touchdowns -- his first touchdowns of the season -- as well as a career-high 239 yards as Riverhead recovered from a 9-0 deficit and overcame the West Islip Lions, 28-9. The Suffolk County Division II game was played at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School because work on West Islip's new turf field had not been completed.

"I knew it was my time to step up," said Cater, who also made seven tackles, recovered a fumble and recorded half a sack. "It felt great, man. I saw the seams and I just took it. I hit the hole hard."

Riverhead (3-1) was trailing by 9-0 when Meyer hurt his troublesome left shoulder on a 14-yard run in which he was tackled by Andrew Federico with 25 seconds left in the first half. Meyer, a senior who had run for a career-high 209 yards and four touchdowns himself eight days earlier in a win over the Walt Whitman Wildcats, had 42 yards from 10 carries Saturday.

With Meyer's left arm in a sling and ice wrapped onto his left shoulder, he watched from the sideline as Cater put on a show. Cater, a senior who has committed to play for Syracuse University next year, rose to the occasion with his running, which is a fine mix of speed and power. Twenty-four of his 25 carries and all but two of his yards came after Meyer went down.

Cater evidently found the field turf at St. John the Baptist to his liking. He scored on runs of two, eight, one and 64 yards as the Blue Waves played an inspired second half following a lackluster showing in the first two quarters.

A fumble recovery by Cater and an interception by Owen Keupp set up the second and fourth Riverhead touchdowns.

"He proved he can run the ball," said Blue Waves lineman Mike Smith, who had a tremendous game himself, making 10 tackles (six unassisted) and batting down a West Islip pass. "He's a monster. Nobody wants to hit him, and he wants to hit everybody else."

The game had started promisingly for the Lions (1-3) when they capitalized on a pair of turnovers for a 9-0 lead. On the game's fourth play from scrimmage, Riverhead quarterback Steve Kimmelman lateralled the ball to Tim Fitzgerald, who was hit almost simultaneously by Rob Moore, forcing a fumble. Tim Lettieri scooped up the ball and returned it eight yards to the end zone. Then, Federico made an interception in his own end zone and brought the ball back 25 yards. That set up an 11-play drive resulting in a 20-yard field goal by Andrew Hodgson with 1:12 to go in the first half.

With Cater running the ball so effectively, Riverhead passed only once in the second half.

"He had a hell of a game," Blue Waves Coach Leif Shay said. "You have to take your hat off to him."

Riverhead 's defense may deserve a game ball, too. For the second straight week, Riverhead 's defensive unit did not allow a touchdown. It held West Islip to 141 yards of total offense after conceding only 158 to Walt Whitman in the previous game.

Meanwhile, West Islip's defense was spearheaded by Connor Fleming, who made 10 tackles.

Meyer has a history of shoulder problems, and it wasn't the first time he came out of a game this season with an ailing shoulder. Shay said he didn't have a chance to talk to the trainer about this latest injury, but he said Meyer's shoulder is "something we're going to be dealing with all year long; he's going to have shoulder issues. We just have to keep padding him up. He's a tough kid, so I'm sure he'll try to get ready to play."

The game could have been regarded as a pivotal one for Riverhead in terms of its win-loss record.

"Two and two is a cold, dark place," Shay said. "Three and one is a very happy place."

bliepa@timesreview.com