Sayville Poised to Take Next Step in Playoffs

The Sayville varsity football season nearly came to an end last week against Amitvyille as the Golden Flashes found themselves down by a point with only 30 seconds to play. But Steven Ferreira, Rich Millwater and company with a late touchdown and now Sayville finds itself in the Suffolk County Division III semi-finals, hosting Westhampton on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Opponent

The fourth ranked Westhampton Hurricanes present a tough challenge for Sayville. The Golden Flashes needed Westhampton earlier this year. 

The Hurricanes come into the game with a record of 6-3, having beaten Dear Park last week in the county quarterfinals 22-13. Westhampton has won three of their last four games with the only loss coming against Sayville. 

The Hurricanes offense is led by quarterback Corey Schulz, running backs Alex Marks and Antonio Garcia and wide receiver Niko Jones. 

The First Meeting

Westhampton and Sayville met on October 23 with Sayville winning 34-28 in overtime. Golden Flashes running back John Haggart tied the game with just over a minute left and scored on a 20-yard run in the third round of the overtime to give Sayville the victory. 

In the game, the Hurricanes' defense held Sayville's potent offense scoreless for the first three quarters before the Golden Flashes answered with two fourth quarter touchdowns. Westhampton blitzed quarterback Steven Ferreira effectively in the game.

For the first three quarters and up until three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Sayville may have been suffering from a lack of confidence. In their prior game, Sayville at the hands of arch-rival Islip.

Keys for Sayville

If there is one key for Sayville, it's to protect Ferreira. The junior quarterback has had a remarkable year and figures to face pressure as he did in the first game against the two teams. One way the Golden Flashes can protect their quarterback is by establishing a strong ground attack. This means a steady diet of Haggart. The sophomore back has been a major force for Sayville, rushing for over 100 yards in each of the last three games and scoring six touchdowns during that span.

In the game against Amityville, Ferreira didn't attempt many passes until Sayville's last drive of the game when they needed a quick score. "I felt like if we could control the clock, slow the game and diminish the amount of touches they have, we would be efficient enough on offense to win," said head coach Robert Hoss after the win against Amityville. "Teams have been blitzing us a lot and how you slow down a blitz is run the ball effectively."

The Sayville defense had trouble with the extremely athletic offense of Amityville last week. But, the defense has come up with plays when it had to this season and should be able to hold Westhampton in check. Senior lineman Joe DeLuca, who has also been inserted as a tight end at times over the last two games,  had 2 1/2 sacks against Westhampton the last time the two teams played and defensive end Justin Fronckwicz had an exceptional game last week against Amityville.

Into the Finals With a Win

A win over Westhampton on Saturday would put Sayville into the Suffolk County Division III finals against either Huntington or Islip. Those two teams will play Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Islip.