Half Hollow Hills QB Samantha Heyman does it all in flag football win over Smithtown
Samantha Heyman said on Thursday, April 11, 2024, “If it’s weather like this and you look at the scoreboard and see you’re up, all I’m focusing on is keeping the ball safe.” Credit: George A Faella
Half Hollow Hills quarterback Samantha Heyman is known for going deep.
Her prolific passing is the key to the Thundercolts’ offensive unit. But when rain strikes and the sun is setting, Heyman can still get it done with a short pitch or on the ground.
The sophomore completed 8 of 13 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 30 yards and another score as Hills defeated Smithtown, 19-0, in a Suffolk I matchup at Hills East Thursday night.
The game was called with 22:13 remaining in the second half after Heyman’s 1-yard sneak because of darkness.
“If it’s weather like this and you look at the scoreboard and see you’re up, all I’m focusing on is keeping the ball safe,” Heyman said. “I’m not going for those long, hard passes. I’m just doing what I can to get the job done.”
Hills (5-0) did not get a first down until its third possession, when Gale Kurland’s flag pull forced a turnover on downs and the Thundercolts took over at the Bulls’ 35-yard line. The six-play, 35-yard scoring drive was capped by an 8-yard run by Zoe Franks with 6:17 remaining in the first half to put Hills up 6-0. Heyman added the extra point with a 3-yard run.
Kurland made her sixth flag pull of the first half to force Smithtown (1-3-1) to punt on the ensuing drive. Heyman’s first two pass attempts were broken up by the Bulls’ defense until a 13-yard strike to Ghita Haouzi gave the Thundercolts a first down. Heyman added 8 yards on the ground before launching a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Rose Azmoudeh on the goal line for a 13-0 lead with 41 seconds left in the half. The point-after pass attempt was broken up by Smithtown’s Brianna D’Ambrosio.
“We have some different faces, but this year it’s the same goal.” Azmoudeh said. “We want to be one of those contenders at the end of the season. Everyone has taken on that mentality, and when you have a great quarterback, you just want to do well for them.”
Heyman, whose brother Jordan threw for 2,540 yards and 37 touchdowns for Hills East in the fall, says her brother inspired — and still inspires — her to improve every day.
“When I’m having difficulty throwing, I’ll call him down to the field like I did last week and he works with me,” Heyman said. “I want to help lead this team like he did his.”
