Sachem East, Half Hollow Hills to meet in Suffolk Class A flag football championship after semifinal wins
Sachem East’s Aubrey Canale, left, and Aubree Ellis celebrate Ellis’ touchdown against Northport during a Suffolk flag football semifinal at Sachem East on Thursday. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
Before the Suffolk Class A semifinal, Sachem East's flag football seniors were told they could now play a county final at home.
Seniors Sofia Larrea and Aubree Ellis made sure that would happen.
Larrea connected with Ellis for two touchdowns Thursday to give host No. 2 Sachem East a 13-6 victory over No. 6 Northport.
“It motivated us knowing we could play on this field again,” Larrea said. “Our coach told us before the game and I loved it. We love playing on this field and this feels amazing to have another chance in the county final.”
The county final was originally scheduled to be at Patchogue-Medford High School, but will now be at Sachem East.
Sachem East will play top-seeded Half Hollow Hills in the Suffolk Class A final at 5 p.m. Wednesday. It is a rematch of last year’s title game, which Hills won.
Sachem East (15-2) led by 13, but Northport’s Lyla Quinn had a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.
Northport (10-7) had a possession with 2:26 left. The Tigers were 35 yards away from the end zone, but Kacey Berger came away with her third sack.
A dropped snap on fourth-and-7 then sealed the win for Sachem East.
“We’re big on communication,” Berger said. “Anytime something doesn’t go our way, we pick each other up and fight back. The sideline does a great job of pumping us up.”
Ellis caught a 12-yard touchdown pass with 8:30 left in the second quarter to open the scoring.
My connection with Sofia is amazing,” Ellis said. “We’re really close, she trusts me and it helps on the field. I’m just so happy we’re playing in a county final, especially that it’s here.”
On fourth-and-goal with 3:04 left in the third quarter, Larrea found Ellis again, this time for a 4-yard touchdown to go up 13.
“They were so excited to have another opportunity to defend their home field,” Sachem East coach Gregory Bosch said. “Whoever comes in here is going to be a great team. We can’t let emotions get the best of us. We have to be prepared and understand being at home won’t determine who scores more points.”
In the other Suffolk semifinal, unbeaten host Half Hollow Hills was tested by No. 4 William Floyd.
Hills, known for its powerhouse offense, had to win with defense.
Hills (15-0) led by one point until Emma Wilck had a 50-yard pick-six with one minute remaining to extend the lead to seven. She then added another interception on the following possession to help give Hills a 19-12 victory.
“It was amazing to see Emma do that,” Hills coach Mike Lupa said. “She came up big in a big-time moment. It was great to see her do that.
“All credit to William Floyd. They came out to play. They were tough, disciplined and they tested us for sure.”
Samantha Heyman connected with Ella Candel for two touchdowns as Half Hollow Hills led 13-6 after three quarters.
Floyd (10-4) responded as Vinte’ya Rountree caught a jump ball and took it for a 52-yard touchdown with under nine minutes left in the game. After a penalty, Floyd went for two from the 5-yard line but was unsuccessful.
“After the penalty, we had the opportunity from the 5 and I was like, let’s go for the lead,” Floyd coach Ron Krawczyk said. “Against a team like that, I felt you go for the win. But I can’t even express how proud I am of the girls. Wouldn’t have wanted to be in that game with anyone else. They played great.”
The Colonials had multiple chances down the stretch, but Wilck’s two interceptions, including the pick-six, kept Hills undefeated.
“These seniors have been grinding at this for four straight years and are trying to get closer each season,” Lupa said. “It’s great for the girls to get back to the county final and now we’re hoping to finish the job this season and keep moving forward.”
