Bryce Phillips, Dylan Laube kick returns catapult Westhampton
Westhampton Beach's Dylan Laube (40) runs the ball into the end zone in the third quarter during a Suffolk III playoff football quarterfinal at Kings Park High School on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Don't call it an upset. Call it revenge.
No. 6 Westhampton got the first-round matchup it wanted against No. 3 Kings Park in the Suffolk III football quarterfinals. After losing by 15 points Oct. 10, the Hurricanes got the better of the Kingsmen with a 31-26 victory Saturday.
"It's not every day you get a second chance to do something over again," senior offensive and defensive lineman Dan McClure eagerly said after asked if this was an upset victory. "We got beat the first time and I felt this time we really stepped up as a team and did it better. When you get a second chance, you have to capitalize."
There may not be a better word to describe Westhampton's victory than capitalize. The Hurricanes had 14 first-quarter points without their offense stepping on the field -- courtesy of kickoff returns for touchdowns by Bryce Phillips and Dylan Laube.
Phillips returned a squib kick 51 yards after Kings Park drove 70 yards on 10 plays -- capped off by Matt Meyers' 4-yard touchdown run.
The Kingsmen responded with a 19-play, 87-yard drive capped by Mickey Hopkins' 1-yard run to regain the lead only for Laube to take it right back for Westhampton after a 91-yard kickoff return.
"I got the ball and the holes were just wide open," said Laube, who also had 115 yards on 19 rushes. "The blocking on that play was great, I couldn't do it without them and I just hit the hole and I just went. It was sick, I loved it."
The Hurricanes trailed 20-17 at halftime with only 48 yards compared with King Parks' 222.
"We were shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit in the second quarter," coach Bill Parry said, "but we challenged our seniors and we challenged the whole team to step up and I have to tell you, they played a fantastic second half."
Westhampton (5-4) failed to pick up a first down on its first two second-half drives but Laube broke a 60-yard touchdown run on the first play of its ensuing drive down the left sideline, breaking tackles near the line of scrimmage and another at the 20-yard line on his way to the end zone to put the Hurricanes ahead 24-20 -- a lead they wouldn't relinquish. They added to their lead with a Zach Arrasate 79-yard run on the next drive.
The Hurricanes were confident entering the game despite the October loss. Parry said the team was banged up when they last played.
"We thought we could beat them if we played well," Parry said, "and we think we are a much better team than we were four weeks ago and they proved that today."
Kings Park (6-3) scored with 5:38 remaining in the game to cut Westhampton's lead to 31-26 after a failed two-point conversion.
The Kingsmen defense stopped Westhampton at King Park's 21-yard line on a fourth-and-1 with 50 seconds remaining.
The game ended with Kings Park desperately trying to lateral the ball on the final play but it was unable to break loose.
Westhampton plays at No. 1 Sayville (9-0) on Saturday in the semifinals.
