Westhampton's Liam McIntyre wins Hansen Award

It was a Monday, two days after the Westhampton football team had felt the sting of defeat for the first time in two years. The Hurricanes had fallen in the Suffolk III championship game, and the finality of it all was setting in.

The defending Long Island Class III champions had been beaten by Half Hollow Hills West on a cold Friday night at Stony Brook, and the Hurricanes’ school-record 22-game winning streak was over.

Middle linebacker/fullback Liam McIntyre handed in his gear that Monday afternoon. One of Long Island’s toughest players turned in his helmet and stood there, refusing to leave.

“He was the last one to leave,” coach Bryan Schaumloffel said. “He was still trying to come to terms with the loss, and it came hard for him. He was looking for answers. It was heartbreaking. But when you know the player and what he stands for, you know why. He was our ironman, an intense player, who didn’t want it to end.”

Schaumloffel said that’s what separated McIntyre from the ordinary high school player.

“McIntyre is a cut above,” he said. “He was the captain, the leader, of the best senior class in more than 100 years of Westhampton football.”

The 6-foot, 205-pound McIntyre, a three-year starter, led Westhampton to two undefeated regular-season titles and ended his career with a 30-3 record. This year he made 107 tackles, including 42 solos, six sacks and 13 for a loss. The two-way throwback was a punishing blocker, and he ran between the tackles for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns.

For his accomplishments, McIntyre was named the 59th recipient of the prestigious Carl A. Hansen Award — presented to Suffolk’s best player — at the Suffolk County High School Football Coaches Association banquet Monday night at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge.

The other finalists were senior wide receiver JJ Laap of Ward Melville, senior halfback Nick Silva of Floyd and senior quarterback Greg Campisi of St. Anthony’s.

It was quite the distinction for the hard-hitting McIntyre, who was the thunder to halfback Dylan Laube’s lightning during the Hurricanes’ run to the Long Island Class III title in 2017. Laube, who won the Hansen Award in 2017, credited McIntyre’s resolve and toughness as the key to the playoff run.

McIntyre, who suffered a broken hand on the first play from scrimmage in 2017, came back to lead the Hurricanes to the LI title. He returned six weeks ahead of schedule, his hand wrapped in a protective club, and basically played with one arm through the playoffs.

“Liam was the heart and soul of our program for the past three years,” Schaumloffel said. “Dylan wasn’t a rah-rah type of guy. It was always Liam.”

In his final performance, McIntyre led the charge from sideline to sideline to shut out the vaunted Hills West offense and take a 10-0 halftime lead.

“He rolled his ankle late in the first half,” Schaumloffel said. “It was like someone flipped a switch. The injury limited his pursuit and took away our interior run game.”

Hills West had three long touchdown runs in the second half to earn a 21-10 win.

“I just didn’t want it to end,” McIntyre said. “You think it’s never going to end. You’re going to ride that wave. You’re going to line up with all your best friends and play forever. And then it ends. When you play all-out physical on every play, injuries happen. The timing couldn’t have been worse.”

He fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands as time expired. His career was over. He’d left everything on the field.

“He’s a warrior,” Schaumloffel said. “What we saw at the end of the Hills game was pure emotion from a guy who will never look back and wonder if he played hard for every second of every game. He gave us everything.”

A heart-wrenching photo appeared on social media with McIntyre all alone after the final whistle. “If that’s what people remember, that’s fine,’’ he said. “That’s who I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I was crushed that we lost. It was not the way I expected to end my career.”

Instead, it closed Monday on top of the podium, honored as the best player in Suffolk County.

The kid who cherished his small town and the excitement of Friday Night Lights left an indelible impression on Westhampton’s program.

Said McIntyre, “There’s nothing like a Friday night high school football game at home.”

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.