Sebastian Regis, East Islip's unstoppable lineman, wins Hansen Award

East Islip senior Sebastian Regis played everywhere on defense. He could blow up the offensive line from the inside at the nose guard or tackle position.

Or he could stand on the end and take away the perimeter. And at times, East Islip took the intimidating 6-1, 268-pounder and had him stare into the backfield from right smack in the middle of the defense.

No one was safe because there was no stopping Regis. Offensive coordinators used every imaginable game plan to minimize his impact.

They tried to double, even triple team him. They tried to trap him. They tried to run the ball right at him. Nothing worked.

Regis wreaked havoc in opposing backfields.

“He’s the most dominating player on both sides of the ball that I’ve seen in more than 30 years of coaching," Westhampton coach Bryan Schaumloffel said. "You rarely see lineman that have such a tremendous impact on a game. He was the focus when we planned for East Islip.”

Regis was also a road grader of an offensive tackle. He helped clear the way for East Islip to average 242 yards rushing per game.

“I couldn’t stop watching his game film,” Hauppauge coach Chris Diesso said. “He’s truly a man amongst boys. He was such a physical player and very athletic for a lineman. Whether he was on offense or defense he completely crushed people. He’s a player we don’t see often.”

For his accomplishments, Regis swept the three major awards at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner Monday night at the Hyatt in Hauppauge.

Regis earned the 64th Hansen Award presented annually by Newsday to the most outstanding player in Suffolk County. His collection of hardware also included a unanimous selection for the 13th Rob Burnett Award given to Suffolk’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Bob Zellner Award as Suffolk’s top lineman.

Regis is a rarity in that he became the first Suffolk lineman in 38 years to win the Hansen Award. Sachem’s Mark Wojciechowski won the award in 1985.

The other finalists for the Hansen Award were record-breaking junior quarterback Joseph Filardi of Half Hollow Hills West, who amassed 4,420 total yards and accounted for 57 touchdowns. He set Long Island records for touchdown passes in a single season with 44 and all-purpose yards in a single game with 651. Another finalist,  West Islip senior halfback Rocco Carpinello,  racked up 1,636 yards with 24 touchdowns and. averaged 11 yards per carry.

“Sebastian is on a different level strength-wise," East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi said. “He completely takes over on the line of scrimmage and moves people. He was double and triple-teamed all season and it didn’t matter. We’ll never see another one like him. He’s a physical specimen that puts in endless hours of work in the gym.”
Regis was a ferocious hitter. He totaled 101 tackles, including 26 for a loss, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles, and blocked five extra points. He led East Islip to the Long Island Class III championship with a 19-14 win over South Side. In that game he had seven tackles, two for a loss and a sack.

“He certainly lived up to the billing,” said South Side coach Phil Onesto. “He jumped off the screen at our staff when we were putting our game plan together.”

Regis was the personification of a two-way throwback player, who rarely left the field. The four-year, two-way starter clocked a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash and had a bench press of 225 pounds for 22 reps. He maxed out at 600 pounds in a dead lift, 435 in a bench press and squatted 585 pounds.

“He’s so strong but he's also a quick twitch athlete,” Ciampi said. “His natural hand skills developed through his jiu jitsu workouts keep lineman off his jersey. He’s all lean muscle at 10 percent body fat.”

Regis accomplishments go beyond the gridiron. He is also the defending state wrestling champion at 285 pounds.

“The discipline of jiu jitsu has helped me learn how to keep people off me,” Regis said. “And wrestling is all about discipline and patience. I’d like to think my footwork has improved and helped my pass rushing.”

Regis missed the Long Island Class III title game two years ago with a leg injury.

“It was a dream come true to play in the LIC,” Regis said. “It was cool to be a part of it and even cooler to win.”

Regis said he’s keeping his options open for college. He has multiple offers but feels there’s more out there.

“He’s a wonderful kid from a wonderful family and we have some big D-I schools interested in him,” Ciampi said. “Wherever he decides to play they won’t be disappointed. He’s the entire package. When he walks into a room everyone sits up straight. His teammates love and respect him. And opponents respect him. We’ve seen one of the best players ever.”

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.