Jordan Heyman-to-Lucas Martin late TD pass lifts Half Hollow Hills East over West Islip
Hills East QB Jordan Heyman gets the pass off against West Islip, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Credit: George A Faella
Jordan Heyman fired his 32nd and final pass, and it was magic.
The Half Hollow Hills East senior quarterback patiently waited for Lucas Martin to clear the back of the secondary and fired into the corner of the end zone, where his receiver made a two-handed grab for a huge road win over West Islip.
Martin’s 15-yard touchdown reception and Max Futter’s ensuing extra-point kick gave Hills East a wild 44-43 comeback win in a pivotal Suffolk Division II football game Friday night. The final pass came with 21 seconds remaining and capped a 10-play, 76-yard touchdown march in the final 2:06.
And Martin wasn’t finished. For good measure, he came up from his safety position and made a leaping interception to seal the victory with 16 seconds left. It was the fifth West Islip turnover of the game. Hills East forced three fumbles and grabbed two interceptions.
Both teams are 5-1.
Heyman, who sported a huge bandage over a bruised left jaw, boarded the Hills East bus bound for Dix Hills and let out a roar.
“We battled back all game and that final drive was something special,” he said. “Our receivers kept working to get open and our line gave me enough time to make that play. It’s such a huge win.”
The winning touchdown drive came after a furious West Islip rally in which the Lions scored two touchdowns to take a 43-37 lead with 2:06 left.
Chris Piropato scored on a 5-yard run and Shaun Boyle added the kick with 5:50 left to get the Lions within 37-35. Boyle then caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bobby Richardson and Rocco Carpinello added the two-point conversion run.
“This win will have a major impact on the power points and getting the top seed for the playoffs,” Hills East coach Alex Marcelin said. “We must take care of business the rest of the way. But tonight was a huge hurdle for our guys who will look back on the dog days of practices and how it helped them to continue the comeback and earn this win.”
Heyman completed 13 of 32 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore halfback Daniel White added 137 yards on 22 carries, including TD runs of 2 and 41 yards.
“I thought it was a game of punishing hits and guys on both teams left it all out there,” Heyman said. “When my first reads weren’t open, the line pinned the tackles inside and allowed me to escape and gain some time to look down the field for open receivers.”
West Islip opened the scoring when Richardson found Carpinello down the middle of the field for a 42-yard scoring strike with 10:08 left in the first quarter. Boyle added the kick to make it 7-0. Carpinello opened the four-play, 80-yard drive with a 32-yard run. He finished with 223 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns.
Hills East capitalized on the first West Islip turnover to tie the score. Heyman hit Futter with a 21-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the first quarter and Futter added the kick to make it 7-7.
Two plays later, Carpinello broke a 76-yard touchdown run and the Lions regained the lead at 14-7.
Hills East answered with a six-play, 69-yard scoring drive. Heyman scrambled away from pressure and found Logan Soler wide-open in the end zone to make it 14-13.
The Lions stretched the lead when Piropato scored on a 5-yard run with 2:36 left in the half to give the Lions a 21-13 halftime lead.
Hills East opened the third quarter with a five-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Soler made a spectacular one-handed grab and dash for a 30-yard touchdown to get Hills East within 21-19. Heyman scored on a sneak to tie it at 21 with 11:10 left in the third quarter.
West Islip responded with a seven-play, 90-yard scoring drive, capped by Carpinello’s 41-yard touchdown run for a 28-21 lead.
But Hills East wasn’t going away. Prince Zaire Bell recovered another West Islip fumble at the Lions’ 30. Three plays later, White scored on a 2-yard run and Futter added the two-point conversion pass to give Hills East a 29-28 lead with 1:29 left in the third quarter.
On the Lions’ next possession, the Hills East defense stopped Carpinello on a fourth-and-1 run when linebacker Akio Johnson shot through the line and stuffed the halfback for no gain. On the very next play, White went over left end, spun out of two tackles and scored on a 41-yard run. Heyman found Tyler Sanders for the two-point conversion pass to make it 37-28 with 8:58 left.
“These games are fun for the fans,’’ Marcelin said, “but not the coaches.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
