West Islip Jake Kramer's burst boosts football team past Hauppauge, into semifinals
West Islip's Jake Kramer runs in the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter during a Suffolk Division III football quarterfinal playoff game against Hauppauge on Saturday at West Islip High School. Credit: Bob Sorensen
All the momentum had vanished from West Islip’s sideline.
The Lions watched their 13-point lead erased late in the fourth quarter. Just when it looked like Jovan Brewster took a screen pass 66 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:30 left, a flag was thrown for an illegal block in the back.
“Everyone still stayed up,” Jake Kramer said. “We knew we still had it in us with two minutes left.”
Two plays later, Kramer burst through the middle of the line and put on the afterburners. The junior broke free for a 58-yard touchdown to give No. 4 West Islip the lead with 2:06 left in its 26-14 win over visiting No. 5 Hauppauge in a Suffolk Division III football quarterfinal on Saturday.
“The hole up the A gap was wide,” Kramer said. “I saw just one safety. I saw the right side wide open, so I bounced it to the sideline. It felt really good after just getting a touchdown called back.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Darin Their forced a fumble and Matthew Marker recovered it, giving the Lions possession inside Hauppauge’s 20-yard line. Brewster ran in a 3-yard TD with 1:46 left to seal the win.
West Islip (7-2) will visit No. 2 Smithtown West in the semifinals at 4 p.m. next Saturday.
“A lot of teams doubted us,” said Brewster, who missed last season with an injury. “We showed teams that we’re ready to compete and we’re going to stay here. We’re coming for a county championship. That’s the main goal.”
Brewster hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from TJ Sonnenberg early in the second quarter to get the Lions on the board. Sonnenberg capped West Islip’s following drive with a 4-yard TD run to take a 13-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first half.
The West Islip defense stymied Hauppauge’s high-powered offense in the first half, holding the Eagles to five first downs.
“They played lights out,” West Islip coach Steve Mileti said. “We have one of the better defenses out there. And credit to Hauppauge. (Running back) Liam O’Connor is something else. They never gave up. They had us, and we just said, ‘Not today.’”
O’Connor and the Eagles’ offense found their footing in the fourth. Nick LaChapelle ran in a 4-yard touchdown to cap a 16-play, 80-yard drive with 7:10 left.
After Hauppauge’s defense forced a quick punt, LaChapelle worked some magic. Facing third-and-9, the southpaw rolled to his left and fit a pass through a tight window to Joe Pistritto, who turned up field for a 58-yard gain. O’Connor ran in an 8-yard score on the next play to give Hauppauge a 14-13 lead with 2:41 left.
O’Connor, who ran for 1,020 yards in the regular season, had 25 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown as Hauppauge finished 5-4.
West Islip was hampered by several injuries last season and finished 1-7 in Suffolk II. In their first year in Suffolk III, the Lions were the preseason No. 8 seed.
“It’s a tremendous feat,” Mileti said. “We haven’t been seeded that low in probably 20 years. We kind of took it personally, had a great offseason and worked hard to gain the respect that West Islip football deserves.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
