Hills West defense sparks win over Riverhead
Riverhead QB Ken Simco is sacked by Half Hollow Hills West's Steven Kleet and Anthony Leva during a Suffolk II semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014. Credit: Enrique C. Mendez
The pressure on Riverhead quarterback Ken Simco came from all sides. There was nowhere to run. The Half Hollow Hills West defense recorded eight sacks and forced three turnovers Saturday in a 28-13 win in a Suffolk Division II semifinal playoff game before a crowd of 800 in Dix Hills.
Defensive end A.J. Lever, tackle Rambo Wahab and end Steve Kleet had two sacks apiece for Half Hollow Hills West (8-2), which will meet East Islip in the Suffolk II title game 4 p.m. Saturday at Stony Brook University.
"We were coming clean off the edge and getting great shots at the quarterback," said Lever, who had five unassisted tackles. "And we were coming from everywhere and mixing the defensive looks."
Hills West outgained Riverhead 195-18 in the first half but held only a 6-0 lead. The Colts' red-zone inefficiency kept the game close. The Colts drove inside the 10 on two trips but had to settle for two short field goals by Ryan Barone. The loss of fullback Lucas DiGiorgi, who was out with a right foot injury, hampered the Colts' offense in short- yardage situations.
"We missed [Lucas'] inside presence," Hills West coach Kyle Madden said. "But we were in position to make some plays and didn't execute in the red zone."
Barone's first field goal of 26 yards with 5:50 left in the first quarter capped a seven-play, 56-yard drive for a 3-0 lead. Ray Lyte's 46-yard run set up the opening score.
"If I didn't slow down to cut back, I would have scored," said Lyte, who was tackled at the Riverhead 8. "But it got us on the scoreboard anyway.''
Lyte would do most of the heavy lifting for the Hills West offense, finishing with 197 yards on 28 carries, including a 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. His 19-yard run set up Barone's 25-yard field goal with 1:54 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.
Riverhead managed only 18 total yards on 13 plays and no first downs in the first half. The Blue Waves played without leading rusher Ryun Moore, who was out with a concussion.
The Riverhead defense helped the Blue Waves forge a short-lived 7-6 lead. Lineman Troy Trent stepped in front of a short pass from Anthony Lucarelli and returned the interception 21 yards to the Hills West 5. Halfback Raheem Brown scored on a 5-yard run and Nico Bossey added the kick with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
Hills West responded with an eight-play, 60-yard scoring drive capped by Lucarelli's 6-yard scoring pass to Lyte. Frank Pizzurro caught the two-point conversion pass for a 14-7 lead. On Riverhead's next possession, Hills West defensive back Cody Carlson jumped over wideout Steven Reid for a key interception at the Colts' 25. Lucarelli drove the Colts 75 yards in eight plays and hit Cameron Jordan on a slant for a 9-yard scoring strike and a 21-7 lead.
The last stand for the defense included two sacks by Wahab, a sack by Dan Namkung and Joe Cipoletti's interception on the final play of the game.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
