Hutchinson stars as East Islip reaches county final
November 13, 2010-- East Islip QB #23 Kevin Hutchinson looks for an open receiver as #2 Tyler Rigo blocks during second quarter action in the Suffolk High School Division II Football semifinal playoff game at East Islip Saturday November 13, 2010. East Islip beat West Babylon 34-13. (photo by Kevin P. Coughlin) Credit: Photo by Kevin P Coughlin
For Kevin Hutchinson and East Islip football, it's all about vision.
Vision is, after all, the one way to get around losing a star running back and defensive end to injury in-season, or starting the year with a novice quarterback in a stacked league.
Vision, too, is what Hutchinson displays on a game-by-game basis, when the former wide receiver turned quarterback uses his quick wits and longstanding history as the other guy to see the field, read the defense, and find his target.
Saturday in the Division II semifinal against No. 7 West Babylon, all Hutchinson could see was victory.
No. 1 East Islip defeated the Eagles, 34-13, as Hutchinson had a hand in all the scoring for the Redmen - a rushing TD, three passing TDs and two field goals of 35 and 36 yards. He was 11-for-14 for 165 yards, adding 165 yards on 18 carries.
"He has instincts you can't coach," East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi said. "He's got the perfect head for a quarterback. You cannot rattle him. I won't tell you which ones, but there have been probably about six or seven plays this year where Kevin just did whatever he wanted. Normally, as a coach, I'd kill him, but every time he did it, it resulted in a big play."
East Islip (9-1) advances to the county final for the fourth time in five years and will play No. 4 Bellport at noon Saturday at Stony Brook University.
The Redmen led by as much as 28-0 with 7:22 left in the second quarter. Hutchinson sparked the scoring in the first, deking the defense with a pump-fake before scrambling through a huge hole opened up off center and cruising in untouched for a 22-yard score. His next three scoring throws, an 8-yarder to Kyle Moller, a 14-yard TD to wide-open tight end Nick Ancona, and a 14-yard pass to Peter Hanabergh, broke open the game.
"I have some protection from my line and I have a lot of weapons out there," Hutchinson said, adding that his time at wide receiver has been a definite boon in his position shift. "It's a huge change to have a ball in your hands every play . . . but [having been a receiver] helps me see how the defense covers, and I know where my receiver is going to be."
East Islip, which eked out a 20-14 win over West Babylon in the regular season, also benefited from vision of an entirely different kind. A week of studying the West Babylon defensive scheme paid dividends, Ciampi said, and by game time, "we knew what they were going to do and we just had to stop them," Moller added.
The plan worked, as the Redmen limited West Babylon to 40 yards in the first quarter. Pressured, the Eagles threw three interceptions, including Moller's fourth-quarter pick on first-and-10 at the East Islip 36.
"With some of the adversity we faced this year, it's great to get back there," Ciampi said. "For these kids to be where they are, it says a lot. But when you're there, you want to win it. It's what we're looking to do next week."
It's as if he can see it already.
