Mike Smith helps Hills West blank Sayville, move into title game
Sayville TB Max Kolar is brought down by a swarming Hills West defense for the loss in the Division lll semifinal game, Saturday, November 10, 2018 at Half Hollow Hills West High School. Credit: George A. Faella
The embrace said it all. Linebacker Mike Smith came off the field and was bear hugged by defensive coordinator Dave Pittman.
Smith had led a defensive charge for the ages as Half Hollow Hills West held Sayville to two first downs over the final nine possessions and shut down the Golden Flashes, 9-0, Saturday in a Suffolk Division III football game in Dix Hills.
Half Hollow Hills West (9-1) will meet top-seeded Westhampton (10-0), the defending Long Island Class III champion, for the Suffolk Division III title on Saturday in LaValle Stadium at Stony Brook University at 4 p.m.
It will be the Colts fifth consecutive appearance in the Suffolk title game. They won the Suffolk Division II crown in 2016.
“They had nowhere to run,” said Smith, who had nine tackles and a forced fumble that short circuited the opening drive of the game. “We pressured the quarterback and didn’t allow him to make plays. Our secondary completely shadowed their receivers and there was nowhere to throw. It was complete domination.”
Sayville (6-4) found success on only one drive yesterday – the opening one. The Golden Flashes went 64 yards in 16 plays in 7:03 and found the red zone for the only time in the game. But on second down and seven from the Colts 16, Smith penetrated the backfield and put as thunderous hit on the Sayville halfback forcing a fumble that was recovered by Mike Stone at the Colts 25.
“I read the give, came across the line and got right into the ball carrier, it was a big hit man,” Smith said. “It felt like that all game. We were focused and hungry.”
Hills West went on a 13-play, 71-yard march but a fourth down and 4 pass play from the Sayville 5, fell incomplete in the end zone.
The missed opportunity still had Sayville pinned at their own five. And on a third down and 19 from the seven-yard line, the snap from center flew over Murtha’s head and out of the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Hills West lead with 6:12 left in the half.
“The defense gave us the lead,” said junior linebacker Joe Venezia. “We knew Murtha was a slick runner, but we gave him no lanes to take off.”
Neither team found its rhythm on offense. Sayville led by linebacker Aidan Kaler and defensive backs Max Kolar and Murtha smothered the Colts running game and forced quarterback Gerald Filardi into an 0-for-7 passing game.
On the flip side, Filardi led a defense that allowed only 61 yards on Sayville’s last nine possessions. The Golden Flashes, who averaged 25 points per game, had no answers for a swarming Hills West defense.
Murtha was pressured and chased repeatedly out of the pocket by tackle Keith Slaughter, linebackers Jake Cetta, Michael Carubia, Venezia and Smith. And even rolling away from the pressure could find no one open as he scanned the field as Sayville receivers could not get separation against the man-to-man coverage leaving Murtha with no open windows to throw through.
“He was under siege,” Venezia said. “And when he looked down the field our guys blanketed their receivers.”
The defense came up big to set up the lone touchdown of the game. On a fourth down and 5 from the Colts 36, Murtha navigated around right end where he was leveled by Kolar and Smith for no gain with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
Two plays later, junior halfback Justin Brown burst over the right end, broke three tackles, and raced for a 64-yard touchdown and the 9-0 lead with 3:49 left.
“I followed a big block from Venezia and shrugged a few guys off me,” said Brown, who rushed 13 times for 138 yards. “And then it was all green in front of me.”
A big play and a stout defense sends the Colts back to the title game.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
