Newfield beats Hills West, 58-34, for Suffolk II title
Newfield running back Elijah Riley #8 runs for a touchdown in the first half of the Suffolk County Division II Championship game at Stony Brook University's Lavalle Stadium on Nov. 20, 2015. Credit: Daniel De Mato
Newfield's pursuit of perfection continues.
Junior halfback Justin Ottenwalder caught touchdown passes of 71 and 75 yards from Ryan Klemm and Elijah Riley scored four rushing touchdowns as Newfield defeated Half Hollow Hills West, 58-34, in a wild Suffolk II final Friday night before a crowd of 2,131 at LaValle Stadium.
Newfield (11-0) will meet MacArthur (9-2) for the Long Island Class II championship at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Hofstra University's Shuart Stadium. The Wolverines won their only Class II title in 2011. MacArthur is looking for its first Long Island crown.
"We held them accountable and to some lofty expectations, and they responded," Newfield coach Joe Piccininni said. "We got through some injuries and we believed in each other."
The teams totaled 951 yards, 516 by Newfield. Riley gained 146 yards on 11 carries and Denzel Williams added 108 on nine carries. Ottenwalder caught three passes for 154 yards and gained 62 yards on eight carries.
Leading 24-20 at halftime, Newfield blew open the game with a 27-point third quarter, including two touchdowns in a 53-second span for a 37-20 lead.
Williams stepped in front of an intended receiver at the Newfield 7, intercepted Anthony Lucarelli's pass and returned it to the Wolverines' 31. Two plays later, Ottenwalder scored on a 75-yard screen pass.
"I had a good read on the ball and jumped the route," Williams said. "It felt great to contribute."
When the ball was jarred loose on the ensuing kickoff, Jesse McKeever recovered at the 15 and returned it to the 1. Austin Gubelman pounded his way in for his second score and the Wolverines led 37-20.
"Hills West is a great team," Newfield's Dylan Ferrari said. "But we made the big plays when we needed them."
And those big plays came in bunches. Williams added a 64- yard TD run with a neat cutback into the open field and Riley broke two tackles for a 45-yard scoring run for a 51-27 lead.
"Any time you play a team the second time, you find it easier to pick on their tendencies and exploit them," Newfield offensive coordinator Nick Adler said. "We spread the ball well and we have some real playmakers."
Newfield opened the scoring as Gubelman capped a 45-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring run.
Lucarelli threw a 25-yard strike to Frank Pizzurro for a first down at the Newfield 11, setting up Ryan Barone's 29-yard field goal to make it 6-3. But two plays later, Riley broke a 56-yard touchdown run to give the Wolverines a 12-3 lead.
Hills West came right back with a seven-play, 65-yard drive capped by Lucarelli's 5-yard TD run to get the Colts within 12-10. But Ottenwalder ripped off the first of his long TDs, a 71-yarder on a screen pass that made it 18-10. "We knew it was going to be a shootout and we were resigned to that," Hills West coach Kyle Madden said. "Our plan was to outscore them."
Ed Gonzalez intercepted an option pass and returned it 22 yards to give the Colts a 20-18 lead with 1:51 left in the half. It was the first time Newfield trailed after the first 15 seconds of the first quarter all season.
But it didn't last.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
