Jawara Keahey rushes for 206 yards as North Babylon beats West Islip in Suffolk II championship game
North Babylon RB Jawara Keahey breaks free and heads upfield for a big gain against West Islip in the Suffolk II final, Saturday, November 19, 2023 at LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook. Credit: George A Faella
Good luck trying to stop Jawara Keahey.
The North Babylon junior running back entered county championship weekend as Long Island’s leading rusher, and he proved why Saturday.
Keahey had 24 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 1 Bulldogs to a 26-14 win over No. 2 West Islip in the Suffolk Division II championship game at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium.
“He’s a special player,” coach John Rowland said. “For a kid who’s probably 145, 150 pounds, he plays like he’s 245 pounds . . . When he gets to the open field, it’s lights out.”
North Babylon (10-1) will play Garden City in the Long Island Class II championship game Saturday at noon at Stony Brook.
North Babylon, which is searching for its first Long Island title since 2004, claimed its first Suffolk title since 2017, when it also beat West Islip.
“For us, that is a bit of a drought,” Rowland said. “We’re a little greedy in North Babylon. We have high expectations and they weren’t met the past five or six years, and it feels good to be back where we belong. We’re really thrilled to have one more week together as a family.”
Keahey had a 9-yard touchdown run to open the scoring with 9:07 left in the first quarter, capping an impressive first drive in which he had four carries for 59 yards.
“We worked hard in practice every day, offense and defense,” he said. “They can’t stop us.”
Shaun Boyle scored on a 38-yard run with 6:10 left in the first quarter as West Islip tied it at 7-7.
North Babylon took a 13-7 lead with 4:51 left in the first half. Quarterback Chris Stumpf found tight end Jake Miele for a 5-yard touchdown, ending a 14-play drive.
“It’s a dream to catch a touchdown in the Suffolk [championship],” Miele said. “I’ve been dreaming of this day since 2017, since the last time we came back.”
Listed at 6-4 and 225 pounds, Miele was a crucial part of the offensive line’s effort to open holes for Keahey and running back Jordan Konig, who finished with 13 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Keahey had four rushes for 69 yards on North Babylon’s first drive of the third quarter, including a 49-yard run to get inside the red zone. Five plays later, Konig’s 4-yard touchdown run put the Bulldogs up 19-7.
“We can’t just run with [Keahey] all the time, and having a great second back is what we need,” Miele said.
North Babylon forced a turnover on downs at the West Islip 40, allowing the Bulldogs to pound the ball to Keahey for the exclamation point. Keahey’s 11-yard touchdown run extended North Babylon’s lead to 26-7 with 10:39 left.
“My linemen always block for me every time,” Keahey said. “They work hard for me, open up holes and let me have a touchdown. I’m mad creative every time.”
“I don’t care how good your running backs are; they don’t go anywhere unless the offensive line creates holes,” Rowland said. “And that’s all a credit to not only the players but Coach [Jim] Mango, 34 years, probably the best line coach on Long Island.”
Bobby Richardson’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Rocco Carpinello cut it to 26-14 with 9:33 left, but the Lions had just four offensive snaps after that.
North Babylon avenged its only loss of the season, a 35-34 thriller against West Islip (9-2) on Oct. 1.
“They have great athletes in West Islip and their coaching staff is top-notch,” Rowland said. “They’re always a battle and they were a battle today.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
