Patrick Coan-to-Luke Neugebauer rules the night for Sayville
Luke Neugebauer of Sayville runs for a touchdown after a third quarter reception in a Suffolk Division III matchup against East Hampton on Tuesday October 21, 2025. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
It was fourth-and-4 and host Sayville led East Hampton by one score. The Golden Flashes had driven to the East Hampton 15 and were looking to close out their seventh straight win.
Wide receiver Luke Neugebauer worked his way through the defensive secondary looking for open space. Quarterback Patrick Coan scrambled away from the intense East Hampton pressure, biding time and looking for an open receiver.
Coan rolled to his right and found his man. He threw across the field to a wide-open Neugebauer for a 15-yard touchdown catch to open a two-score lead in Sayville’s 28-14 win over East Hampton on Friday night in a Suffolk Division III football game.
It was Neugebauer’s eighth catch of the game for 184 yards.
“It’s a scramble drill that we work on in practice all the time,” said Neugebauer, who matched his catch total from the first six games. “I have the advantage when Patrick is scrambling because I know where I’m going when I’m working to get open and the defense doesn’t know where I’m going.”
The East Hampton defense had no answer for Neugebauer. He continually got loose in the secondary in crucial plays to aid two other scoring drives.
“I didn’t play offense last year,” the senior said. “This was my first opportunity. And I owe all the flowers to my coaches. I’m prepared and ready for every game. That’s why we win.”
Sayville had opened a two-score lead early in the third quarter when Coan found Neugebauer with a sensational 39-yard over-the-shoulder TD catch for a 21-7 lead.
However, that two-score lead did not last long. Jackson Carney returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a TD and the Bonackers closed the gap to 21-14.
“I knew we were in for a battle tonight against a very good team,” Sayville coach Rob Hoss said. “We were down a few guys and there was some adversity to get through. We made a lot of changes to prepare against a team that runs an offense we don’t see often. This was a major test against a very physical football team. Our mentality was next man up and everyone give us a little extra — that one percent more for a team win.”
East Hampton (4-3) opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. Wide receiver Livs Kuplins took a pop pass from quarterback Theo Ball behind the line of scrimmage and turned the corner to race 62 yards for a touchdown. Manny Morales-Gonzalez added the extra-point kick and East Hampton led 7-0 with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
Sayville (7-0) responded on its next possession. Coan completed three crucial passes — all to Neugebauer for first downs as Sayville drove 59 yards in 13 plays for the tying touchdown. Coan capped the drive with a 15-yard TD run. Henry Reiss added the kick to make it 7-7 with 10:14 left in the half.
Neugebauer’s impact on the drive — he had two third-down conversions and one on fourth down that set up Coan’s TD run. He finished that march with three receptions for 56 yards.
“Opportunity knocked and he answered,” Hoss said. “They all did.”
Coan, who completed 12 of 22 passes for 218 yards and three scores, found Colin Darling all alone in the end zone for a 21-yard TD throw and a 14-7 lead with 1:01 left in the half. Two blown coverages allowed Sayville to go 70 yards in three plays for the go-ahead score.
The Sayville defense led by middle linebacker Alex LaBella, who had nine tackles, shut down the East Hampton offense on the first drive of the third quarter. Coan went to work immediately and drove the Golden Flashes 69 yards in nine plays capped by the Neugebauer 39-yard TD strike.
“I worked all offseason to play on the offensive side of the ball,” Neugebauer said.
It certainly showed Friday night. He was brilliant.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
