Sayville’s offense grows on you
Sayville quarterback Steven Ferreira throws a pass in the second quarter of the Class III Long Island Championship against Lynbrook at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium. (Nov. 26, 2010) Credit: James Escher
Catch a glimpse of that summer facial hair that frames Steven Ferreira’s easy smile now, while you still can.
The affable and talented Sayville quarterback said he and his teammates have made an opening-game pact. “Some guys will shave their heads. Some guys, like me, will shave their faces,” Ferreira said. “We won’t shave again until the LIC.”
Could be a lot of scruffy faces around Sayville this fall because the Golden Flashes have a good chance to return to the Long Island Championship game and reverse last season’s loss to Lynbrook. “This is as athletic as we’ve ever been in the history of Sayville,” coach Rob Hoss said. That’s a mouthful because Sayville has won four Long Island Class III titles, three under Hoss.
It all starts, offensively, with Ferreira. He has passed for 44 touchdowns and 3,968 yards in two seasons. That puts him 24 touchdowns and 1,408 yards short of the Long Island career records of 68 and 5,376 held by Tony Cappozzoli of St. Dominic (1972-75). The yardage record should be a snap; the touchdowns might be tough considering that Sayville has a potent rushing attack led by John Haggart that cannot be ignored.
“The records are in the back of my mind. My Dad told me about them,” Ferreira said. “But it’s the last thing I’m thinking about. I’m a senior and I’d really love to go out with a Long Island championship. We have a lot of weapons on offense and takes a lot of pressure off me.”
Besides Haggart (1,256 yards rushing, 23 touchdowns as a sophomore), Sayville also features wide receivers Tom Hannan (35 receptions, 615 yards. 7 TDs) and James Rupp (26, 383, 7). Ferreira can run if he has to but is more dangerous as an accurate downfield passer who by now has mastered Hoss’s intricate and diverse spread offense.
Sounds like a razor-sharp offense to me.
