Jack Melore comes up with big plays in Smithtown West's victory
Smithtown West celebrates their 20-14 victory over Half Hollow Hills East in a Suffolk Division II football game in Dix Hills on Saturday, September 24, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Jack Melore did just about everything for the Smithtown West football team.
He had 226 yards receiving. He had 10 receptions, including two touchdowns, He added a short score on the run.
And there was some defense, too. He had six tackles, including a quarterback sack for a loss of 13 yards, and batted away three passes.
It still wasn’t enough to take out highly-regarded Half Hollow Hills East.
There was one more play to make.
And Melore made it. He dropped back into the deep safety position and waited for the final pass of this Suffolk Division II football thriller.
With 7.8 seconds remaining and Hills East at the Bulls 30 and trying to pull out an improbable comeback, quarterback Jordan Heyman rolled out and away from the pressure. Heyman settled his feet and lofted a high arcing pass to the goal line where Melore and teammate Nick Briffa batted it away as time expired. Mission accomplished.
Smithtown West, the pre-season eighth seed, pulled off its biggest win in recent memory with a 20-14 upset victory over No. 4 Half Hollow Hills East before a crowd of more than 1,000 in Dix Hills.
“I followed the quarterback and waited for him to commit to a spot and got there in time,” Melore said.
Smithtown West (2-1) dominated the first half of play. The Bulls drove 79 yards in 10 plays on the opening drive and came away empty. The Hills East defense stopped the Bulls inside the one when a fourth down pass fell incomplete.
“We didn’t finish the first drive but felt confident moving the ball down the field,” said quarterback Brayden Stahl, who completed 17 of 33 passes for 275 yards and two scores. “Our line was giving us time and our receivers were getting open.”
Smithtown West scored on its next two drives. Melore capped an eight-play, 48-yard march with a 3-yard scoring run. Landon Schneider added the extra-point kick to make it 7-0 with 2:19 left in the first quarter. Melore’s 20-yard reception to the 11 keyed the drive.
“Brayden throws a great ball,” he said. “And we work on our timing all the time.”
The Bulls extended the lead when Melore beat the defense deep and caught a 62-yard aerial in stride from Stahl for the score and a 13-0 lead with 8:53 left in the half.
“The line was giving me time to look downfield,” Stahl said. “It all starts up front with them. And I trust that our receivers are aggressive to the ball.”
Hills East (1-2) scored in the final minute of the first half. The Thunderbirds converted a fourth down and eight from the Smithtown West 32 when Heyman fired a long pass to Max Futter, who beat man coverage down the sideline, for the score with 48 seconds left. Futter added the kick to make it 13-7 at the half.
The Bulls made it a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Melore drew double coverage throughout the second half but was able to haul in two passes for 51 yards, including a 15-yard TD catch on a beautiful fade pass. The reception capped a six-play, 62-yard drive.
“We made plays when we needed them,” said Smithtown West coach Craig Perrino. “And our defense . . . ”
Thunderbirds star halfback Jovanny Brown had 90 yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 55 yards, including a 19-yard shuttle pass from Heyman to make it 20-14 with 3:44 left.
Smithtown West defensive back Jack LaPrarie, who knocked down three passes and grabbed his fourth interception in three games, said the defense stood tall most of the afternoon.
“We were in man coverage against some great athletes,” he said. “We beat a really good team and showed we’re a really good team. This was a huge win, big power points for a playoff push, and a confidence and momentum builder for sure.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
