Half Hollow Hills quarterback Samantha Heyman throws for three touchdowns for Suffolk A flag football title win
Half Hollow Hills celebrates after defeating Sachem East in the Suffolk Class A flag football final on Wednesday at Longwood. Credit: Bob Sorensen
After two periods of extra time, the #3 Half Hollow Hills flag football team is headed to the Long Island Championship for the third year in a row.
On third and goal in the second overtime period and with Sachem East threatening, RedHawks sophomore Drew Kesselman came up with the game winning interception, and Hills broke out in celebration.
“We put in the work every year. We put in the time every year. This is what it’s all for,” said Samantha Heyman, Hills’ junior quarterback and captain.
The RedHawks closed the book on #9 Sachem East’s Cinderella story, defeating Sachem East, 25–19, in the Class A Suffolk County Championship at Longwood High School.
Despite beating Sachem E., 27–6, back in April, Half Hollow Hills coach Mike Lupa said he knew Sachem East was no matchup to take lightly. They had gone on a playoff tear, defeating #1 Patchogue, 26–24, in the quarterfinal game and #4 William Floyd, 26–6, in the semifinal before Wednesday’s matchup.
“It doesn’t matter how we played them the first time,” Lupa said. “If you want to win a championship, you need to beat whoever is in front of you. That’s the main message: You can’t take anybody lightly.”
Heyman completed three touchdown passes and rushed for 100 yards including a 30-yard rushing touchdown of her own.
“The preparation for this game was big,” Heyman said. “We spent a lot of time at practice working through different matchups. Coming into it was nerve wracking, but we just had to play the way we know how to play and trust each other.”
Sachem East’s junior quarterback Sofia Larrea completed two touchdown passes and a one-yard rushing touchdown during the matchup, completing her season with 1,779 passing yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 754 yards on 100 carries and five scores.
As Hills advances to the Long Island Championship, they will take on Plainview-Old Bethpage on Saturday in what Heyman considered a “revenge game.”
“This is what we live for, this is what we work for all season,” Heyman said. “We’ve played [Plainview] the past few years and it’s always a battle. There’s always nerves, but we’re excited and we’re ready to fight.”
