East Islip football's Jake Simmons rushes for 244 yards, two TDs in Suffolk Division II championship win

Jake Simmons waited three years for his moment.

The East Islip senior halfback starred on the defensive side of the ball for two years. In this, his final season, he moved to halfback and made it a year to remember.

Simmons rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns as East Islip beat Half Hollow Hills East, 24-17, to capture the Suffolk Division II championship on Saturday night at Stony Brook University.

Top-seeded East Islip (10-1) won its third Suffolk title in the last five years and 10th overall. East Islip will meet Garden City (11-0) for the Long Island Class II championship on Saturday at noon at Stony Brook.

“I feel great about this team, our coaches, our community and the way we do things here in East Islip,” coach Sal J. Ciampi said. “We are always above reproach. We are everything that is right about high school sports.”

Simmons was classy right to the end. East Islip kneeled on the final three plays in the red zone. At the final horn, he walked over, tapped Hills East linebacker Alex Floropoulos on the helmet and congratulated him.

“I told him they had a great season. There will be other opportunities,” Simmons said. “I was grateful that I had the chance to play for my coach in my senior year. He’s very close to this group and we all love him.”

Hills East closed to within 24-17 with 7:00 left. On a fourth-and-5 from midfield, quarterback Nick Sevilla hit wide receiver Adrian Merchant with a short pass, Merchant lateraled to Jayden Bryan at the 44-yard line and Bryan raced down the sideline with the hook-and-ladder pitch for a 50-yard TD. Noah Reinstein’s kick brought Hills East within seven.

Simmons then sealed the win, carrying the ball on nine straight plays for a total of 40 yards and three first downs. East Islip reached the Hills East 10 before running out the clock.

“He waited for his opportunity behind another great running back in Ryan Parker and he delivered in a big way,” Ciampi said. “I didn’t know if this group was a four- or a five-win team this year. But they just kept getting better each week. This one is so sweet.”

East Islip had lost two in a row to Hills East (8-3) — last year’s Suffolk final, 41-14, and this year’s regular-season meeting, 28-7.

But the East Islip offensive line and Simmons were just too much for Hills East.

Simmons has 1,876 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns this year. He found holes in the Hills East defense and ran with a punishing style.

“He has such a forward lean,” Ciampi said. “He battles for every yard.”

Said Simmons, “The offensive line was great.”

The East Islip defense set the tone early in this one. Jovan Bonilla forced a fumble on the RedHawks’ first possession and East Islip took over at the 29. Chris Coreas kicked a 45-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:08 left in the first quarter.

East Islip then went on a time-consuming, 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive capped by AJ Ierardi’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Niko Meyers. Coreas added the kick to make it 10-0 with 5:07 left in the half.

The key to the first half came on the defensive side of the ball. East Islip held Hills East to 37 rushing yards on 17 carries in the first half. Reinstein kicked a 24-yard field goal with 2:21 left in the half to make it 10-3.

Simmons broke a 57-yard touchdown run to give East Islip a 17-3 lead midway through the third quarter, but Hills East went on a seven-play, 61-yard drive capped by Daniel White’s 7-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

East Islip responded immediately. Simmons went over right tackle for 37 yards and capped the march with a 19-yard touchdown run for a 24-10 lead with 9:04 remaining.

“Coach Ciampi inspired us every day,” Simmons said. “This win is so special.”

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.