Friday Night Playoff Tune-up for Savyille

Last Saturday, during Savyille's homecoming game, the Golden Flashes varsity football team was three minutes away from a disastrous loss at the hands of Westhampton. The loss would have been Sayville's second straight after a loss the prior week to rival Islip. But, junior quarterback Steven Ferreira and sophomore running back John Haggart led the offense back and the Golden Flashes won in exciting fashion in triple overtime. 

A win on Friday night against Rocky Point in the last regular season game will assure Sayville of the second seed in Suffolk County's Division III going into the qualifying round of the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 5 or Saturday, Nov. 6.

Sayville currently sits in second place at 6-1 behind Islip (7-0). Behind Sayville is Huntingon and Deer Park, both at 5-2, and Westhampton, Miller Place, Hauppauge and Harborfields, all at 4-3. That rounds out the playoff picture for the qualifying rounds of the playoffs, after which the teams will be re-seeded. 

Sayville's last two efforts have been less than spectacular. The Golden Flashes lost 41-13 against Islip on Oct. 16 in a matchup between two then-undefeated teams. Against Westhampton, the Golden Flashes were held off the scoreboard until 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Sayville now goes back on the road, traveling to Rocky Point for the last game of the regular season. The game provides Sayville an opportunity to get back on track. Rocky Point comes into the game with a record of 1-6.

Even against a lesser opponent, Sayville must still avoid the things that got them in trouble the last two weeks. The common theme during the games against Islip and Westhampton was the opposing defenses pressuring Ferreira, who is the cornerstone of the Golden Flashes' attack. Sayville must do a better job protecting their All-County quarterback and the receivers must do a better job of getting open in order for Ferreira to complete passes before the pass rush of opposing defenses gets to him if Sayville is going to go far in the playoffs. 

"This is the way teams are going to play us for the rest of the year. They are going to crowd the box and they are going to try to rattle the quarterback," said head coach Robert Hoss. "Ferreira runs this team, basically. If teams keep him uncomfortable, the games are going to be uncomfortable. If we protect him, we're going to be tough to beat."

One thing that will help the offense is the Sayville running game, which seemed to have gotten back on track in the second half against Westhampton. Haggart ran effectively, rushing for 100 yards and scoring the tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the winning touchdown in Sayville's third possession of the overtime. Haggart's fellow back, 5'4'' Tom Dieckhoff, also ran effectively in the second half against Westhampton, gaining 44 yards.

"We were tough on John [Haggart] all week [prior to the game against Westhampton]. We told him he was running too high and there were too many shoestring tackles. We told him he has to run tougher and run lower," said Hoss.

After a sub-par performance against Islip, the Sayville defense got back on track against Westhampton with captain Joe DeLuca leading the way with 2 1/2 sacks. 

Friday night's game presents the perfect opportunity for the Golden Flashes to refine their game before the playoffs and their quest for their fourth Long Island championship in the last seven years begins.

"We're going to be in the playoffs, but for us, the bar isn't the playoffs. We want to win the whole thing, [but] we have to make Steven [Ferreira] comfortable back there," Hoss said. 

The game against Rocky Point is Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at Rocky Point.