Westhampton’s football team has reached the point in the season its been working toward all year — reaching its second straight Suffolk County Division III championship game.
“We’re excited to be back, but I think a lot more of the excitement comes from facing adversity,” senior running back Liam McIntrye said. “We wanted to come back and win another championship.”
McIntrye led the No.1 Hurricanes (10-0) through wind and rain and past No. 4 Kings Park with a 33-9 pounding. The win marks 22 in a row for Westhampton.
The senior running back scored two touchdowns and went 131 yards on 25 carries. He also made 11 tackles and added an interception. McIntrye carried the ball three yards to give Westhampton the lead 7-6 with 6:52 left in the first quarter, but a 37-yard Kings Park field goal by Dylan Squilllacioti gave the Kingsmen the lead heading into halftime.
“We trailed once at halftime this whole year, the first game of the season,” McIntrye said, “so there was a little bit of nerves.”
The Hurricanes shook them off in the locker room though and came out firing on all cylinders.
Senior running back Tyler Nolan burst down the left sideline for 60 yards on the second play of the second half and junior running back Jaden AlfanoStJohn capped the drive two plays later with a 5-yard touchdown run to give Westhampton the lead for good.
“We were pounding the ball,” said AlfanoStJohn, who finished with 90 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. “We played physical and tempered the weather.”
Nolan went 110 yards on 13 carries.
Westhampton will play the winner of Saturday’s No. 2 Half Hollow Hills West-No. 3 Sayville game in the Suffolk County final Nov. 17 at Stony Brook University at 4 p.m.
“We are a team that has everything down pat,” Nolan said. “We know we can run down other teams as long as we play our game. They might be able to hang with us for the first and second quarter, but we weather the storm and get them every time.”
