Jaden AlfanoStJohn dusted himself off and got his head back in the game.
After going down on a hit, the Westhampton Beach (5-1) senior running back knew that after back-to-back East Islip (4-2) touchdowns closed the gap, 24-21, he couldn’t sit the final four minutes out.
Moving the chains on a four-play, 85-yard drive, AlfanoStJohn finished what he started when he found the hole and bolted 35 yards down the field for the Hurricanes’ final touchdown that gave the game its 31-21 final score.
“I knew I had to make a play,” he said. “I knew I had to help my team out. I knew I had to suck it up. It’s football, so I’m going to get hit. I just saw the sideline and hit it full speed.”
It’s what came after that really put the game on ice. Senior Paul Boutin, playing just his second game on defense, came up with his second of two interceptions with 1:59 left to play.
“I’m so just shocked right now, of how we all played, but I did not expect to do that,” Boutin said. “It was a great team win. We all stepped up.”
And it really was a team win. Junior quarterback Christian Capuano tossed three touchdown passes, one to junior running back Aidan Cassara (19-yard pass) and the other to senior tight end Aidan Cumisky, who carried the ball 45 yards for the score that put the Hurricanes up 14-0 a little over midway through the first quarter.
The defense, with the inclusion of an AlfanoStJohn interception, stole the ball three times, and his twin brother Jesse AlfanoStJohn made five of Westhampton’s nine total sacks.
“We knew we needed to put some pressure on the quarterback and force some turnovers, because we knew the game wouldn’t just fall into our hands,” Jesse said. “We blitzed a good amount, got into the backfield, and took the quarterback down as many times as we could. That led to more balls being picked.”
Westhampton is taking the necessary steps to get back to the Suffolk County championship game with the hopes of seeing undefeated Sayville again.
“The league is wide open — we know it’s all about who wants it right now,” Jaden said. “While it’s about who has the best team it’s also about who wants it the most. We’re coming up fired and ready for playoff time.”
