Ka’Shaun Parrish said he was speechless following Bellport’s 20-6 win over Half Hollow Hills East, but it was the senior wide receiver who left everyone else in awe.
Parrish dazzled, going 76 yards on six carries, scoring two touchdowns and coming through with some clutch tackles late to secure Bellport’s (5-1) semifinal victory on the road Friday against Half Hollow Hills East. The win, which wouldn’t have been possible without Bellport’s stalwart defense, sends the League IV No. 2 Clippers to the Conference II finals for the first time in 10 years.
“We’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” said Parrish, a three-year varsity starter and Hansen Award contender. “We’ve worked hard since week one. This was all we wanted. The only thing we were coming here to do was win.”
Half Hollow Hills East’s first drive, which started on the 18-yard line, lasted the first 7:07 of the game. A few Thunderbirds penalties stalled the march, but it was senior lineman Alex Ciota’s sack for a loss of eight at 4:53 that forced Hills East (5-1) to punt on fourth-and-21 from Bellport’s 39. While the Thunderbirds averaged more than 41 points a contest coming into the April 16 matchup, behind a strong quarterback in Leisaan Hibbert (576 yards on 43 carries and 7 touchdowns before Friday) he was sacked four times, with Rahiem McKenzie, Calvin Pedatella and Marc Promutico also coming up with stops. In fact, seven different guys on defense made tackles. Promutico finished with 12 of them, while Pedatella and Ciota had nine apiece.
“We know hard work pays off. Everyone showed up and did their jobs today — we had them on their toes,” said Pedatella, a junior linebacker. “We needed to make sure we contained their quarterback — [Leisaan Hibbert], he’s a really good player — and once we shut him down there wasn’t much they could do.”
It was actually junior linebacker McKenzie’s tackle for a 1-yard Hills East gain following a fumble that made it fourth-and-12 from the 46 that sparked the Clippers’ offense. After Parrish’s first big play of the game, a 40-yard punt return to the Thunderbirds 34, he moved the ball to the 4-yard line, where junior quarterback Jack Halpin carried the ball the rest of the way to put Bellport on the board, 6-0, with 5:55 left in the first half.
“There’s no question that Ka’Shaun has made big plays that get a lot of headlines and attention, but the defense has been fairly solid all year,” said Bellport head coach Jamie Fabian, who came away with his first playoff win. “They stayed focus. The key for us was not giving up a big play. We made them push for long drives and we felt like we could make the stops if we did that.”
Bellport continued to get help from that side of the field, with senior defensive back Phil Trowbridge coming up with a few big tackles to preserve the lead heading into the second half, where Parrish repaid him by kicking it into high gear.
The senior showed his speed and agility on a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown at the 6:17 mark of the third, which was followed up by sophomore quarterback Justin Miles’ two-point conversion to put the Clippers up by two scores. At 2:11, Hills East junior Kyle Krauss intercepted a pass on Bellport’s 45, but junior defensive back Louis Wilson came up with a big tackle with 24 seconds left for a loss of five yards to make it second-and-15 from the 40. An incomplete pass opened the fourth and then Parrish was back at it. At 10:42, the senior hit a tackle on a sweep to the right side, shook him off and bounced left, darting 54 yards up the field for a 20-0 advantage.
“Every time I touch the ball my main goal is to score, but it wasn’t just me — all thanks to my teammates,” Parrish said. “They’ve got my back on each play. I appreciate every single on of them. Everybody touched the ball today.”
After a Pedatella sack for a loss of two to make it second-and-13 from the 36, Hibbert made a 31-yard pass for first-and-goal from the 5, and capped the drive with an 8-yard pass to junior Louis Mathurin with 6:32 left in the game. Bellport senior linebacker Shaun Bolton blocked the extra-point kick attempt on the last scoring play of the game, but it wouldn’t be the last time Hills East threatened. The Thunderbirds attempted a trick play late, but Parrish was there to tackle Hibbert at the 2:33 mark.
“I saw that early,” Parrish said, laughing. “I was on that.”
Bellport moves on to face the winner of the League IV No. 1 seed West Islip v League III No. 2 seed Northport matchup in the final. The Lions host the Tigers tomorrow at 2 p.m. Should West Islip win, Bellport will get a chance to avenge its 24-14 regular season finale loss to the Lions, where a 70-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Joe Costantino sparked things.
Pedatella said his Clippers want to prove the doubters wrong, and now feels like his Bellport team is in the best position to win. Parrish agrees.
“We’ve wanted this for a long time, and now that we’re here, we’re going to take advantage of our opportunities,” Parrish said. “We’re taking it to the top.”
