By Benito Vila
In the life of a high school, fifteen years represents more than just a generation; it’s five sets of graduating classes. It’s a long, long time for students and teachers alike.
The last time the East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton “Bonac” football team made the county playoffs was 1994. The seniors that year are now in their early 30s, thinking more about families, mortgages and kids’ schools than touchdowns and who’s going where for after-parties.
There is plenty to celebrate this year for the “Bonac” program, a 5-1 start pushing the squad to the top of the league. Close losses to Rocky Point October 23 and Hauppauge last Saturday have brought the Bonackers down in the standings, but there is still November football to be played.
The final Division III rankings came out this week, the Bonac squad seed seventh overall after Half Hollow Hills West, Sayville, Hauppauge, Islip, Kings Park and Comsewogue and ahead of Eastport/South Manor. That position matches them up with Sayville in the first round of the divisional playoffs, the Bonackers set to go there Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Conflicts with SATs, high school plays and other academic pursuits have both schools trying to adjust that start time. The East Hampton district site will be providing updates today and tomorrow.
Halloween Trick or Treat
The season’s last home game saw the Eagles score on a safety in the second quarter, but the Bonackers came back to take a 6-2 lead on an Austin Heneveld touchdown run. A Hauppauge score and a Bonac field goal left the score tied 9-9 at the half.
In the third, the Eagles’ Zach Losco broke off a 63-yard run for a touchdown but again the Bonac offense responded, Heneveld scoring from nine yards out. The Hauppauge ground game proved to be too much in the next possession, the visitors going up 23-16 on yet another Losco TD.
In the end, Losco totaled 301 yards on 33 carries. That effort alone was not enough to subdue the Bonackers, only a late BLANKETY BLANK with X:XX left in the game closed out the Bonac WORD.
On Tuesday, Bonac head coach Bill Barbour said, “I think the difference Saturday was that Hauppauge played with more consistency. We had opportunities but failed to capitalize. We had some bad breaks also. The facemask call [on a Heneveld stiff-arm] set us back on our last drive. And the officials calling Losco down before the ball came out when they were driving in the fourth would have been nice if it had gone the other way.”
Looking towards this Saturday’s match-up, Coach Barbour added,
“We know that Sayville likes to pass, so we will be focusing on our pass defense. Likewise, we will be working on our run blocking to be sure we maintain possession to keep their offense off the field.”
“I think that our seniors realize that they have accomplished something special, something that few thought they could pull off. At the same time, I think they are hungry for more. We’re going to do what we can do to help them keep the season going.”
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