Thunderbirds, Colts Football Advance To Semis
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The High School East Thunderbirds defense, left, was stout down the stretch in its opening round win while the High School West's offense, right, exploded for more than 500 total yards. Photos Courtesy of Half Hollow Hills School District
By Andrew Wroblewski
awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
Both the Thunderbirds of High School East and the Colts of High School West won their opening round matchups in the Suffolk football playoffs on Saturday.
Thunderbirds Fly High
Saturday’s 14-10 win over Huntington was thrilling for Half Hollow Hills High School East in several ways.
The playoff win was the first in the football program’s history, and it was secured with just seconds left to play.
Trailing 10-7, Hills East quarterback Jason Spinelli connected with receiver Michael Monitto in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score to shock the Blue Devils, who led, 10-0, through most of the game.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Spinelli jumpstarted the Thunderbirds offense with an 80-yard touchdown toss to receiver Kendall Nero-Clark.
Hills East’s defense also came up big in the fourth quarter, stalling the Blue Devils’ offense with less than three minutes left to play. The effort set up Hills East’s comeback drive.
The fourth-seeded Thunderbirds advance to the Division II semifinals, where they'll head to top-seeded West Islip on Saturday at 1 p.m. There will be a $6 admission fee.
Colts’ Run Game Dominates
The second-seeded Colts dominated seventh-seeded Eastport-South Manor, 63-6.
Hills West was fueled by a dominant run game that racked up 422 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The duo of Dakim Griffin and Justin Brown led the charge with 107 and 106 rushing yards, respectively. Both Griffin and Brown also scored a touchdown.
Quarterback Gerald Filardi also chipped in with 92 pass yards and three touchdowns on 4-of-7 efficiency. He also threw an interception.
On defense, both Jimmy Regeteiro and Omar Smith recorded two sacks for the Colts.
Hills West advances to a Division III semifinal matchup against third-seeded Sayville slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. at High School West. There will also be a $6 admission charge.
To keep up-to-date with the playoff bracket, log on to SectionXI.org.
