Thunderbirds Defense Stout In Homecoming Victory
/Andrew Wroblewski
awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
Led by linebacker Blaise Spinelli’s stud performance, the Thunderbirds (2-0) ran over Copiague (0-2) on Saturday in Half Hollow Hills High School East’s annual homecoming game.
Spinelli, a senior, forced two fumbles, nabbed an interception and had a game-high 12 tackles to lead the Thunderbirds to a 31-8 victory.
On offense, Hills East road the wave of Malik Williams-Wells, a senior fullback, who averaged 9.5 yards per carry, amounting to 134 yards on the ground for the Thunderbirds. The ground-and-pound offense also helped running back Nick Dipietro to find his stride as the junior pounded the rock for 90 years and a Hills East touchdown.
Saturday’s effort followed a Thunderbirds win from Sept. 12 where Hills East made a trip to Centereach (0-2) to open up Division II play. With 341 yards of offense on the ground, the Thunderbirds dominated the Cougars 35-14.
The schedule continues to favor Hills East as North Babylon (0-2) comes to town on Saturday. The Bulldogs have surrendered 67 total points in their first two games of the season, and the Thunderbirds will hope to pad that number even further after the 2 p.m. kickoff.
