McIntyre Makes More With Less

Westhampton scored early and often, and racked up 28 unanswered points in the second half as the No. 1 Hurricanes football team blew past No. 8 Comsewogue 41-13 in the qualifying round of the Suffolk County Division III playoffs November 2.

“We came out strong and never took our foot off the pedal,” junior Jaden AlfanoStJohn said. “Our defense was playing lights out and our offense had huge plays.”

AlfanoStJohn, who gained 104 yards on 14 carries and also had an interception, a sack, and five tackles, opened the scoring with a 55-yard run. Liam McIntrye found the end zone the next three times for Westhampton between the second and third quarters, as the Hurricanes were only briefly interrupted by Comsewogue’s first touchdown in the second. The senior ran 14 times for 90 yards and had 10 tackles.

“I grew up with a lot of these guys and have gone through so much with them, so to be in the position we’re in and be recognized as one of the top three teams in New York State and have a shot at back-to-back Long Island championships is really incredible,” McIntyre said. “Not many people get opportunities like this.”

Senior Clarke Lewis carried an interception, Westhampton’s third of the day, 25 yards for the final points of the third quarter. Senior Tyler Nolan rushed for 104 yards on 10 carries and collected the Hurricanes’
final touchdown of the game on a two-yard run.

“The community really rallied behinds us and supports us, which is really cool,” Lewis said. “Our coaches make sure we are properly prepared every week, and our offensive line is playing very well right now — the linemen are the ones doing the work up front to control the game and open up the holes.”

Westhampton will host No. 4 Kings Park in the semifinals Friday, November 9, at a time to be decided. If the Hurricanes win, they’ll face the winner of the No. 2 Half Hollow Hills West-No. 3 Sayville matchup in the Division III final November 17 at Stony Brook University at 4 PM.

desiree@indyeastend.com