After Competitive First Half, Bonac Football Team Can't Contain Rocky Point in Second Half Leading to Homecoming Game Loss

Saturday night had all of the makings of a dream homecoming game for the East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton football team: a strong home crowd on hand to continue the festivities from throughout the day, the concession stand open and the grills lit, and, at least for a half, a close and competitive game against a tough opponent in Rocky Point.

It also had early-game heroics.

Rocky Point drove down the field on the opening drive of the game, but the Bonackers caused a turnover on their own 1-yard line. Will Darrell emerged from a pile of players with the ball, causing a key turnover in a crucial moment. Then, on the very next play, the first offensive play from scrimmage for Bonac, Finn Byrnes, who ran for 225 yards on 19 carries on Saturday night, took the ball up the right sideline 99 yards for a touchdown, charging up the large crowd in attendance.

In the matter of just two plays, and after a successful extra point kick from Aryan Chugh, East Hampton led, 7-0.

But Rocky Point dashed all hopes and dreams of a Bonac homecoming victory.

After both teams played evenly the rest of the first half, leading to a 14-14 score at halftime, it was like a light turned on for Rocky Point in the third quarter. The Eagles recovered a botched handoff attempt by East Hampton on their own 33-yard line, then rattled off a 73-yard touchdown run, leading to their first lead of the game just over four minutes into the second half. They would go on to score 27 points before Darrell tacked on a late Bonac touchdown with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game to go on and win, 41-21.

The loss dropped East Hampton to 1-1 on the season after its season-opening victory at Wyandanch a week prior. Bonac head coach Joe McKee gave Rocky Point credit for making adjustments at halftime.

“First half we were evenly matched, [went] blow for blow, and then in the third quarter they just came out and smacked us in the mouth a little bit, and we didn’t respond too well,” he said after the game. “They just got after it, and it’s Division III football. It’s an adjustment that we’re going to have to make. When they come off the ball they fire out and we had a hard time handling it.”

Despite the rough second half, McKee gave credit to his players for coming out strong.

“Definitely a lot of positives to build on. Very happy with our play in the first half, as far as just our basic plays, running them and running them well, gaining yardage, slowly moving the ball down the field,” he explained. “Definitely a lot of good things we can take away and things we can do better.”

McKee noted that his team is now in the “gauntlet” of its schedule. East Hampton will play at Westhampton Beach this Friday, September 23, at 6 p.m. for the Hurricanes’ homecoming, and the following week, on October 1, will play at Hauppauge.

This week’s matchup against the ’Canes — who are 2-0 after victories over Deer Park and Amityville to start the season — will pit the two remaining South Fork football teams against one another for the first time in quite some time.

“I have a lot of respect for that program,” McKee said of the perennial playoff program. “They do a great job. They got it rolling really good. Just a hard-nosed, tough football team.”