Hampton Bays Football Is Led By First-Year Seniors In Victory At Wyandanch

Hampton Bays senior Matt Arroyo waited a long time to get into his first ever varsity football game, but when he finally did on March 17 at Wyandanch, he certainly made the most of it.

The first-year player scored the Baymen’s first touchdown of the season early in the second quarter when a bad snap eluded Wyandanch’s punter. Arroyo scooped up the loose ball and barreled into the end zone to tie the game at 6-6.

Hampton Bays senior quarterback Jack McNamara then connected with senior River Orlando for the two-point conversion to give the Baymen an 8-6 lead — one they wouldn’t relinquish. Hampton Bays scored 20 unanswered points to defeat host Wyandanch, 20-6, in what was the Baymen’s first game since losing at Mount Sinai in the playoffs of November 2019.

Two days after its season-opening win, Hampton Bays found out late Friday afternoon that a Wyandanch player from last week’s game tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore had its next two games postponed.

Arroyo added to his memorable day by catching a tipped pass for an interception later in the second quarter, squashing a last-ditch attempt by the Warriors to score at the end of the first half. Thomas Fassino had originally tipped the pass intended for a Wyandanch player, creating the turnover.

Arroyo said Wednesday’s game marked the first time he’s played organized football in nearly eight years.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said after the win. “I haven’t been allowed to play football for the last three years in high school. I wanted one last experience with my friends before we go off to college. Just wanted to make it count.”

Arroyo is one of a number of first-year seniors who decided to come out and play football for Hampton Bays this fall season, which was pushed to early spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. The dozen, or so, veteran returning players definitely appreciate having their buddies battling with them.

“I’m just very happy with the team, how we played,” senior Ethan Culhane said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, a lot of upperclassmen who are new to the game, and they just played absolutely amazing.”

McNamara, taking over the starting quarterback role for the now graduated Lucas Brown, connected with senior Mickey Bracken on a 25-yard touchdown pass that gave the Baymen their second score of the game. Both McNamara and Bracken connected on another 25-yard pass — Bracken making a nice effort to make the catch over the Wyandanch defender — which led to the Baymen’s third and final score of the game. Cooper Shay, a junior, capped the drive when he punched the ball in from a yard out on 4th and goal to create the final score.

Fassino led the team in rushing with 66 yards on 12 attempts. Shay rushed eight times for 46 yards. The Baymen had a big day on defense with seven total sacks, led by Orlando’s two. Jacob Tuttle and Kevin Sohtz each had five tackles.

Hampton Bays head coach Rich Doulos said he was a little disappointed in how he came into the season with nearly 50 players only to see that number drop considerably the first few weeks of the season, for various reasons. That includes missing some key players who were expected to return from the Baymen’s playoff team a year and a half ago.

That being said, Doulos really likes his current group.

“What I love about this team is that I trust everyone,” he said. “They’re football players with a ton of versatility. We have guys that can play guard, tackle, center, and some who can play cornerback, line and linebacker. We’re just coming up with ways to incorporate all of this, but from top to bottom, we have great kids who are great to go to practice with every day.”

While none of the Baymen themselves have tested positive for COVID since last week’s game, they still need to quarantine for the next 10 days due to the county’s safety protocols. The quarantine forced the cancellation of the Baymen’s next two games: at Elwood/John Glenn, which was supposed to be played this past Monday, and the Baymen’s home opener against Port Jefferson, which was scheduled for this Saturday, March 27.

According to Doulos, his team can return to the field on Sunday, March 28, giving it enough time to play its next scheduled game on Saturday, April 3, when its expected to host Babylon at 1:30 p.m.