Earlier in the day, Sachem defensive coordinator Dave Caputo said if the Flaming Arrows came to play, their game against Connetquot could be remembered for years to come.
Heading into Week 8 against undefeated Connetquot, Sachem was short nine players on the depth chart due to various injuries, and had a slew of emotions swarming through the locker room. Anything was possible.
And then magic happened. Malik Pierre came swarming in like a player possessed, carrying Sachem on his shoulders on both sides of the ball, dominating to the point of no return and Sachem strung together a remarkable, 49-28, upset victory Friday night at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium that will certainly be remembered for ages.
“We showed everyone we could play as a team, even without a couple key players,” said Pierre. “I had to play my heart out and play as hard as I could. We knew with Trent [Crossan], Tyler [Andreassi] and Anthony [Ross] out, we’d have to play our hearts out tonight.”
First it was Pierre’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Matt Ward, then it was his 89-yard kick return for a touchdown, later an interception that helped Sachem score and eventually take a lead, two rushing touchdowns, one of which was 62 yards, and finally, another touchdown pass, this time to Lucas Ward for 6 yards.
That’s five total touchdowns and 356 all-purpose yards. Pierre carried 18 times for a career-high 201 yards and passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for his career. He put together one of the finest individual performances in Sachem football history.
“I thought tonight we would run him until he couldn’t run anymore,” said Sachem coach Dave Falco. “He was up for the challenge. He wasn’t asking for the ball, I just felt like we needed to give it to him tonight and that’s what we did.”
Some would say there are no upsets when Sachem (6-2) wins, especially on the turf in Lake Ronkonkoma where the Flaming Arrows are 23-0 and haven’t lost a contest since it was installed in 2009.
“We don’t want a team coming here and taking something from us,” Pierre said. “We have a tradition. We haven’t lost on this field in three years and I was thinking about that all week, how we didn’t want to be the first team to lose on this field.”
Some would say there is no quit in a Sachem football player, not when they’re down players, now when their backs are against the wall with the threat of possibly going 5-3 in the regular season.
Even after Connetquot (7-1) opened the game with a 58-yard Brian McKean touchdown pass to Tyler Nason on the first play, Sachem’s cage was not rattled. McKean passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, all to Nason.
Sachem opened the second half with a 60-yard pass from Mike O’Donnell to Matt Ward that catapulted the Flaming Arrows into an emotional frenzy, allowing them to pick up where they left off before the half. Three plays later Pierre scored one of his rushing touchdowns, which put Sachem ahead, 35-21.
After one Connetquot rush on the following series, Kevin Bragaglia intercepted a pass at Sachem’s 42-yard line, allowing the Flaming Arrows to capitalize on the turnover and score nine plays into the drive when Pierre hit Matt Ward with a 6-yard touchdown pass and put Sachem up by three scores and an astounding comfort zone. Through it all, Sachem’s offensive line, which doesn’t get enough credit but is one of the most mature and talented groups on this team, cleared the way and won the trench war, allowing for crisp passes and an outside ground attack that was lethal.
Connetquot advances to the playoffs as the top seed in Suffolk County’s Division I. Sachem will most likely finish in second place and will face the seventh seed in the playoffs. Brackets will be released this weekend after Saturday’s games are complete. But before any playoff talk starts, Sachem will savor this one.
“Before the game we talked about being remembered for something,” Falco said. “This is something no one can ever take away from them. To ruin an undefeated season, for us to come back after all of our injuries, it says a lot about our kids’ character.”
Fourth and Long
- Check The Sachem Report this weekend for reaction pieces and historical notebooks about the monumental victory.
- Sachem was able to play a fifth regular season game at home because Connetquot’s new turf field is not yet complete. The Thunderbirds have played the entire 2012 season on the road. According to sources, the field will be ready for the post-season.
- The 49 point Sachem scored on Friday were the most Connetquot has allowed in 2012. The previous high was 27 against Half Hollow Hills East.
- Kevin Bragaglia, who rushed for 83 yards on 17 carries and had two touchdowns, now has six interceptions this season, tied for the most in a single-season in program history.
- Bryan Morris converted on seven extra points, and is five away tying the Long Island record of 121.
- Take advantage of MSG Varsity’s Game Replay and relive the action from this week’s victory.
Scoring Summary
- C: McKean to Nason, 58 yard pass, kick good
- S: Pierre to Ward, 23 yard pass, Morris good
- C: Harvey, 1 run, kick good
- S: Pierre 89 yard kick return, Morris good
- S: Bragaglia, 6 run, Morris kick
- S: Pierre, 62 run, Morris kick
- C: McKean to Nason, 52 yard pass, kick good
- S: Pierre, 5 run, Morris kick
- S: Pierre to Ward, 6 yard pass, Morris kick
- S: Bragaglia, 1 run, Morris kick
- C: McKean to Nason, 41 yard pass, kick good
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro