For the second straight season, Sachem East will play in the Suffolk County Division I football playoffs.
Steven Casali led East with 213 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries and the Arrows beat Brentwood, 21-0, on the road at Frank A. Mauro Stadium Saturday afternoon.
For his efforts, Casali was awarded the Vinny DeRiggi MVP honor as this was the first game in the DeRiggi Coaches Cup between Sachem East and Brentwood. DeRiggi is a former longtime coach from Brentwood. Sachem North and Brentwood have a similar friendly rivalry where former Sachem PA announcer and teacher Spider Westervelt is recognized.
After a scoreless first quarter, a 59-yard rush by Casali put Sachem East in scoring position during the second stanza. He finished that drive with a 2-yard touchdown rush at 9:10.
Ryan Dippel opened the third quarter with a 85-yard kick return for a touchdown, and Kenny Whigham added a 5-yard touchdown run late in the fourth.
It was an easy day for Casali, who saw limited time on defense, but made a significant impact as usual on offense.
“He wanted many more carries, but I wouldn’t let him go back in,” said Sachem coach Mark Wojciechowski. “Keep him fresh. You have to play next week and that’s more important. We had the game in hand and he’s the heart and soul of this team.”
Sachem East (4-4) will most likely be seeded sixth in the playoffs and travel to third-seeded Northport on Saturday afternoon.
“[Northport has] gone on a run beating North and Floyd,” Wojciechowski said.” Obviously they have something working right over there, so we’ll see what happens.”
Fourth and Long
- With the win, Wojciechowski tied Al Bertalone for the most wins in program history (10).
- For the season, Casali now has 1,153 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Check Sachem Report this weekend for more coverage of the playoff seedings and other historical analysis from Sachem East and North football.
Scoring Summary
- S: Casali 2 run, kick good
- S: Dippel 85 kick return, kick good
- S: Whigham, 5 run, kick good
-Words and photos by Chris R. Vaccaro