After a quiet and scoreless first half, Sachem North scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter to beat Commack, 16-7, Tuesday evening at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium.
Sachem players were not happy with Commack warming up on their Arrow at midfield during halftime and the momentum immediately shifted.
“We really showed our grit and passion for this school,” said Tyler Hall, who had 14 carries for 86 yards. “They were on our Arrow and we didn’t take kindly to that.”
Sachem harnessed the vibe on a series of plays in the third quarter. Quarterback Chris Kelly connected with Cam Lee on a 55-yard touchdown and Sachem answered with a sack and strip from Trey Morstadt and Lee on the next series.
Kelly hit Michael Heffernan with a 16-yard touchdown pass and put Sachem ahead 13-7. Chris Escalante, who missed an extra point on the second touchdown, drilled a 29-yard field goal to add more points in the third.
“We flipped the switch and the momentum was off the charts in the second half,” said Kelly, who was 5-for-8 passing for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Commack had three red zone pass attempts in the final minutes, but Sachem’s secondary piled up blocks and John Hall sealed the win with an interception at the 1-yard line with 1:54 remaining. He now leads Long Island with four interceptions in three games.
The Flaming Arrows are 3-0 to open the season for the first time since 2013, the same year the program won its only Long Island championship.
“This really proves we are here to win,” said Kelly, “and we’re here for a championship.”
MILESTONE: With his 57 receiving yards in the game, Lee now has 735 career yards. He also has 892 career rushing yards. Uniquely, he is the only player in Sachem football history to reach the 700-700 club. With each rushing and receiving plateau he reaches the rest of the year, he will be in his own historical category.