Muddy fields, gray skies, and unseasonably cold winds couldn’t stop Bonac’s annual homecoming festival and football game last weekend. While the bounce house was canceled for safety reasons, there were horses from Changing Tides Equine, Bonac Brew merchandise for sale, candy and snack tables, a taco truck, and Mister Softee for the bravest of souls, including Russell Bennett, the Star’s classified manager, who went with a chocolate cone.
“It was awesome,” said Sara Smith, the East Hampton High School principal. We had, I think, the coldest homecoming on record, but we absolutely loved every second of it. Amazing to see the whole community come out, come together to support our kids and the school and watch some really good football.”
The crowds were a bit light until kickoff, but the student section was packed for the game, a 28-19 victory over West Babylon.
“The captains have a lot of pride playing for Bonac football for four years. It was their last homecoming, and that was all they needed to get going today,” said Jaron Greenidge, head coach.
In the first quarter, East Hampton took a 7-0 lead with just 47 seconds left on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Billy Stern to Sam Boley. With 10:55 left in the second quarter, Jackson Ronick caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Stern to put Bonac up 14-0. West Babylon followed up with a touchdown but missed the extra point, sending the game into halftime 14-6.
“It was a competitive game. In Division III there aren’t too many blowouts. Everyone’s good. You can’t take any team lightly,” Greenidge said.
While the players used the halftime break to prep for the third and fourth quarters, Christopher Mandato, director of the high school band, and his musicians put on quite a show from the field before Miles Menu and Lilah Brown were crowned homecoming king and queen.
Things got a little dicey for Bonac in the third quarter. Stern threw back-to-back interceptions — the first a pick-six that put only six points on the board for West Babylon. The Eagles attempted a two-point conversion, but were unable to score. They also failed to turn the second interception into a successful scoring drive, which allowed East Hampton to hold onto a 14-12 lead. With 5:07 left in the third, Jackson Carney caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Stern to put Bonac up 21-12. West Babylon would score once more to pull within two points, leaving Bonac ahead 21-19 heading into the fourth quarter.
“You make one bad play, it’s all about how you respond. You make the adjustments and keep trudging forward,” Greenidge observed.
And trudge forward they did.
With 4:32 left in the fourth, Ronick scored one last touchdown to give Bonac a 28-19 victory. As they have throughout the season, the Jacksons — Ronick and Carney — came through for East Hampton once again.
“Jackson Carney — he’s maybe 160 pounds soaking wet, but he’s tough as nails,” said the coach. “He’s a tough kid, he plays extremely hard, and he plays with a lot of heart and passion for the game. He’s our utility guy. He does everything for us. A lot of guys key in on him, and he still finds ways to make plays.”
“Ronick, he’s a beast. The opposite end there. He’s like 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. He’s a big kid. He’s strong. When he needs to, he can take over a game, essentially put the team on his back and keep those legs churning.”
The Bonackers have two games remaining this season and are still in playoff contention. They play Smithtown West on the road tomorrow and Rocky Point at home on Oct. 30 for their senior game. Greenidge says they have an 80-percent chance of making the playoffs if they win both. If they lose either game, they’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the division performs.
However things shake out, East Hampton’s homecoming victory was an essential piece of the postseason puzzle.
“Excellent game. So proud of the boys. Way to battle through a tough third quarter. Proud of them for staying in the hunt,” said Todd Gulluscio, the athletic director. “Great crowd, great energy here — the band, the homecoming court, the whole scene. And really, the whole week has been that way. Thank you to the student leadership group and the advisers, Principal Smith and everybody who is involved. It’s really been a great fun week — and great to cap it off with a win!”