According to Long Island high school football hype, Saturday’s game against Smithtown West was not a contest East Hampton was supposed to win. One account even predicted Bonac would fall to the Bulls, who hail from a much bigger high school with a better preseason ranking, in a 35-0 shutout.
Defying the hype, East Hampton won — final score, 45 to 7.
“It was obviously one of the biggest wins in our program’s history,” Joe McKee, the head coach, said this week. “I think we surprised a lot of people throughout the county for sure.”
McKee said both Bonac’s offensive and defensive lines “controlled the game,” providing “good protection” en route to “a total team effort.”
Midway through the second quarter, East Hampton’s senior quarterback, Theo Ball, suffered a pulled hamstring that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Jackson Ronick, a junior linebacker, filled in for the rest of the game and managed to run the offense well enough for Bonac to hold onto its 24-0 halftime lead.
Ronick “did a tremendous job as quarterback,” McKee said. “We didn’t really throw the ball, but there were no turnovers, no mistakes, and that’s a testament to him.”
Highlights included Jai Feaster’s 145 yards on nine carries with two rushing touchdowns, plus five tackles and a sack. Alex Davis, who along with Feaster hails from Bridgehampton, ran for two touchdowns. Livs Kuplins, an East Hampton senior, had three receptions totaling 70 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown catch. He also had a 50-yard touchdown run.
McKee also highlighted Manny Morales, a senior who fits into the starting lineup wherever he’s needed, but who, as kicker this year, is “one of the top-scoring kickers in the county, and we’re only halfway through the season,” the coach said. “He’s definitely an asset for us.” Against Smithtown West, Morales made all seven of his extra-point attempts and kicked a 35-yard field goal.
For Smithtown West, Saturday was its first League III loss of the season; the Bonackers and the Bulls are now tied in league play at 3-1. Next up for East Hampton is Westhampton Beach, which entered the season as the number-two-ranked team. In 2018 its program graduated Dylan Laube, who went on to play at the University of New Hampshire and is now with the Las Vegas Raiders in the N.F.L. East Hampton, which was ranked sixth, hasn’t defeated Westhampton Beach in at least 15 years, McKee said.
The Smithtown West win “says we definitely can play with the top teams in the league,” he said. “In our minds, they were one of the top two teams — them and Sayville. I think it shows we can play with anybody. With that being said, it’s a very, very tough division, so we also have to be careful of any other opponent in our division.”
