The East Hampton/Bridgehampton football team earned a trip to the Suffolk County Division III playoffs last Thursday with a 35-0 win over Rocky Point -- a game that Joe McKee, head coach, had called a "must-win scenario."
Bonac, whose 5-3 record landed the team at the number-six seed, is set to play at number three Islip High School Friday night at 6 in a first-round game. This season marks the second consecutive year that East Hampton has qualified for the first round.
"That hasn't happened too many times. It's a big accomplishment for our program," McKee said. "Going into the playoffs, I think we've proven that we can play with anybody. We have a winnable first-round game, which is exciting."
The pouring rain last Thursday didn't dampen the Bonackers' spirits. Jackson Ronick, a junior running back, put East Hampton on the scoreboard with an 87-yard touchdown run on the second series of the game. On a night when the rain complicated East Hampton's passing game, he finished with 213 yards on 20 carries.
The offense rained touchdowns as the defense flooded Rocky Point's front line. Alex Davis, a senior hailing from Bridgehampton, scored on a 3-yard run just before halftime for a 14-0 lead, and on the first play of the second half, he took a handoff from Theo Ball, senior quarterback, and ran it 60 yards for another score.
Charlie Stern, an East Hampton senior, and Jai Feaster, a Bridgehampton senior, added touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The combination of Manny Morales (senior kicker), Tiger Brew (junior long-snapper), and Cole Dunchick (senior holder) helped Bonac go 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts.
"They were pretty impressive on a rainy night," McKee said. "You need a good snap, a good hold, and a good kick, and on a rainy night that's not easy to do."
With a win on Friday, East Hampton would advance to face the winner of Saturday's Hauppauge-West Islip game on Friday, Nov. 14.
