Football playoffs: Blue Waves topple Wolverines for semifinal win, 34-20

This was the last game at Coach Mike Mckillop Memorial Field for the Riverhead seniors and they vowed that they wouldn’t leave it without ringing their bell.

But after Newfield scored the first touchdown of the second half on a 65-yard run by Dylan Harned, the Blue Waves found themselves in unfamiliar territory — down. Newfield took its first lead of the game 20-19.

But that didn’t rattle the team.

“We came back on West Islip after being down at halftime so I wasn’t worried,” said senior defensive tackle and offensive guard Jonathan Lee. “I haven’t lost on this field since my tenth grade year and I wasn’t going to let it happen on the last game.”

“Coach came to me and told me that I’m the leader of the team and I have to keep my head up,” said senior middle linebacker and tight end Mike Van Bommel. “If guys see me with my head down, they’re going to put their head down so I was trying to stay positive throughout the game and keep the guys up. We fought hard till the last second.”

Emotions were high and the Blue Waves started to commit penalties. Unsportsmanlike was called on numerous occasions, bringing the Wolverines great field position.

“We started to hurt ourselves with stupid penalties,” head coach Leif Shay said. “That was really upsetting. We were kind of playing outside of our heads instead of focusing on the game.”

But their focus certainly didn’t come up short on the next two defensive possessions. They stopped Newfield two straight times on fourth and goal just inches short of the goal line, the latter after a Cheatom fumble inside of the Blue Wave 20 yard line.

Though all the momentum shifted to Newfield, after they strung together two consecutive touchdowns, there was one thing the Wolverines didn’t account for — the heart and passion of Riverhead’s halfback Jeremiah Cheatom.

His demeanor never changed; from the beginning of the game to the rocky middle, Cheatom was focused.

On the following possession, it was time for Cheatom to shine or “turn up” as he puts it. This is what he lives for.

“After I fumbled, I got a little down on myself but I had to keep my head up. I had to do it for this team,” Cheatom said. “There is no other team I would rather be on than this one.”

He carried the ball 11 times in the possession, capping it on a 22-yard burst into the end zone to take the lead. Mike Van Bommel caught a pass for the 2-point conversion to stretch the lead to 7. Van Bommel was crucial in the run game as well, Shay said.

“It wasn’t just Cheatom,” he said. “Mike Van Bommel played a big part in that drive. I basically told him at halftime that we’re going to run your way and just about every run, we ran behind him.”

As if that drive wasn’t enough, Cheatom did it again. This time, it only took one play, a few cuts, and his lethal breakaway speed. 79 yards later, the Blue Waves added some well needed insurance.

“That play was actually an inside zone to the right and all the linebackers and cornerbacks came in,” Cheatom said. “We were pounding it inside all game so they were expecting me to be there. So I just bounced it out and I only had to beat one man and I beat him.”

“Once I beat that last man around the 50 yard line, I saw Daren (Jefferson) out in front of me and at that point I knew I had it.”

Newfield had no answer; the defense sealed the victory, 34-20.

Chants of “We’re going to Stony Brook” began to pick up steam in the stands and the celebration began.

Smiles were everywhere but Cheatom didn’t buy into it.

“It’s not over yet,” he said.

Cheatom finished with 221 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns.

RJ Foster scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff for a return of 75 yards. Kenny Simco connected with Daren Jefferson on a 36-yard catch for the other touchdown.

The Blue Waves are licking their chops as they get a rematch against the East Islip Redmen next Friday at Stony Brook University. The only loss the Blue Waves had this year was against East Islip in week two, 50-36.

“We were a young team then,” Shay said. “Now we have a full season under our belt and it’s hard to beat a team twice.”

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach, Jr. 

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RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl.

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