Carey defeats Riverhead 20-6 to take L.I. Championship

The H. Frank Carey Seahawks defeated the Riverhead Blue Waves Friday by a score of 20-6 in to claim the Class II Long Island Championship title. See game story and photo slideshow.

 SEASON RECAP

The Blue Waves faced off against the North Babylon Bulldogs in the first game of the season, defeating them at Mike McKillop field, 35-6. The Waves called in the second string in the fourth quarter, giving 11th grade quarterback Kenny Simco a chance to score a touchdown with a nine-yard pass. See story here. 

The Waves fell for the first and only time this season to the East Islip Redmen in the second game of the season. The final score was 50-36. Coach Shay was not troubled by the loss, predicting that the Waves would get better as the season went on and that the game would serve as a lesson to the boys. See story here. 

The Blue Waves did not let their first defeat get them down. The defense came out the next week against Central Islip a message in the form of embarrassment, not letting them score more than one touchdown the entire game. Cody Smith cemented his role as starting quarterback that game, completing 13 out of 15 pass attempts for 217 and leading the waves to a 48-8 victory. See story here. 

The Waves brought down the Bay Shore Marauders on their own turf the next week, 40-18, and improved their record to 3-1. Senior halfback Jeremiah Cheatom was the VIP that day, running the ball 43 times for 277 yards and three touchdowns despite a shoulder injury that kept him out of the second half of the game against Central Islip the week before. See story here. 

Smithtown West had been the last undefeated team in Division II standing until they faced off against the Blue Waves on October 12, the Bulls homecoming night. Quarterback Cody Smith lead the Waves to a shut-out against the Bulls, with a final score of 21-0. The defense came out strong that day with three interceptions (Kinard, Hubbard, and Van Bommel) and two sacks. See story here. 

The Waves tamed the Wildcats 28-0 on October 19. Walt Whitman suffered major issues moving the ball on offense, coming up with three-and-outs against a very hostile Riverhead defense. Ryan Hubbard intercepted two passes during the game. The Waves faked a punt during a fourth-and-eight in their third possession, passing the ball to Jaron Greenidge who ran 41 yards for a touchdown. See story here. 

The Waves were tied with West Islip for top spot in Division II before their October 26th game, where Jeremiah Cheatom ran 248 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Waves went into the half losing 14-13, with Cheatom only running 93 yards. The offensive linemen stepped up in the second half. Sophomore Ryun Moore led the defense with eight tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another. See story here. 

The Blue Waves finished strong in their last game of the regular season against the Newfield Wolverines with a 21-8 win. Kenny Simco, the backup quarterback, was put in at the last minute after starting QB Cody Smith suffered an eye injury the night before. Simco finished the game 10-17 with 119 passing yards and one touchdown. See story here.

With QB Cody Smith still on the mend, junior Kenny Simco got to start in the Waves’ first playoff game. They faced the Half Hollow Hills West Colts, defeating them 44-21. Simco scored three touchdowns, one through the air and two on the ground. He completed 10-14 passes. Cheatom finished the game with 171 yards in 39 carries, and Moore rushed for 85 yards. See story here. 

The Waves faced Newfield once more during the semifinal game. Riverhead was losing at the start of the second half after Newfield scored early in the third quarter, bringing the score to 20-19. Neither team would score again for the remainder of the third quarter, during which the teams spent most of their time yards away from the Blue Waves’ EZ. Cheatom turned it around in the fourth quarter, running the ball in for a 22-yard touchdown. Van Bommel caught a pass from Simco for the two point conversion, and the Waves took the lead and held on to it, defeating Newfield 34-20. See story here.

Last week the Waves travelled to Stony Brook University for the Suffolk County Championships, where they played the only team that beat them all season: The East Islip Redmen. Ryan Hubbard was the VIP of the game, scoring all three touchdowns for the Blue Waves, including one in the final seconds of the game when he returned a punt for an 84-yard touchdown, securing the score during a then-tied game at 20-14. The fans then returned to Pulaski Street School where firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and a huge crowd were waiting for the Blue Waves to come ring the victory bell twenty times. See story here.