Opening Drive Thing of Beauty

    Well, the East Hampton High School football team lost the game, and by a lopsided score, but its opening drive at Rocky Point Friday night was a thing of beauty.

    Following the kickoff into Bonac’s end zone, Dan Barros was hit behind the line, but then, on second-and-12, Cortland Heneveld, the sophomore quarterback, drove up the middle for 5 yards, and, on third down, Heneveld hit Sergio Betancur with a pass for a first down at the 31.

    Heneveld went off tackle for 5 before pitching out to Barros, who ran all the way down to the Eagles’ 30 before the play was called back because of a holding call.

    No matter, on the next play Heneveld lofted a long pass into the night air that Pete Vaziri caught at the home team’s 40.

    Seven plays later, East Hampton had a first-and-goal at the 3, but the Eagles held there, stopping Heneveld and Andre Cherrington on successive plays before sacking Heneveld at the 8. With fourth-and-goal there, Heneveld passed for Drew Griffiths in the end zone, but Mike Gilmartin intercepted.

    And then Rocky Point began to go to work. An interception of a Heneveld pass into traffic set up the Eagles’ first score, a 20-yard carry into the end zone by Joe Kingston early in the second quarter. Kingston scored the Eagles’ second T.D. as well, taking a pitch from inside the 10 with 5 minutes and 58 seconds left until the half. The home team made it 21-0 (all the extra point kicks were good) when Nick Lasalla, another quick back, found the end zone from 10 yards out with 2:31 left until the break.

    At that point, Bill Barbour, East Hampton’s coach, who had been pacing the sidelines with his arms folded on his chest, let his charges have it during a timeout, but the tongue-lashing proved to be in vain as East Hampton went on to lose 35-13.

    Griffiths and Cherrington scored Bonac’s touchdowns in a 14-13 second half, during which Rocky Point substituted liberally.

    Rocky Point improved to 1-5 as the result of the win, and East Hampton fell to 0-6. The Bonackers are to play at Westhampton Beach tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.