While a 2-1 start is not unheard of in Joe McKee’s decade-long tenure as East Hampton High’s varsity football coach, it’s impressive, especially given the fact that the Bonackers’ preseason ranking was 11th among Division III’s 12 teams.
McKee said following his team’s 47-7 rout of Kings Park here Saturday that he hadn’t expected East Hampton would have such an easy time of it, adding thathe couldn’t remember a win over the Kingsmen “in the past 20 or 25 years.”
In addition to Bonac’s seven touchdowns that day, holding and pass interference calls resulted in three TDs being called back.
Alex Davis, a Bridgehampton junior who was to finish with 209 yards rushing and four touchdowns, ran 80 yards into the visitors’ end zone on the first play of the game, a score that was erased because of a holding call. No matter, the Bonackers kept driving toward Kings Park’s goal line, with Davis running the ball in from the 14. Manny Morales’s
point-after kick was good for a 7-0 lead. And so it went. An interception by Cole Dunchick set up a 35-yard Theo Ball-to-Livs Kuplins touchdown pass before the first quarter was over, and a 30-yard carry by Davis put East Hampton up 21-0 in the second period before the visitors got on the scoreboard just before the halftime break.
As had been the case the week before at Rocky Point, McKee’s crew played the second half with the same buoyant energy it had in the first.
“Kings Park went three-and-out and punted, and we drove down the field when the third quarter began. Theo, who’s been getting good protection from the O-line, and Jackson Ronick combined on a 34-yard scoring pass to cap it, and on our next series Livs Kuplins had a 25-yard touchdown reception, a very nice catch, which made it 33-7 us at the end of the third.”
Two more East Hampton touchdowns, by Davis, who had 22 carries that afternoon, were yet to come — by way of an 84-yard run and a 35-yard return of a fumble recovery. Davis would have had yet another had he not been called for interference following the return into Kings Park's end zone of an interception at the visitors' 35.
Ball, “a very accurate thrower” who connected on Saturday with receivers on eight of nine attempts, three of which resulted in
touchdowns, tallied 152 yards all told. Morales went five-for-seven in extra-point attempts.
McKee added that “Damien Moore and Brandon Bistrian, who stepped in for Jai Feaster on offense and defense, each played really well, Moore at running back and Bistrian at defensive end.”
“We could just as easily be 3-0,” he continued, alluding to East Hampton's 7-6 season-opening loss at Comsewogue, “but now we're facing the tough part of our schedule.”
Ranked seventh in the preseason, Islip, where East Hampton is to play Saturday night, defeated third-seeded Westhampton Beach 40-35 this week.
“Everyone's healthy,” the coach said, “and their spirit is good. They're very into it and looking forward to a big test on Saturday. Definitely we're going to be competitive with Islip. The kids believe in themselves, they believe they can beat anybody.”
