The Sayville Golden Flashes squared off against the Half Hollow Hills West Colts in an offensive barrage that was one for the ages for the county championship last Friday night.

It was a damp and misty evening at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at Stony Brook to determine the Suffolk County Division III football champion. Patrick Coan threw a touchdown toss to Dylan Kent with 5:17 to go in the first quarter, then Nick Watson converted a successful PAT (point after touchdown), and Sayville drew first blood. Then with 2:57 to go in the first, Joe Filardi threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Raio and the game was tied 7-7.

In the second quarter, the Colts took the lead 14-7 when Filardi found Jesse Brooks in the end zone for a score. Four minutes later, Messina raced to the end zone for a rushing touchdown and following the PAT by Watson, it was knotted at 14.

The Flashes had a golden opportunity when Donovan Bartolotta intercepted Filardi and took the ball down to the Hills West 40-yard line.

Kent reeled in a pass from Coan then Messina dashed to the 1-yard line and on the following play, Coan took it himself for a QB sneak resulting in six points and with three seconds until the intermission the Golden Flashes led 21-14.

Twenty seconds into the second half, Half Hollow Hills West scored on a long pass from Filardi to Raio and it was deadlocked at 21. Messina continued to use his speed and tenacity to his advantage and galloped more than half the length of a football field on a play that culminated in six points, then Watson kicked it through the uprights, and it was 28-21 Sayville with 8:45 to go in the triadic frame.

About five minutes later, Messina churned 10 yards to cross the plane for the third time of the evening, followed by a successful Watson PAT, and Sayville led 35-21 with 3:46 left in the third.

Just prior to the end of the third quarter, Hills West made it a one-possession game when Filardi threw a short pass for a Colts touchdown. Then with 10:30 remaining, Messina zoomed for a long rush culminating in a score, and it was 42-28 Sayville.

The Colts were relentless and with 9:50 to go, Filardi threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Raio and it was 42-35. It came down to the wire with Sayville clinging to a 7-point lead. With 1:13 to go, Tristan Vitale made a quarterback sack.

After the Colts converted on fourth down and long, they were mightily threatening to send the game into overtime.

They were surging and continued to move down the field, but then, on the game’s final play with two seconds left, defensive lineman Clarkson Richter sacked Joe Filardi as time elapsed and it was euphoria for the purple and gold as they elated in bliss to take the Suffolk crown.

The final score was Sayville 42, Half Hollow Hills West 35. Kyle Messina carried the ball 36 times totaling 264 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns.

The Golden Flashes are the 2024 Suffolk County Division III champs, and it is Sayville’s 17th Suffolk County championship in the program’s history and the third time they’ve reached the LI title game in the past six seasons.

Sayville (11-0) will face Garden City (11-0) Saturday at noon at Stony Brook for the Long Island championship.

Q&A with Kyle Messina

SCN: You won the LIC your sophomore year, now you’re going back to the LIC your senior year. What does it mean for your senior year?

Kyle Messina: It means so much. I can’t end on a loss. My whole career, growing up in Sayville, it’s just been a great, great experience, just great memories, and I don’t want to end on a loss, can’t.

SCN: Any thoughts on next week?

Messina: No, we don’t know who we’re playing yet. We’ll see who we’re playing and then we’ll go day by day, practice by practice, and figure it out. We’ll have a good game plan.

SCN: Anything you want to work on for next week?

Messina: Definitely, rough first half. I just gotta go north and south really just too many juke moves. Second half started clicking started, getting into my rhythm, so that was a lot better.