Blue Devils Score 39 Points and Still Lose a Wild Game
The Huntington football team scored 39 points last Saturday and still lost as Sayville kicked a 26-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to claim the victory, 41-39 in one of the most exciting games in Blue Devil history.
When Huntington fell behind 26-7 in the second quarter, the Blue Devils found themselves in danger of being routed by the Golden Flashes. Instead, the team fought back, as they rallied to take a 33-32 lead, cheered on by a crowd of about 500 fans.
This was the day of the Big Play and the Turnover as each team sought to capitalize on the other’s mistakes, and usually did. A muffed punt early in the first quarter set up Huntington’s first touchdown, a one yard plunge by senior Dashaun Thomas. The lead didn’t last very long as Sayville (4-1) scored four consecutive touchdowns to grab a commanding advantage. But, the Blue Devils weren’t done just yet.
“Our kids played hard and kept coming back,” said Steve Muller, Huntington head coach. “It was great to see that attitude in them. We had a lot of opportunities and jumped on most of them, but Sayville’s a very good team and they wouldn’t stay down either.”
Huntington’s comeback began in earnest late in the second quarter when quarterback Quillian Respass connected with Walter Stephens for a 48-yard completion to the two-yard line. Respass then ran it in on the next play with just 1:30 remaining to give hometown fans and Blue Devil players reason to hope.
The Blue Devils scored again almost immediately when play resumed following halftime, after Sayville fumbled a low line drive kickoff by Huntington. Respass quickly found Stephens, who made an acrobatic 18-yard touchdown reception to bring the Men in Blue to within 26-21. The see-saw game then saw Sayville regroup and score again to give the Golden Flashes a small cushion at 32-21.
Huntington (3-2) battled back as Respass lofted a tight spiral to wide-open junior Sean Whitney for a 48-yard touchdown. When the Blue Devil defense stopped Sayville on the next series it was “Respass Time” again, as the senior scored on an 80 yard run to give his team a 33-32 lead while the small crowd went wild with delirium.
Huntington’s inability to stop Sayville’s passing attack led the Golden Flashes to quickly regain the lead, 38-33 on a 31-yard touchdown pass, following a drive that took less than two minutes. What happened next was almost surreal as Respass returned the Sayville kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Blue Devils a 39-38 advantage with 2:35 remaining in the game.
Sayville regained possession and used a series of sharp passes to move into field goal range. Despite a high snap, Corey Caulfied put the ball through the uprights from 26-yards as the Golden Flashes jumped ahead, 41-39 with 23 seconds left on the clock.
Despite penalties, Huntington actually came close to pulling off what would have been the program’s biggest comeback in history, but a final long pass from Respass into a crowd of players who simultaneously jumped for the ball was deflected with the Golden Flashes coming up with a shoelace interception as time expired to end what was an unforgettable afternoon at Blue Devil Stadium.
Blue Devil Notes: Sayville failed to convert the extra point four times and Huntington came up short following three touchdowns . . . The Huntington defense surrendered 269 yards in the air . . . The Blue Devils travel to Comsewogue this coming Saturday for a 6 p.m. game under the lights.
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