No. 1 Sachem North Ousts Brentwood in Suffolk County Division I Quarterfinals

Fireworks graced the field at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium to open and close Sachem's quarterfinal playoff game Friday night.

The opening scenes by way of a 21-0 lead after the first quarter, and the latter via an elegant display by Grucci to bookend the final minutes of a 42-14 win over No. 8 Brentwood.

Top-seeded Sachem, 9-0 for the third time in the program's 49-year history, will play in the Suffolk County Division I semifinals next Friday against an undetermined opponent.

"We came ready to play," said Sachem head coach Dave Falco. "I told the kids you can't worry about Brentwood. Everything has to be about what Sachem does. We played as hard as we could and had a great preparation week."

Sachem was on the scoreboard less than two minutes into the contest after Michael Andreassi, who finished with 153 yards on 11 carries, scored the first of his two touchdowns. His 2-yard dive play came after runs of 16 and 28 yards on the opening drive.

Vincent Provenzano intercepted Brentwood quarterback Jordan Williams at 7:59 of the first on Brentwood's 31-yard line and was stopped at the 40. On the following play he made more noise, catching a 40-yard pass from Mike McCarthy – a varsity first for both players.

Provenzano replaces Bonifacio Aguila as the team's go-to receiver after Aguila tore his ACL in the regular season finale last weekend.

"That play was definitely a confidence booster and will help them out the rest of the season," said senior linebacker/tailback Jesse Scanna.

The Arrows tacked on more points when Andreassi scored on a 9-yard run at 2:25 of the first. Dalton Crossan found time to add his own rushing touchdown at 5:22 of the third quarter, increasing Sachem's lead to 28.

He saved the real magic when he intercepted Williams and ran the ball back 100 yards for one of the longest touchdowns in Sachem history. His brother Trent, a freshman, set the key block on his journey down field.

"That really put the nail in the coffin for Brentwood," Dalton said. "I caught it, undercut the receiver and Trent made a great block at the end."

Brentwood's only touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. Devine Daniel, who had a game-high 187 yards on 32 carries, scored on 10 and 1-yard touchdowns, respectively.

The second, however, came while Sachem's second team was on the field. Brentwood kept their starters in the rotation longer than expected.

Sachem answered back with a retaliation touchdown on its next possession. Andreassi rushed three times for 69 yards on the series, including one 58-yard scamper and Scanna finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown.

Profusely arguing with officials, Brentwood coach Rob Dilello was ejected shortly after. Sachem's Bryan Morris was forced to kickoff from the opposite 30-yard line, sailing a touchback way out of the end zone.

Late game antics aside, Sachem was handed the game on a platter and carved up its opponent to perfection.

"This is a special team and a special group of kids and coaches," Falco said. "I'm very lucky to be where I am right now."

News & Notes

-Other Sachem stats: Dalton Crossan finished with 4 carries for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Jesse Scanna had 40 yards on 4 carries and one touchdown. Angelo Armine carried the ball once for 15 yards. Nick Iannello had 3 carries for 28 yards and Mike McCarthy was 1-for-2 passing for 40 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

-Brentwood stats: Jordan Williams was 0-for-3 with two interceptions. He rushed 3 times for 7 yards.

-Sachem out gained Brentwood, 303-212, in total offensive yards. This is impressive because Brentwood had 58 plays compared to Sachem's 25.

-The 14-7 fourth quarter was the only quarter this season where Sachem was outscored.

-No. 3 Longwood beat No. 6 Lindenhurst, 13-7, in the only other Division I first round game Friday night.

-Check Sachem Patch Saturday for the "This Week in Sachem Football" column, packed with plenty of playoff historical data.

-SN - Michael Andreassi 2 run (Bryan Morris kick)

-SN - Vincent Provenzano 40 catch from Mike McCarthy (Morris kick)

-SN - Michael Andreassi 9 run (Morris kick)

-SN - Dalton Crossan 7 run (Morris kick)

-SN - Dalton Crossan 100 interception return (Morris kick)

-B - Devine Daniel 10 run (Abner Lobo kick)

-B - Devine Daniel 1 run (Lobo kick)

-SN - Jesse Scanna 6 run (Morris kick)