There’s no better feeling in sports than winning in front of your home fans — and it’s even sweeter when it happens on homecoming.
That was the reality for kicker Nick Stroveglia, who lifted Smithtown East to a thrilling 37-34 homecoming victory over Commack Saturday.
With ice in his veins and a roaring home crowd behind him, Stroveglia drilled a 24-yard field goal in the final seconds to seal the win.
While Stroveglia was the hero of the day, he certainly didn’t do it alone and got contributions from all three units of the team. The Bulls’ 37 points marked their second-highest scoring output of the season, trailing only the 43 they scored two weeks ago in their first win.
Commack opened up a 21-7 lead early, and things looked bleak for the Bulls. But a touchdown pass with four minutes left in the first half and a key defensive stand brought Smithtown East within 10 at the break. In the third quarter, Stroveglia hit another field goal to keep them close, but Commack answered with a touchdown in the fourth to take what appeared to be a commanding 34-17 lead.
That’s when the Bulls found their spark. A kick return touchdown ignited the comeback, followed by a defensive stop and another Stroveglia field goal to pull within one score. A six-yard rushing touchdown and extra point tied the game, and the crowd erupted.
The Smithtown defense, which had struggled for much of the afternoon, came up clutch in the final minutes — recovering a key fumble and intercepting a pass on the next possession to set up Stroveglia’s game-winning kick.
With the victory, Smithtown East evened its record at 2-2 on the season. The Bulls will look to build on the momentum when they travel to face Deer Park next week.