The Smithtown West football team defeated West Islip 42-10 in Friday night’s Suffolk semifinal playoff game. In doing so they have advanced to the first county championship game in program history. The Bulls will face the Sayville Flashes next Thursday at 4 p.m. at Stony Brook University for a chance to win the school's first title.
The Lions have struggled against Smithtown West recently, and this loss marked their third consecutive defeat in the matchup. West Islip jumped out to an early three-point lead, holding that advantage heading into the second quarter. That’s when Smithtown West erupted, scoring three touchdowns and taking a 21-10 lead into halftime.
The Bulls carried that momentum into the second half, coming out of the locker room with the same offensive intensity. They added two more quick touchdowns in the third quarter and capped the night with another score in the fourth.
Vincent Lepore put the Bulls on the board with a six-yard rushing touchdown, followed by two rushing scores from Michael Cascione. After halftime, Cascione struck again with another touchdown run to extend the lead to 28-10. He capped off his remarkable performance with yet another score, completing the kind of day players dream about. Cascione also had three touchdown runs last week, firmly placing his name in the conversation for Suffolk Player of the Year.
Smithtown West’s offense clicked at every level, while their defense held firm after the early West Islip field goal, allowing no points over the final three quarters. The win was the Bulls’ fifth straight and improved their record to 8-2. West Islip’s defeat dropped the Lions to 7-3 as their season came to an end.
With history already made, Smithtown West now turns its attention to Sayville and the chance to capture its first county championship next week.