The Long County Blue Tide football team bounced back after losing two straight games as they traveled to play the Islands Sharks to open November. They never seemed to worry in the game as they beat the Sharks 55-0 for a team record seventh win on the year.
Jason Familia found room up the middle as he went 50 yards for a touchdown, capping a 67-yard drive, to put the Tide up 7-0 late in the quarter.
The Sharks picked up big yards to close out the first quarter as a 35-yard pass set them up inside the Tide 20 at the 18.
The defense stepped up over the next three plays as the Tide took over on a turnover on downs at their own 19. Two runs got the Tide up to their own 34 before Familia went up the middle for 66 yards to put the Tide up 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Cortney Charles added a 32-yard run up the middle to stretch the Tide lead to 21-0.
Chris Hatfield’s 80-yard interception return for a touchdown was called back on a holding penalty, but Dylan Tyler found Jay’Quan Johnson for 53 yards to Sharks 12 with under 30 seconds left in the first half.
Familia found the endzone for the third time of the night as he finished off the drive from 6 yards out to put the Tide up 28-0 at the half.
The Tide opened the third quarter from their own 45 and wasted little time getting in the endzone. Johnson got the call on the first play as he went 55 yards for the score to put the Tide up 34-0 after the botched snap on the extra point attempt.
The Sharks drove down to the Tide 27-yard line before they took to the air again. Charles came down with his first interception of the season and he went 85 yards for the touchdown to put the Tide up 41-0.
Hatfield came up with his second interception of the night and sixth on the season as the Tide took over at the Shark 45.
Tyler hit Juju Clark on a short screen pass and he went all the way down his sideline for the 45 yard touchdown as the Tide went up 48-0 as the third quarter came to a close.
The Tide forced another Shark punt as they took over from the Shark 49. Two plays later, Devon Williams got the call on his first carry of the season as he took off 40 yards for the touchdown.
After Williams’ first career rushing touchdown, the Tide went up 55-0 on Nick Contreras’ record-tying seventh extra point in the game.
With the win, the Tide move to a school-best 7-2 and 6-2 in the region while clinching their fourth straight playoff appearance.
They will close out the regular season Friday, November 8 against Calvary Day, a makeup game from October 4. A win against the Cavaliers would all but guarantee the Tide finish in the top 16 of the state, thus giving them a home playoff game for the first time in team history.