West Islip Kicks Off Season With Rout of Pat-Med

New division? No problem.

West Islip, in its first game back as a member of Division I after a 20-plus year hiatus, defeated the Patchogue-Medford Raiders, 37-6, at West Islip High School.

The Lions pounced on early opportunities thrown their way by the Raiders’ special teams.

“It seemed every time on offense, they were inside the 40,” said Raiders senior Joe Altrui.

Inside the 40 would have been a blessing for the Raiders in the first quarter, as West Islip started its first two series inside of the 20-yard line.

The Lions (1-0) jumped out to a lead over the Raiders (0-1), after senior Tom Woodbum’s early field goal clanked off the crossbar and through the uprights, giving West Islip the 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Woodbum and the Lions didn’t have to do much to grab the lead, as Brad Fisher’s punt only went 14 yards for the Raiders, allowing the Lions immediately in the red zone.

“Any time you get good field position like that, it’s going to help you win the game,” said Lions head coach Steve Mileti.

Following another quick possession by the Raiders, the Lions were able to capitalize once again on stellar field position. Lions’ junior Nick Aponte ran back a punt to the Raiders seven-yard line, setting up a four-yard touchdown run for Chris Belyski.

“Our special teams did a phenomenal job,” Mileti said. “That Aponte kid is a heck of a football player, he was all over the place for us today.”

One bright spot for the Raiders came during the second quarter, when Altrui broke free on a third-and-eight from midfield, putting his team on the board with a 50-yard touchdown.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, West Islip once again took advantage of Aponte’s kick return--which he brought back to midfield--and answered right back with a huge play of its own.

Only two plays after Altrui cut West Islip’s lead to 10-6, Lions quarterback Anthony Santo hooked up with receiver Sam Illario over the middle, which turned into a 41-yard touchdown.

“On defense we’ve gotta tackle,” said Raiders head coach James Chiarello. “There were a lot of missed tackles and their guys were getting big yards. They’ve got some good skill kids that make plays.”

One of those skill kids Chiarello was speaking of was Santo, who finished with three touchdowns.

The Lions, ranked No. 10 of 14 in Div. I coming into this season, will have their next opportunity to prove doubters wrong as they host Connetquot on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m.

“We weren’t favored in this game and we probably wont be favored in any game this season,” said Santo. “We just have to use that as a fire for motivation for us.”