Hamptons Bays Football Has Plenty of Weapons

Making it to the playoffs two years in a row is an outstanding accomplishment for a high school football team, but it’s even more of an accomplishment for a small school the likes of , which is usually challenged just as much by its roster size (or lack thereof) as it is by its weekly opponent.

Head coach Mike Oestreicher and his coaching staff have done an incredible job of taking the Baymen to the postseason the last two seasons and he’s looking do to what no other Hampton Bays football team has done in recent memory: make it a three-peat.

“Getting to the playoffs for the third year in a row is our goal,” said Oestreicher. “I think we’ve got a program of kids that understand that they have to work hard, they have to make the commitment and if they do those two things, the success will come that they’re looking for. The kids have bought into the program and they understand that if they want to obtain the level of success, they have to keep working at the same level they’ve been working at.”

Tailback Juan Ramirez, fullback Andrew Morris, both seniors, along with wingback Tracy Kennedy are three dangerous ground weapons the Baymen will have to disrupt opposing defenses this fall. Ramirez had a great game against Mercy last season, which included two touchdowns and Kennedy had the longest touchdown run of his career: a 65-yard score in that same game.

Hampton Bays (4-4 last season) still has one key starter returning to the offensive line as senior center John Capuano will anchor the middle. On defense, senior nose tackle Bobby Scanlon returns and newcomer Lukasz Sokol, a junior, who plays defensive end as well as guard, will both be counted upon to bolster the Baymen line along with senior Mike Ponesse. Morris will also play a large role on defense, using his athleticism at linebacker, where his coach expects him to be one of the team’s top tacklers.

At quarterback, junior Justin Carbone will take over the snaps after longtime standout Robbie King graduated last spring. Carbone was a member of the varsity last season, but spent most of the time watching King from the sidelines. This season, he’ll lead the offense with his strong arm and ability to throw the deep ball.

“We really like what we’ve seen from Justin,” Oestreicher said. “Where Robbie [King] relied on his escape-ability to make big plays for us, we think we can rely on Justin’s arm a little more.”

When Carbone drops back to pass, he’ll have several athletic targets to focus on including Kennedy and receivers Alejandro Castro, Sean Sullivan, Ryan Murphy and Ryan Cavanaugh.

“We have a lot of players who can catch the ball and make big plays for us,” said Oestreicher. “All of those players are capable of scoring for us when they get the ball and the only problem we have right now is trying to figure out how we’re going to get all of the kids touches.”

With 65 players on the Hampton Bays varsity and junior varsity roster, the numbers are better than Oestreicher has ever seen and although the majority of the roster doesn’t have the on-field game experience compared to the Baymen of the past two seasons, the future is extremely bright for a team which will return close to 95 percent of its roster in 2012.

“We have some learning to do defensively, and we are going to learn some lessons defensively this season the year, but next season we have a shot to be really good,” Oestreicher said. "I think we can make the playoffs again this season and be a legitimate threat next season as we have the bodies, the quickness and a lot of kids who can make plays for us. The kids still need to work on understanding the system and learning the little things along the way.”

Hampton Bays opens the season on September 10 at 2 p.m. when the Baymen host Long Island Division IV Champion Elwood/John Glenn.