It was the varsity football home opener for Sayville last Friday night as the Golden Flashes welcomed the Islip Buccaneers for a Division III face-off.

Both teams came in at 1-0 in a gridiron matchup just in time for fall, with an autumn aura in the air on a crisp evening on Greene Avenue.

Running back Kyle Messina christened the opening points after he darted four yards to the end zone for six points with 1:58 to go in the opening period. Messina’s dominant ground game ensued after a 1-yard goal line plunge for another half dozen to give his team a two-possession game. It was 13-0 at the end of the first half. 

The wheels of the offensive juggernaut continued to churn after two more scores in the third quarter: one early in the third and the second towards the end, when Messina scampered three yards to find the end zone again with 3:24 left in the triadic frame, followed by an extra point through the uprights by Nick Watson and it was 25-0 Sayville.

In the waning seconds of the quarter, Messina intercepted a pass by Buccaneers quarterback Brady Nash and galloped 65 yards deep into his own territory, just as time expired in the third.

Shortly after the pick, running back Tristan Vitale sprinted 17 yards to the end zone and another successful PAT (point after touchdown) gave the Golden Flashes a 33-0 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the game.

The final was Sayville 40, Islip 6. On 24 rushes, Messina ran for 204 yards and scored four touchdowns and snared an interception on the defensive side of the ball.

Q&A with Kyle Messina and Patrick Coan

SCN: So, you’re 2-0. How confident do you feel in the team after getting your first home win of the season?

Messina: Very confident; we’ve got a young group. A very athletic and good group. Very disciplined, and they all understand their jobs, trust each other. That brotherhood’s already there, so I have high expectations for this group.

SCN: Talk about what it means to be a captain and wear No. 9 in honor of Mitch Cangelosi.

Messina: It means so much. I mean, I can’t even describe the amount of people that have just reached out to me and said how proud they are and how well I have to represent this. Mitch Cangelosi, I can’t even start off how good of a person he was, and just hearing that from all of the coaches, the community, it’s just truly an honor to be able to represent him and I hope I do it well.

SCN: Any personal goals your senior season?

Messina: Nah, Long Island Championship! That’s it! (smiles and laughs)

SCN: How does it feel to get your first home win as a starter?

Patrick Coan: It feels pretty good, really good.

SCN: How’s the team gelling? A lot of new faces this year.

Coan: Definitely good. We’ve got a young group and a lot of athletes on the team, so we’re flowing right now, looking pretty good.

SCN: Any personal goals your junior season?

Coan: Yeah, to go 12-0 is a big goal as a team, and then just get to know the guys, work with the guys day in and day out, get some hard work.