Sayville football linebacker Mikey Sands was recently esteemed two merits to conclude his varsity football career.

Sands attained the third annual Gregg Sarra award as the best defensive footballer on Long Island and was the awardee of the Bryan Collins Memorial Scholarship honoring the former Stony Brook football coach who was a longtime Sayville resident.

In Sayville’s fall 2024 campaign, which resulted in a Rutgers Trophy and a fourth Suffolk County championship in six seasons Sands’s impressive campaign consisted of 113 total tackles in 12 games. Forty-seven  were solo tackles while 66 were assisted, and he feasted on the quarterback with six QB sacks as well as 20 tackles for a loss and one pick six.

In his junior year, the Sayvillian recorded 96 tackles (40 solo), three sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and found his way in the end zone with one interception return for a touchdown. In his sophomore campaign, Sands contributed to the undefeated Long Island championship winners with 60 tackles (17 solo), two sacks, four tackles for a loss of yards, two forced fumbles and one interception. And in three years at the varsity level, his stats culminated to 269 total tackles in 35 games (104 solo), 11 sacks, 36 tackles for a loss, three interceptions (two that he took to the end zone), and two forced fumbles.

The Golden Flashes’ brawny linebacker will take his talents to Franklin & Marshall College this fall to play alongside his brother Benny, who also plays linebacker.

At the conclusion of last season, the vigorous footballer also obtained the Bob Collotta Award, which is annually given to the best linebacker in Suffolk County, and the Rob Burnett award as the best defensive player in Suffolk.