Hauppauge QB Taylor Mileti fights through tough conditions, lifts flag football team to 13th win
Hauppauge QB Taylor Mileti looks to avoid the flag pull of Eastport's Jenna Vormittag in a Suffolk league II flag football game on Monday. Credit: George A. Faella
Soggy conditions on the field couldn’t dampen Taylor Mileti’s brilliance.
The quarterback threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead visiting Hauppauge past Eastport-South Manor, 27-7, in a Suffolk League II flag football game on Monday.
“Being in the pouring rain is a challenge,” Mileti said. “But we practice handling the ball all the time and everyone on this team has good hands to make plays.”
Both teams struggled to move the ball on their opening two possessions, with drops being a key factor.
But midway through the first half, Mileti got going. She fired a pass to Meghan Goutink for a 23-yard touchdown to open the scoring and hit Sarah Bento for a one-point conversion pass to give Hauppauge a 7-0 lead.
On the Eagles’ next possession, Mileti found Bento on a 12-yard reception to get to the ESM 6-yard line. After a botched snap resulted in a loss of 7 yards, Mileti found Lindsay Adams for a 13-yard touchdown. Gabriella DeNicola caught a one-point conversion pass to extend the lead to 14-0.
“It was tough out here, but we’re a team that can persevere through anything,” Adams said. “We have confidence and we believe we can always come out on top.”
Alex DaEira-Loccisano connected with Jenna Vormittag on a 36-yard touchdown pass for ESM in the second half and Jillian Loben caught the one-point conversion pass to cut the lead to 14-7.
On Hauppauge’s next drive, it faced a fourth down from the ESM 7-yard line. The Eagles ran a double reverse, getting the ball into Adams’ hands for a touchdown that extended their lead to 20-7.
“It was close, a few girls were close to getting my flag before I got in,” Adams said. “I just tried to keep running and squeeze through.”
With just over two minutes remaining, Mileti ripped off a 44-yard rushing touchdown to put it out of reach. Charlotte Derby caught the ensuing one-point conversion pass to give Hauppauge a 27-7 lead.
“We were running to drain some clock and I saw open grass,” Mileti said. “I had open field in front of me and I just kept running.”
Brooke Reidy had an interception for Hauppauge (13-1), which currently holds the second-best record in League II. Eastport-South Manor (11-3) has the third-best record.
“We faced a tremendous team [Monday] and sometimes these conditions can neutralize what you want to do,” said Hauppauge coach Steve Mileti, Taylor’s father. “That reverse play we ran is tough to do in the pouring rain, but I’m proud of how these girls executed.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
