Newsday Athlete of the Week is Hauppauge flag football's Melissa O'Connor
Melissa O'Connor #9 of Hauppauge looks for running room after a pass during a Suffolk Class B flag football semifinal at Hauppauge on Monday, May 13, 2024. Credit: David Meisenholder
A simple catch with her dad at a young age was the perfect introduction to football for Melissa O’Connor.
She loved it. The Hauppauge senior remembers how much she enjoyed those moments with her dad. And when her school offered girls an opportunity to play flag football — O’Connor was all in.
“I just jumped into it and loved it,” she said. “Catching a football just comes naturally for me. My Dad played for Sachem and told me there’s nothing like the camaraderie of a football team. It becomes a family. He was right. I met some of my best friends playing flag football.”
O’Connor, an outstanding three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and flag football, led Hauppauge to the Suffolk Class B championship game. The Eagles lost in the final to undefeated Sayville, 22-13. They finished with a 12-2 record, the only two losses coming against the Suffolk champion.
“When I first joined, I never thought I’d love the sport this much,” O’Connor said. “We lost to a great team in the championship.”
Some of the fun for the girls flag football team has been the support of the guys in school.
“Oh, the guys are awesome,” O’Connor said. “They love to come and watch and support us. I know they wish they had their own team.”
Hauppauge’s assistant coach Joe Tasman called O’Connor, ‘the total package.’
“Melissa is an incredible athlete,” he said. “She’s by far one of the greatest athletes I’ve been around. Her hands are amazing and work ethic is unmatched. She’s a natural leader and excellent teammate.”
O’Connor finished the season with 101 receptions, 1,097 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 extra point conversions. For her performance she is Newsday’s Athlete of the Week.
O’Connor, who also earned the Suffolk Volleyball Player of the Year and the unsung hero award for Hauppauge basketball, plans to study sports management and play volleyball at SUNY-Cortland.
“I also reached out to the coach of the club flag football team and said I was interested in playing,” she said.
O’Connor’s ability to catch a football on the run and in space was not lost on coach Steve Mileti.
“She’s a special player,” Mileti said. “I don’t care, boy or girl, and I’ve been coaching football for 25 years, and she’s one of the best. She has a laser focus in traffic and consistently shines in the big moments.”
O’Connor feels her skills as a setter in volleyball helped her catch a football.
“I’ve been a setter in volleyball since I was 12 years old,” she said. “I shape my hands a certain way to set a volleyball and it’s basically the same with my hands when I catch a football.”
Her favorite pattern is the slant over the middle of the field.
“I love to catch the ball on the run and Taylor (Mileti) always puts it right out in front of me,” she said. “When I catch the ball on the run it keeps my momentum moving forward and toward the end zone. Taylor was so good at leading me with passes where I never broke stride. I couldn’t have had so much success without her.”
So who’s her favorite player?
“My favorite football player could be my dad or Bills quarterback Josh Allen,” she said with a laugh. “They’re both pretty awesome.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.