Bayport-Blue Point football wins third straight Suffolk Division IV title with victory over Miller Place

In the week leading up to their eventual Long Island Class IV championship win over Seaford last November, Bayport-Blue Point football coach Mike Zafonte said “it takes a village” to achieve what the Phantoms have.

There have been old faces and new during their last few years of dominance, but winning has remained a constant for the Phantoms.

BBP collected more hardware to add to its growing trophy case Thursday night as the top-seeded Phantoms defeated No. 3 Miller Place, 49-21, in the Suffolk Division IV championship at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium. BBP claimed its third consecutive county title and 34th straight victory.

“It is a lot of work to get where we got, and to stay on top is even harder,” Zafonte said. “No one really gave us any respect. No one thought we were going to pull this off. These kids believed from the get-go. They work their tail off in practice. Parents are on board. Kids are on board. Administration’s on board, opening the building on Sunday for us. Just incredible stuff.”

Senior quarterback Cooper Fuller ran for 243 yards and five touchdowns on 25 carries. Junior Colin Most had two interceptions and senior Dylan Spano had a forced fumble and a sack.

BBP (11-0) has not lost in more than three years, exactly 1,098 days since Thursday. Their last defeat was to Shoreham-Wading River, 26-23, in the Suffolk IV final on Nov. 19, 2021.

Now with eyes on its third straight Long Island Class IV crown, BBP will meet the winner of Friday’s Nassau Conference IV final between Plainedge and Wantagh in the LIC at noon on Nov. 29 at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

“It exceeded (my expectations) by much more than I can even imagine,” Fuller said of this season.

Fuller thrived behind an offensive line of (from left to right) Ryan Bachmore, Spano, Evan Waldbauer, Sam DeVore and Charles Crisera.

BBP embarked on a game-opening 10-play, 67-yard drive, with Fuller’s 2-yard touchdown run giving it a 7-0 lead 6:05 into the game.

Miller Place (8-3) answered with a gutsy 18-play, 73-yard drive that included six third-down conversions and quarterback Shane Kiernan completing 7 of 10 passes for 74 yards. Braeden Murphy took a direct snap for a 1-yard touchdown run to tie it at 7 with 10:37 left in the second quarter.

Collin Reyer’s 30-yard touchdown run with 6:29 left in the first half and Fuller’s 3-yard scoring run 5:11 later gave BBP a 21-7 lead.

Most intercepted Kiernan, who was firing to the end zone on third-and-6 from the BBP 27, at the 1-yard line with 35 seconds left in the second quarter to secure the Phantoms’ 14-point halftime advantage.

“We just had great preparation all week,” Most said. “We were practicing every day, even Sunday, just to get to this point Thursday. Watching film and everything, we were just prepared. We knew it was coming.”

Spano forced Gavin Peterson to fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, and BBP recovered it at the Miller Place 4. The next play, Fuller ran in for a 4-yard touchdown to give the Phantoms a 28-7 lead.

“I love these guys,” Spano said. “We got a great defense here. I would do anything with these guys.”

Following Most’s second pick, Fuller ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 8:10 left in the third quarter to extend BBP’s lead to 35-7. Murphy’s second 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point pass from Kiernan to DJ Williamson cut it to 35-15 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.

Fuller and Sean Coffey each had 48-yard touchdown runs and Miller Place’s Jayden Meadows had a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“You just do it, and you feel like you really were a part of something great, man,” Fuller said. “Every guy here is a part of something great.”

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.