Half Hollow Hills East football's Nick Sevilla guides program to its first Suffolk championship game with victory in Division II semifinals

A Suffolk semifinal day had been the last day of the football season in recent years for Half Hollow Hills East, a sad end to a hopeful run at a county championship.

This program had gone 0-for-8 in the Suffolk II semis, including 0-for-3 the previous three seasons.

The team had to watch the other guys celebrate after earning their ticket into the title fight.

“Frustrating because that’s all I’ve known,” said Lucas Martin, a senior receiver/defensive back who joined the varsity as a freshman. “Every season we’ve ended in that second round of the playoffs.”

But not this season.

Hills East made history Saturday, advancing to a county championship game for the first time. The second-seeded RedHawks constructed a 41-point halftime cushion en route to a 48-0 semifinal win over No. 3 Smithtown West.

“Honestly, it feels amazing,” coach Alex Marcelin said. “These kids earned it. Being so close last year, losing by a couple of seconds (to West Islip), just getting here and doing it for the school, the community and for everyone, this is a perfect setting.

“This is four years in the making. I came here — this is my fourth year as the head coach. These seniors put everything on their back.”

A couple of juniors helped, too. Quarterback Nick Sevilla went 7-for-8 for 154 yards and five touchdowns, and running back Daniel White carried 22 times for 152 yards and two scores. Senior receiver Tyler Sanders and Martin each made two TD grabs.

So the RedHawks (9-1) will be at Stony Brook at 4 p.m. Friday trying to make more history. They will play No. 1 East Islip (10-0), which beat them 33-14 in Week 4.

“It’s a great feeling,” Martin said. “Going through all the bumps and all the cracks in the road, but we finally made it to Stony Brook, and we’re happy for the opportunity.”

Smithtown West (8-2) was trying to make its first final, too. So what went so wrong?

“They’re better,” coach Craig Perrino said.

Reinaldo Peters got Hills East going, intercepting Nick Devito at midfield on the day’s first possession. Peters' return set up the RedHawks at the Bulls’ 21. Four plays later, Sevilla found Martin in the right side of the end zone for a 25-yard TD.

Sevilla, the first-year starter, then found Sanders crossing to the left side of the end zone for a 9-yard score. Then he hit Martin for another 25-yard TD on the last play of the first quarter — 19-0.

“The chemistry between me and the wide receivers, we’ve been working all week,” Sevilla said. “And it just clicked us in.”

White ran it in for the next two TDs, scoring from the 4 and the 6 — 34-0.

“This offense is great,” White said. “I love this offense. It takes the defense away from me. … We have a lot of athletes, so it’s not just me doing all the work.”

Soon the air game clicked again. Sevilla connected with Sanders for a 33-yard touchdown.

Sevilla also fired a 16-yard strike down the middle to Max Drehwing for a score, capping the first possession after halftime. The Bulls were down by 48.

When asked to sum up the season, Perrino said, “We’re proud of them. Not the ending we wanted, but they did a great job.”