Sayville's Mikey Sands wins Rob Burnett and Bob Collotta awards
Mikey Sands of Sayville at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association awards dinner on Monday at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
Sayville senior middle linebacker Mikey Sands is the quarterback of the defense.
He makes every pre-snap check, confirming the rest of the Golden Flashes are lined up correctly. He then must progress through his own reads and do his job during the play.
Sands had 116 tackles (48 solo), six sacks, 21 tackles for loss and a pick-6 for the Suffolk Class III champions. For his efforts this season, Sayville’s co-captain was recognized at Monday night’s Suffolk County Football Coaches Association awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge.
Sands received Newsday’s 14th annual Rob Burnett Award as Suffolk’s Defensive Player of the Year and also won the Bob Collotta Award, annually given to the county’s most outstanding linebacker.
“He just played absolutely tremendous,” said Sayville coach Reade Sands, Mikey’s father. “He’s one of, if not the, toughest players I’ve ever coached. He’s just a hard-nosed kid. He’s earned the respect from everybody — the coaches, players. I’m just really proud of him.”
The finalists for the Burnett Award were Bellport’s Trey’von Holland, Connetquot’s Lucas Weaver, Whitman’s Xavier Ali and Bayport-Blue Point’s Dylan Spano.
The 5-10, 185-pound Sands will play collegiately at Franklin & Marshall. He finished his three-year varsity career with 169 tackles (98 solo), 11 sacks, 29 tackles for loss and two interceptions, both pick-6s.
“He’s like a coach on the field, he literally is,” said Westhampton coach Bryan Schaumloffel, who faced Sayville in the regular season and the semifinals. “He makes the checks. You see him talking all the time to the kids, setting up kids. He’s a dynamic player. He’s a hard hitter, fills the open hole. Just a tremendous defensive player.”
Sayville, which finished 11-1, lost to Garden City, 31-28, in an epic Long Island Class III championship game.
While primarily a tight end offensively, Sands also played wide receiver, running back and — out of necessity — offensive tackle this year.
Sands’ older brothers — Benny, a two-time Collotta Award finalist and a sophomore football player at Franklin & Marshall, and Charlie, a two-time Newsday All-Long Island linebacker — both won championships under their father as well.
“Coaching [Mikey] as a father, it’s super difficult to not have those expectations,” Reade Sands said. “He met all of them — and then some.”
Sands was honored with No. 56 this season, the number of former Sayville player Joey Visone, who died of brain cancer in 2014. It is annually given to the “soul of the team.” Because Sands was not a lineman, he typically wore No. 32 with “56” patched onto his jersey; he did wear No. 56 during his short stint on the offensive line.
Reade Sands said Mikey’s biggest improvements over his career came with his football IQ and his vision. His leadership style is a “combination of everything.”
“He definitely will spark the team with his words, and he’ll get them going with that, but I think that was more out of necessity,” Reade Sands said. “I think he’s just one of those kids that leads by example and excites the team by making plays.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.