Undefeated Half Hollow Hills flag football team dominates Floyd on both sides of ball

Half Hollow Hills coach Mike Lupa roared “Good job!” after junior Ghita Haouzi sprinted to her right and grabbed the flag off Floyd’s Destiny Talbert, limiting her to three yards.

It didn’t matter that there were less than three minutes left in the game. On the contrary, it may have been the play Lupa desired all day long.

The Thundercolts provided a jolting intensity — exactly what Lupa said he wanted to see — with a dominant 33-6 Suffolk I flag football win over Floyd at Half Hollow Hills East.

Half Hollow Hills (6-0) has outscored its opponents 183-31 this season.

Haouzi logged 34 of her 44 receiving yards on a long second-half touchdown, coming back to the ball and beating the defensive back for a score. She said the team focused on running after the catch in practice, something that showed after she caught the ball about 25 yards downfield.

“Just get the ball. That’s all I was thinking,” Haouzi said. “[We wanted to] clean up plays and the small details.”

Samantha Heyman completed 16 of 18 passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns. The junior connected with senior Rose Azmoudeh five times for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior captain Andi Rallo snagged a pick-6 on the second play of the game as Half Hollow Hills took a 20-0 lead less than 13 minutes into the game. Freshman Zoe Franks added three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown, scoring on the same drive she set up with an interception.

Heyman said what makes this program so successful is the connections between players and coaching staff.

“The coaches make this the most special thing ever,” Heyman said. “Yes, the girls have changed, the connections change. But the girls stay so connected no matter if it’s [Hills East or Hills West]. Because [the coaches] care so much about us, we want to do well for them.”

Floyd’s defense did have bright moments. Senior Mya Bulger had a strong game, limiting Heyman to 37 yards on 10 rushes and pulling four flags within six plays to stall Half Hollow Hills’ final drive of the first half.

The mentality Lupa wanted to see from his Thundercolts shined through. They nearly kept Floyd off the board until Nelson rushed for a 15-yard score in the final minutes of the game.

“Don’t become complacent, don’t be OK with winning one, two or three games,” Lupa said. “Keep the goals high and keep trying to reach them.”