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Joseph Filardi of Half Hollow Wills West

Joseph Filardi of Half Hollow Wills West Credit: George A Faella

Joseph Filardi has had a season for the ages. The Half Hollow Hills West junior quarterback accounted for 1,252 all-purpose yards the past two weeks.

Filardi is one passing touchdown away from the Long Island record for TD passes in a single season set by Jack Cheshire of Sayville with 43 in 2019.

He’s thrown for 3,012 yards and 42 touchdowns and rushed for 1,015 yards and 11 scores. He totaled a LI record 10 TDs and 651 all-purpose yards in last week’s 70-68 mind blowing quarterfinal playoff win over Smithtown West.

Now he faces the litmus test.

Top-seeded and undefeated Sayville (9-0) awaits Filardi and his speedy receiving corps in the Suffolk Division III football semifinal round at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The game originally scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday night under the lights at Sayville’s turf field on Depot Road was moved to Saturday.

There is gamesmanship here. No one wants to play Hills West (7-2) and all that team speed on turf. They’ve been unstoppable. The change of venue from turf to grass is a brilliant maneuver.

Sayville coach Reade Sands said his team usually plays on the grass field at the high school only once a year — for the school’s Homecoming Day game. He wouldn’t come out and say the site was changed to slow down the Hills West juggernaut — but he did laugh at the thought.

“We stopped them the first time we played and that was on turf,” Sands said, knowingly full well, that regular season encounter was played in a Nor'easter and both quarterbacks, Filardi and Sayville’s outstanding Jake Tripptree, struggled in the wicked elements.

Hills West coach Gerald Filardi doesn’t mind the change of field surface.

“We’ll be ready to play on any surface,” he said. “We’ve been playing at a very high level offensively and we know the road to the title goes through Sayville. We’re ready for the challenge.”

Tripptree has passed for 1,679 yards and 18 scores and halfback Kyle Messina has rushed for 880 yards and 16 TDs.

Suffolk semifinals are played at the higher seed. The semifinal round for the Nassau playoffs is played at Hofstra University.

NASSAU II

(4) Floral Park (5-3) vs. (1) Wantagh (8-1), Friday, 4 p.m.: Wantagh won the regular season meeting 21-14 in Week 6. Wantagh has won 10 straight over Floral Park and the Knights haven’t won since 1998. Cousins Dylan and Jake Martini have combined for more than 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns. Floral Park quarterback Ryan Connolly likes top receiver Ben Meighan, who has 421 yards and 25 receptions. 

(3) Plainedge (7-2) vs. (2) South Side (8-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Plainedge is the two-time defending Conference III champion and will be a tough out in the postseason. The Red Devils have won four of the last five titles. Plainedge handed South Side its only loss of the season, 21-16, just two weeks ago.

NASSAU IV

(5) Locust Valley (6-3) vs. (1) Seaford (8-1), Saturday, noon: Seaford defeated Locust Valley, 21-7, in Week 5. The Vikings have lost in the conference semifinals for three consecutive years. Brian Falk and Aidan Calvacca would like to avoid a fourth. They’ve combined for 1,613 rushing yards and 21 scores. Locust Valley needs to stop the Vikings run game to pull off the upset.

SUFFOLK I

(3) Ward Melville (7-2) at (2) Sachem North (7-2), Friday, 6 p.m.: Ward Melville, the defending division champion, pounded Sachem North, 29-7, in Week 4. The Patriots escaped with a 14-10 win over Lindenhurst when a fourth down pass into the end zone in the final minute was ruled incomplete. Halfback Lucas Singleton rushed for 273 yards and four scores in last week’s quarterfinal win over Whitman. North hasn’t reached a Suffolk final since 2013 but hopes the return of quarterback Anthony Vino, who is healthy after missing several games, will help them get past the Patriots.

SUFFOLK II

(3) Half Hollow Hills East (8-1) at (2) West Islip (8-1), Friday, 6 p.m.: Hills East handed the Lions their lone loss in a thrilling 44-43 comeback victory in Week 6. The Thunderbirds have never reached a Suffolk final, losing in the semifinals in their previous eight attempts, including four years in a row. West Islip will play with heavy hearts. The Lions lost teammate, senior Kyle Dilegame, who died in a house fire last Saturday morning. They’ll rely on halfback Rocco Carpinello, who missed last week’s quarterfinal win, because of illness. He’s rushed for 1,198 yards and 16 scores in seven games. Hills East quarterback Jordan Heyman tied a LI record for TD passes in a single game with eight two weeks ago. He’s passed for 2,239 yards and 34 TDs.

With Andy Slawson

STAFF PICKS

GREGG SARRA (165-54)

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ANDY SLAWSON (162-57)

Massapequa, Farmingdale, Wantagh, South Side, Seaford, Sachem North  , West Islip, East Islip, Bayport-Blue Point, Babylon, Carey, Garden City, Cold Spring Harbor, Floyd, North Babylon, Half Hollow Hills West, St. Peter’s

CARISSA KELLMAN (159-60)

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ROGER RUBIN (160-59)

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