Porters inch closer to football playoffs with home win

Nothing is official on the playoff front just yet, but the Greenport/Southold/Mattituck football team had plenty to celebrate Friday night.

The Porters moved closer to clinching their first Suffolk County postseason berth in 11 years behind a 46-8 League IV triumph over Wyandanch on an emotional Senior Night at Dorrie Jackson Field.

Eighth-place Greenport (4-3, 103.050 rating points) appears to have a safe lead over ninth-place Wyandanch (2-5, 84.48) with one regular season game remaining at Miller Place (5-2) on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

Friday night’s 46 points were the most scored by a Porters team since a 52-0 win over Hampton Bays in 2018.

“This is the best game we played all season,” said head coach Tim McArdle, whose team amassed 427 yards on offense.

“It was a great game,” said senior quarterback Michael DeNicola, who produced a signature performance. “We kicked some butt out here.”

DeNicola passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions, rushed for 60 yards and intercepted two passes, running one back 43-yards for a TD.

“Mike is a beast for a guy that’s 145 pounds and 5-foot-6. He’s an animal,” McArdle said. “He plays hard. He leaves it all on the field. This was probably one of the best games he’s ever played.”

The hosts had plenty of standouts, many playing in their final home game.

Senior wide receiver/cornerback Luke Weir (four catches, 134 yards) scored an 88-yard touchdown and added an interception that flipped the momentum in a pivotal third quarter. Lineman/tight end Brady Woods caught one TD pass and ran for another. Junior running back Matt McGunnigle caught three passes for 44 yards and two TDs, and added 46 rushing yards on eight carries, and Chris Palencia rushed for 46 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown.

“Unforgettable,” Weir said. “It was amazing. It was incredibly fun. This final game was all I could ask for. It was great. I’m going to remember it for the rest of my life.”

Added Woods: “It felt amazing. I’m happy I got to play here one last time.”

The defensive and offensive lines played key roles, whether it was opening up holes for runners or causing Warriors losses. The Felakos brothers, senior James and sophomore Alex, each had a sack.

“The D line was outstanding,” James said. “We had a lot of people being able to chase down the quarterback. We knew that they would throw a lot more this game than they have in the past.”

Greenport opened the scoring on Palencia’s four-yard run 5:35 into the second quarter, and again on DeNicola’s 23-yard TD pass to McGunnigle with 68 seconds remaining in the half. Wyandanch bounced back as Devon Henry threw a 28-yard pass to Collie Wint with 1.1 seconds left, then added a 2-point conversion.

Clinging to a 14-8 halftime advantage, the Porters came out firing, scoring 26 points in the third quarter on route to a 32-point second half.

The game really turned during a 21-second span in the third quarter.

The Warriors were jamming the line, so Greenport went over the top as DeNicola hit Weir for an 88-yard TD catch and run at 2:36. Playing free safety on the following series, DeNicola intercepted a pass on Wyandanch’s next play from scrimmage and turned it into a 43-yard TD return at 2:57.

Suddenly, a six-point edge was a commanding 26-8 lead.

“It was a huge momentum shift,” Weir said. “It lifted all of our spirits.”

The hosts scored three more times. DeNicola and Woods combined for a 43-yard TD at 4:27, and added two-point conversion pass to Weir. DeNicola then hit McGunnigle for a nine-yard scoring pass at 9:42 and teamed with Woods again for a 17-yard touchdown at 8:13 in the fourth.

The playoffs are now clearly in sight, but McArdle isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It gets us moving in the right direction,” the coach said. “The goal is always to have a successful season. First off, you want to have a season that the kids enjoy, and everyone has a good experience. But the goal is to make the playoffs. We’re taking our baby steps getting there. Our next game is Miller Place.  Anything can happen. I still think we will make the playoffs either way. This is the first time we’ve not had a losing record in a very long time.”

Not since the 4-4 season in 2016.

“It would be great to have playoffs in our picture,” DeNicola said. “We haven’t been there forever. As a senior, I want to go out and make playoffs. That’s my goal.”