Half Hollow Hills flag football plays all-around game to beat Sachem East in Suffolk Class A final
Hills East’s Zoe Franks celebrates her team’s win in the Suffolk Class A flag football final on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
There are senior quarterback Samantha Heyman and all her passing records at Half Hollow Hills. She leads a prolific offense and has thrown for more than 10,000 yards in her fabulous career.
They have junior wide receiver Zoe Franks, at 6-2, with great hands and virtually impossible to cover. They have freshman Ella Candel and her athleticism which accounted for 17 touchdowns from the running back position this year.
Everywhere you look there are offensive weapons.
But when you look closely this team is complete — in that the defense is just as outstanding as the offense. Junior end rusher Emma Gould is unstoppable.
These are the cornerstones of undefeated Half Hollow Hills.
They put the hammer to Sachem East in a 27-6 win to claim the school’s fourth consecutive Suffolk Class A title Wednesday at Sachem East High School in Farmingville.
Half Hollow Hills (17-0) will meet the Herricks Highlanders in the Long Island Class A championship game, Saturday at LIU at 10 a.m.
Gould never allowed the Sachem East offense to find its rhythm. The speedy end pressured quarterback Sofia Larrea all game. She finished with five sacks, and eight flag pulls to lead the defense.
“We followed our game plan to perfection,” Gould said. “We were getting pressure with Harlow Rivera coming hard off the other end. We’re like a great duo. Our defense has been this good all season.”
Heyman scored on a 3-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter and the RedColts led 6-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
“The defense doesn’t get enough credit,” Half Hollow Hills coach Mike Lupa said. “They’ve been great all season. And there was pressure with this senior class because we were expected to win. We needed to be challenged a few times, and we were by Longwood and Floyd and that helped in the title game.”
The RedColts capitalized on the first turnover of the game. Junior defensive back Drew Kesselman stepped in front of a dig route for an interception and 15-yard return to the Sachem East 39 late in the second quarter. Heyman capped a seven-playdrive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marisa Dominic. Gould caught the one-point conversion pass for the 13-0 halftime lead.
“I’m blessed with all these offensive weapons,” Heyman said. “We had a beautiful game plan, and everyone did their part. We were in a rebuild last year and won but this year we had the experience.”
Heyman found Franks for a 5-yard TD pass in the third quarter and connected with Gould for another extra point and a 20-0 lead. She added a 10-yard TD to Dominic and the one-point conversion pass to Candel for the final score.
“We have a great leader in Samantha,” Gould said. “Without her this is not possible.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
