Hauppauge football's Liam O'Connor runs for 271 yards, 2 TDs in low-scoring win over Smithtown West
Liam O'Connor of Hauppauge eyes a hole in the defense on his way to a first down during the second quarter of a Suffolk League III football matchup against host Smithtown West on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
The Hauppauge football team owned a big zero on the scoreboard and trailed by a touchdown at the intermission Wednesday night at Smithtown West. And so coach Chris Diesso delivered a message to his standout senior running back, Liam O’Connor.
“Great players come up in big situations,” Diesso told him.
And this great player came up big. O’Connor rushed 21 times for 271 yards, including 230 and two touchdowns in the second half, helping the Eagles take a season-opening, 13-9 Suffolk III win.
“In my eyes, we have the best player in the county,” Diesso said. “So whenever you can go in knowing you have the best player in Suffolk County, that’s a huge advantage. … He’s not never answered the call.”
This was an important victory for Hauppauge, the preseason No. 4 seed.
“Our schedule is a gauntlet,” Diesso said. “Next week, we play East Islip, which is the one seed. So this particular game was a must-win situation on opening day.”
His team trailed 9-7 when it got the ball back at its own 25 with 7:43 left.
O’Connor ran 10 yards up the middle. Then he bounced out to the right for 41 yards. And then he turned the right corner for the winning 24-yard touchdown with 6:56 remaining.
“I knew we can’t settle for this,” O’Connor said of his thoughts at the start of the drive. “There was still time on the clock. … When we had that space, that time, we were able to control the ball and make those good cuts. Took it to the house.”
This was his second-best varsity game on the ground. O’Connor set the program single-season rushing record last season with 1,145 yards.
“I definitely want to destroy that record,” he said.
O’Connor raced 75 yards on the second play of the second half for a score. Hauppauge had it tied at 7-7.
But Luke Brown boomed a 76-yard punt for the Bulls that rolled and was downed at the 1. Smithtown West soon went up 9-7 on a safety when Xavier Chavez ran the ball and was tackled in the end zone.
The young Bulls couldn’t hold on, though.
“We’ve just got to get better each week,” coach Craig Perrino said.
Brown caught a 19-yard TD pass from Blake Stockwell late in the first half. Brown also made an interception in the end zone.
“Luke is a great football player,” Perrino said, “and he’s just a better human being.”
