Hauppauge defenders Charlotte Derby, Juliana Krause lead Eagles into Class B flag football final
Hauppauge’s Charlotte Derby powers through the defense on a carry during the Eagles’ 32-0 win over Eastport-South Manor in the Suffolk Class B semifinals at Hauppauge on Friday. Credit: Jonathan Singh
They’re called the jackrabbits. And for good reason.
Sophomores Charlotte Derby and Juliana Krause are two of the fastest players in Suffolk flag football. They are the bookends of the Hauppauge defensive line and impossible to stop.
The two totaled 11 flag pulls and five sacks to help host Hauppauge shut down Eastport-South Manor, 32-0, on Friday in a Suffolk Class B semifinal. They flushed talented ESM quarterback Alexandra DaEira-Loccisano from the pocket all game, giving her little to no time to throw.
Hauppauge (16-1) will play Sayville (17-0), the defending Class B champion, for the title on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Longwood High School.
“The defensive ends were extremely fast and were all over us,” first-year Eastport-South Manor coach Guy Buckley said. “We could not get into our offensive rhythm. They were aggressive and did not miss flags.”
ESM ended its season at 13-3.
The Eagles’ defense, led by Derby, Krause and sophomore linebacker Laila Tamayo, allowed one first-half first down and the Hauppauge offense scored on four of its five drives.
“The quarterback likes to look down the field for long passes and we couldn’t let her do it,” Derby said. “The game plan was to limit her time and force her to throw early.”
Krause added: “It’s a team effort on defense. We put the pressure on the quarterback while the secondary has great coverage. If I don’t get the flag right away, then Charlotte does. We play well together.”
But Hauppauge doesn’t win without its leader, Taylor Mileti. The junior quarterback passed for three touchdowns and ran for two.
“Taylor is playing at another level right now,” said Hauppauge coach Steve Mileti, Taylor’s father. “She’s making the right decisions and seeing the field well. Her reads and leadership are just great.”
Mileti followed a 14-yard scramble with a 1-yard touchdown run to open the scoring with 13:35 left in the first half. The extra-point conversion pass was completed to Brooke Tarasenko for the 7-0 lead.
With Hauppauge facing a fourth-and-6 on its next possession, Mileti threaded a pass to Lindsay Adams for a 20-yard gain to the ESM 4-yard line. Two plays later, Mileti hit Adams with a 4-yard scoring strike. She threw another conversion pass to Tarasenko to make it 14-0 with 5:25 left in the half.
“Taylor Mileti is something else,” Buckley said. “She is such a special player.”
Mileti added a 3-yard TD run and a 9-yard TD pass to Meghan Goutink in the final 2:05 to give Hauppauge a 26-0 lead at the half.
Gabriella DeNicola caught a 1-yard TD pass from Mileti in the second half for the final margin.
“Our receivers worked to get wide open,” Mileti said, “and I was getting time to throw and make things happen
Buckley said it was a successful season for Eastport-South Manor (13-3), given the fact that he had only one season to work with this group.
“We had all the talent but not enough together,” he said. “Funny thing, we had Hauppauge in the wind and rain the first game, and they beat us pretty good. We wished we’d played them in the sunshine. We got the weather we wished for today and it didn’t work out in our favor.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
