Once considered Suffolk’s biggest rivalry, East Islip and West Islip football faced off again for the first time in nine years during the season-opener game. The two teams competed for the coveted Islip Cup at East Islip High School on Friday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.

The hiatus began nine years ago when East Islip moved into Suffolk’s Division III, and after winning the Long Island Championship last year, East Islip was named the Long Island Class III champion. This fall, the team returned to Suffolk County Division II, and the rivalry between the two Division II schools was back in full force.

While West Islip began on offense, East Islip’s stellar defense set the tone from the very start of the game. East Islip’s defensive end Niko Meyers (No. 22), linebacker Ryan Parker (No. 24), defensive lineman Wattson Pierre-Louis (No. 60) and linebacker Will Gonzalez (No. 26) all had impressive performances throughout the game, refusing to give their opponents yardage.

With 5:18 left in the first quarter, East Islip already boasted a lead of 21-0, having scored on three of its first four plays.

Quarterback Thomas Costarelli’s (No. 5) pass to Jack Kalinowski (No. 3) was the first touchdown of the game, complete with a field goal by kicker Anthony Mariani (No. 8). In fact, all kicks by Mariani were successful, as he made all four extra-point attempts. With two more touchdowns, both made by Ryan Parker—and two more successful field goals—East Islip’s lead quickly climbed to 21-0.

East Islip’s imposing performance continued into the second quarter with an immediate touchdown run by Costarelli and another touchdown by Jake Simmons (27). With both field goals executed by Mariani and another field goal completed with six seconds left in the first half, East Islip finished the first half with a whopping 38-0 lead.

During the second half, West Islip recovered an East Islip fumble. While West Islip hoped the recovery would prompt a change in momentum, East Islip defense held strong. Still, West Islip’s effort did not go unrecognized, with great hustle from quarterback TJ Sonnenberg (No. 3), Matt Montesanto (No. 5), and Jake Kramer (No. 28).

Sonnenberg scored a running touchdown toward the end of the fourth quarter, and with a successful West Islip field goal, the final score of the game was 38 to 7.

The Islip Cup trophy, which has inscribed game scores dating back to 1957, will remain with the Redmen. And given the historic rivalry, the win just means more.

“Obviously, the rivalry has always been important to both towns, so we were uptight and nervous. If we went 1-and-7, but we beat West Islip, I would be okay,” said East Islip’s head coach Sal J. Ciampi after the win. “So that is an added bit of stress, but I was really happy with how the kids responded, came at them, and jumped on them right away.”

All eyes will certainly be on East Islip as the season continues.