When Velys came into the game as the Riverhead Blue Waves' quarterback with 10 minutes 22 seconds left in the second quarter, his team was leading the rival East Islip Redmen, 7-6, on Saturday in a key Suffolk County Division II season-opening matchup. Steve Kimmelman had started the game in place of Velys, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, and promptly led the Blue Waves on a 66-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown run by Miguel Maysonet.

But Velys, with his feathery passing touch, came in to energize and add balance to the Riverhead attack.

News-Review photo by Barbaraellen Koch Riverhead running back Miguel Maysonet drew a lot of attention from East Islip defenders when he carried the ball. He gained 220 yards on 26 carries in Riverhead's season-opening victory.

"My adrenaline was pumping," Velys said. "When I ran onto the field, I wasn't even thinking about my shoulder."

With the talented Maysonet (220 yards on 26 carries) picking up huge chunks of yardage on the ground, top-seeded Riverhead cruised to a 33-13 victory over the defending Long Island champions.

"Kimmelman played well," Blue Waves Coach Leif Shay said. "For all he did during camp, he deserved to start. We would have won had he stayed in the game, but we brought Tim in to give us a jump-start."

News-Review photo by Barbaraellen Koch Miguel Maysonet of Riverhead reached for the end zone, but was knocked out of bounds before he could score.

East Islip took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to score on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mike Rooney to Sean Moller.

Kimmelman, running a no-huddle offense, handed the ball off to Maysonet seven straight times, as Maysonet bulled and sliced his way up the middle and off tackle all the way down to the goal line. Maysonet capped the drive with a spinning, twisting second-effort run to tie the score at 6-6. Velys booted the extra point, giving Riverhead a 7-6 lead with 5:46 left in the first quarter.

East Islip quickly struck right back as Rooney (8 of 11 passing for 129 yards) hit Joe Barclay with a 31-yard scoring pass down the left sideline, giving the Redmen a 13-7 lead with 6:05 remaining in the half.

Maysonet returned the following kickoff 30 yards, and a personal-foul penalty put Riverhead on the East Islip 42-yard line. Maysonet carried the ball three more times, all the way down to the 11. Velys, rolling left, threw across his body to Andrew Smith in the left corner of the end zone. Velys' extra point gave the Blue Waves a 14-13 lead with 2:52 left in the second quarter.

Velys (7 of 11 passing for 71 yards and two touchdowns) connected with Rasheen Moore deep down the right sideline in the final minute, but the play was ruled out of bounds. With each pass, though, Velys' confidence was growing.

The Blue Waves made some defensive adjustments that stifled the East Islip passing game in the second half. "On their two touchdowns, there was an unbalanced line and we were covering the tight end," Shay said. "We made some adjustments. We've got some young guys back there in the secondary. But we tightened up and shut them down."

Early in the third quarter, however, the Riverhead offense was stuck in reverse. On second down and 30 from Riverhead's 8, Velys lofted a beauty of a pass to William Lehmann for a first down. The drive eventually stalled, but the Blue Waves began to establish better field position.

On Riverhead's next possession, Velys converted a fourth-and-nine play by hitting Smith for another first down. Maysonet then sliced four yards off right tackle and into the end zone. Velys' point after put Riverhead on top, 21-13, with 4:54 left in the third quarter.

"Miguel -- what can I say?" Shay said. "If you have not come out to see him yet, you better. You are going to see him on Channel 4 one day."

Midway through the fourth quarter, Velys put the final nail in the Redmen's coffin, as his 15-yard pass to Lehmann set up Greg Meyer's three-yard touchdown run.

Maysonet then intercepted Rooney's pass in the left flat and returned the ball deep in East Islip territory. Velys went for the jugular and, off a nifty play fake, hit a wide open Moore in the left corner of the end zone with a 23-yard pass. It prompted a huge roar from Riverhead's fans. Velys and Smith hugged each other on the sidelines.

"Every win is big for us," Shay said afterward, beaming as he held his two sons. "This is new for us to be the number one seed. Every team is gunning for us, so we have to adjust to that and be ready."

Velys agreed. "We have to be more focused," Velys said. "Everyone is gunning for us. But this is a great way to start the season."

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