Thursday, October 1, 2026
History was made Saturday night.
A record that stood for 22 years was broken by Bayport-Blue Point junior kicker Tom Steyert, who made a 47-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Phantoms a stunning 20-19 victory over Seaford in the Long Island Class IV football championship game at Stony Brook University.
Steyert’s record-breaking kick is the longest field goal by any player in Long Island championship history since West Islip’s Scott Coppo, who burried a 43-yarder in 1993.
“I was kind of expecting it with a few seconds left,” Steyert said. “It’s nothing that I haven’t seen before in practice, so I just went out there and did exactly what I do for a PAT.”
Without two missed extra points from Seaford’s side, one of which was blocked, Steyert wouldn’t have been in that position. It was the special teams of the Phantoms that clinched the victory. The game-winning drive was kept alive on a fourth-and-7 scramble by quarterback Colin Clark with just over a minute left.
“We try to coach all the little details, special teams is obviously very important,” Bayport-Blue Point head coach Michael Zafonte said. “We spend time kicking PATs and field goals every day. We spend time doing blocks almost every day. We won’t take any of that for granted and [we] showed it off today a little bit, which was nice when it actually translates.”
The Vikings, who upset Plainedge in the Nassau Conference IV title game, finished 10-2.
“Congratulations to them, that was an awesome game,” Seaford head coach Mike McHugh said. “That was an awesome kick. He is the MVP of this game.”
On the final drive for the Phantoms, Clark marched his team down the field. He rushed for 22 yards on four attempts and three passes to get his team into field goal range. Clark rushed for 99 yards and threw for 118 yards on 10-of-19 passing.
“He played great,” Zafonte said. “We relied on him a lot. You always have to throw the ball in this game; A couple of sluggers, the one touchdown to [Colin] Most, to get us the first score. Colin played out of his butt the entire year. I’m so proud of him and so happy for him, and how he’s led this team.”
For the Vikings, senior running back and linebacker Brian Falk put them in position to win. On the ground, Falk gashed Bayport-Blue Point’s defense for 190 yards (135 in the second half) and one touchdown. On defense, Falk recorded six tackles, one tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and one pass breakup.
“Let’s be honest, seven is a great player,” Zafonte said about Falk. “He is a stud, and let’s also be honest, they are tough. Their lineman are tough; they get off the ball fast. They’re quick. I knew that was gonna be a challenge, and it was.”
It was tied 7-7 at halftime. Seaford’s first-half touchdown was a 16-yard pass from senior quarterback Michael Spinella to senior Brian Hennessy.
After Steyert gave BBP a 10-7 lead with a third-quarter field goal, the teams traded multiple scores in the fourth, which featured four lead changes.
Falk broke his longest run of the day for a 42-yard gain to set up the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Junior running back Michael Calvacca punched it in from 13 yards out, as the Vikings led 19-17 with 2:40 to go.
In the end, Steyert and his teammates hoisted the L.I. Class IV championship trophy.
“He’s a weapon,” Zafonte said. “We practice that with three seconds left, kicking the game-winning field goal. They don’t always go in in practice, but that one did.”
