Riverhead vs Centereach

HIGHLIGHTS

Alec Kiernan had one thought before Saturday’s Suffolk II football game against Riverhead. He remembered his 26-year-old brother, Daniel, who passed away Sunday, Alec said. “Danny. Everything was about Danny,” said Kiernan, who missed practice on Thursday and Friday because of Danny’s wake and funeral. “I know he was there watching.” The Centereach senior running back/linebacker put on an amazing performance. Kiernan rushed for 213 yards on 26 carries with four touchdowns and added seven tackles, including three sacks, as the Cougars defeated visiting Riverhead, 43-8. Devin Demetres returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown, and Kiernan added touchdown scores of 10 and 11 yards as Centereach (2-0) led 21-8 after one quarter. Vinny Liotta (56 yards rushing) added a 21-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run by Matt Robbert made it 29-8 before halftime. Kiernan had second-half scoring runs of 3 (third quarter) and 5 yards (fourth quarter) to close the scoring. Andrew Colletti had four tackles and a sack, and Liam Quinn added three tackles and two sacks as the Cougars’ offense limited Riverhead (1-1) to 133 yards of total offense, including 25 in the second half. “Alec played like an animal today,” Centereach coach Adam Barrett said. “He’s our captain. He’s not a screamer or a yeller. He leads by example; he’s our glue. This week was very tough, but we rallied around him.” Kiernan enjoyed making his family members -- including some from as far as Hawaii and Colorado -- feel good for a few hours Saturday after a difficult week. “It was tough,” Kiernan said. “But to be able to handle a tough situation, and make my family smile after this felt real good.”