Football: Riverhead, SWR face tough first round opponents

The Riverhead Blue Waves knew a consequence of losing Saturday to Newfield would be playing the Wolverines again the very next week.

That’s exactly how the playoff seedings shook out after the Blue Waves’ 37-0 loss, which dropped them down to the No. 4 seed in Division II with a 6-2 record. Newfield, meanwhile, is the No. 5 seed and will travel back to Riverhead this Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. game. The Wolverines finished the regular season 5-3.

The Blue Waves had an outside chance at earning the No. 1 seed going into the weekend. But after West Babylon won, that eliminated any chance of the top seed.

It’s not the matchup the Blue Waves would have preferred in the first round. Newfield’s size and running game outperformed the Blue Waves’ speed and passing attack last weekend.

Of course, strange things have happened before in high school football when teams meet a second time. In 2006, for example, Mount Sinai in Division IV got blown out against Babylon in Week 8, only to come back and beat the Panthers in the county championship.

Shoreham-Wading River will get to know Babylon well Friday night. The Wildcats finished 6-2 in Division IV and earned the No. 5 seed, sending them on the road to Babylon at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Wildcats head into the playoffs off a rough game at Mount Sinai. The Wildcats fell 34-7 on the road.

Shoreham and Babylon did not play each other in the regular season. A perennial powerhouse in Division IV, Babylon also finished with a 6-2 record, losing games to Amityville and John Glenn.

Babylon, however, did beat Mount Sinai in Week 7, 16-14.

In the next round teams are reseeded.