Blue Waves will play L.I. Championship game without star halfback

It all comes down to one last game.

The Blue Waves, for the second consecutive season, return to the Class II Long Island Championship to try to beat a Nassau opponent for the first time since 2008. On Friday at Hofstra University, they take on undefeated H. Frank Carey High School of Franklin Square. Game time: 4:30 p.m.

But Riverhead (10-1) will have to do it without their star halfback.

Jeremiah Cheatom has been ruled ineligible for academic reasons; as of the new progress reports, he is failing three classes. The news has completely torn Cheatom to shreds but he says there is no one to blame but himself.

“It’s my fault,” he said. “I cried so much that I can’t even cry anymore.”

He knows that nothing can be done at this point. He vowed to make a turnaround in his choices because he has still much to accomplish but as far as the championship goes, he will just have to settle for being on the sidelines, giving his greatest support.

“I’ll be the loudest one out there,” Cheatom said.

Sophomore Ryun Moore will get the start.

The loss of Cheatom, who’s rushed for 1,655 yards and 17 touchdowns, ranking him sixth in the county, may seem like a devastating blow to the Waves, but head coach Leif Shay thinks otherwise.

“I gotta be honest with you,” Shay said. “We’re so used to losing guys the kids didn’t bat an eyelash.” Starting quarterback Cody Smith missed the semifinal and the last two games of the season due to an eye injury.

“We practiced with as much intensity as we’ve had all year,” Shay said. “It’s almost like the kids are used to it like ‘alright, he’s down this week. We’ll just keep on going.'”

Also ruled ineligible was outside linebacker Taheim McKay. RJ Foster will get the start in his place.

After studying four game films of Carey, coach Shay is impressed but not blown away.

“They are a very well-coached, disciplined team,” he said. “They have a lot of athletes that can handle the ball and make plays. They wait for you to make a mistake and then they capitalize on it.”

Carey isn’t pass heavy nor run heavy — they’re actually very balanced. So much so, that in those four games, the play calls were equal: they ran the ball exactly 50 percent of the time.

“They must self scout,” Shay said. “It’s evidence that they’re well coached.”

The Seahawks feature the spread formation. They often line up with three or four wide receivers and lead a more “finesse type of offense”.

Shay believes that the physicality of playing in their division will prove to be an advantage for the Waves.

“Being from the black-and-blue division, Division II, we will bring a more physical mentality to the game that they haven’t seen yet,” he predicted.

He thinks if the Blue Waves can dominate the time of possession, the game could be had.

Watch video highlights of last week’s Suffolk County championship game here. 

Link to LIVE BLOG and season recap.

Editor’s note: Come to Hofstra [900 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead] and support our Blue Waves. Game time is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. Admission is $7.

If you can’t make it up to Hempstead, follow all the action live on RiverheadLOCAL.com, where Mike Hejmej will be blogging the game live. We will also be posting quarterly updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Directions to Hofstra University from Riverhead High School:

Take the LIE/495 west to exit 42, Northern Parkway west (toward New York.)

Take Northern Parkway to exit 31A, Meadowbrook Parkway south (toward Jones Beach)

Take Meadowbrook Parkway south to exit M4, NY State Rt. 24 west (toward Hempstead)

Keep left at the fork and merge onto Hempstead Bethpage Turnpike

Continue onto Fulton Ave

Make a U-turn at Duncan Rd

Distance: 58 miles. Travel time: about 1 hour

View Driving directions to 900 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY in a larger map