Southampton - The Southampton football team may just have found itself a quarterback, not just for its all-or-nothing season finale but for the future.

Sophomore Teague Florio, a call-up from the Mariners' junior varsity squad this season, made his first career start and promptly tossed four touchdown passes, including three in a lopsided first half, to lift Southampton to a 50-13 victory over Mercy. The point total represented the Mariners' most in a single game since it racked up 59 and 55 points in back-to-back games in October 2004. It also increased its 2009 tally by 65 percent, running it from 76 to 126 points.

Altogether, Florio, who debuted last week against Amityville and broke up the shutout with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass, burned Mercy for 163 yards through the air and he added 30 more on the ground.

"We've always known him to be a tremendous athlete, but what I was most impressed with was how he has a real calm sense back there," Head Coach Darren Phillips said of Florio. "He's elusive and able to make plays. He feels the pressure and is smart with his decision-making in knowing when to throw it away. He's still on a learning curve, but Teague's real smart, understands what we're trying to do and what the defense is doing."

Southampton started with its highest-scoring quarter of the season when it posted 20 in the first. Florio hit Andrew Phillips for a 30-yard score to get things started, and then Phillips did the job himself, picking off a pass at the Mercy 10 and returning it to the end zone for a 12-0 lead. After the Mariner defense made a stop, Florio went back to work, finding Isaiah Thomas for a 25-yard touchdown to build a 20-0 advantage through one quarter, and then hitting Phillips again, this time from 40 yards out.

Head Coach Darren Phillips and the Mariners are bidding to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The Mariners took a 28-7 lead into the second half and didn't let up. Thomas' 40-yard interception return marked the second defensive score of the afternoon. In the fourth, Florio and Phillips hooked up for a third time on a 22-yard connection, and Patrick Tuths found the end zone himself with a 9-yard TD run.

The rushing attack was led by Tuths (67 yards) and Onajja Browning (63). The defense did its part by picking off four passes.

Southampton needs a victory on Saturday (1:30 p.m.) against undefeated John Glenn to climb into the Division IV playoff bracket. Due to Mercy's lackluster record, the Mariners held steady in the power points column and thus remain in 11th place (94.01 power points). They're a shade behind 10th place Shoreham-Wading River (94.29) and ninth-place Port Jefferson (97.35). Bayport-Blue Point is ranked eighth with 100 points flat. Key games this weekend include BBP hosting Center Moriches, Port Jefferson at Babylon, Greenport at home against Amityville and SWR at Hampton Bays.

"We know we have to win to get in," Phillips said. "John Glenn is obviously a good football team – they're not undefeated by luck. It's a challenge, but it's Senior Day, our last home, and I've always thought that we'd be good if we had everybody healthy. We have some pretty talented kids. Depth has always been an issue, but if we can make a few big plays and not give up any long touchdowns or give them a short field, anything can happen."

As the year has gone on and the opponents have become more formidable, Hampton Bays had met each challenge and emerged victorious – until this week when the Baymen's two-touchdown lead dissolved and ultimately turned into a last-second 22-21 victory for host Center Moriches.

The Red Devils made their charge shortly after intermission, first recording a safety to initially slice into the 14-point halftime deficit. It shrunk even further when Joe Ratti threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Myles Bell. Center Moriches punctuated the comeback with a 2-yard TD run by Dillon Simpson with 1:13 left in the game.

Hampton Bays had opened up a 21-7 halftime lead behind a trio of big plays in the first two periods. John Havens found the end zone first, dashing in for a 20-yard score. In the second, the Baymen were up double-digits when Timmy Wheeler's 69-yard touchdown pass from Robbie King put them ahead 14-0. The Red Devils got on the board with their own score, but Hampton Bays matched it with a 53-yard scoring strike from King to Aaron Besch.

The Baymen's loss left just four undefeated teams in Suffolk County – John Glenn (Division IV), Half Hollow Hills West (III), North Babylon (II) and Sachem North (I). Hampton Bays dropped from third to fourth in the division standings with 121.16 power points, just behind third-place Amityville (123.1). They host Shoreham-Wading River on Saturday (1:30 p.m.) in the regular season finale. A playoff berth is all but a formality; the question remains whether Hampton Bays can secure one of the top four spots and thus guarantee a home game in the first round.

Cory Hubbard (12) and Cory Schulz (2) try their best to stop the ball carrier shy of the end zone.

Two Tough Defeats In Division III
The good news was Westhampton had made a key goal-line stand; the bad news was that the Hurricanes had just over five minutes remaining to surge 99½ yards to the end zone, or just short of that for a field goal. Both would have done the trick, but the Hurricanes' drive stalled near midfield as Comsewogue handed them a 7-6 defeat at Hansen Field on Friday.

Absorbing a loss might keep the 'Canes out of the Division III playoffs for the first time since 2006. Wins by the Warriors, Eastport-South Manor and Islip – who were ranked sixth through eighth entering the weekend – created a wider gap for Westhampton to cross, and 11th place Deer Park crept closer by beating Miller Place. The Hurricanes are nearly 13 full points behind eighth place Kings Park. Key games next week: Westhampton hosts ESM, Islip visits Comsewogue and Deer Park challenges Kings Park.

"Probably not," Head Coach Bill Parry said when asked whether he believed Westhampton's playoff chances were alive. "I think a lot of things have to happen for us to make it in. I think they just secured themselves a spot, but I think we need a lot to happen."

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors looked to go up by the maximum amount for one possession – eight points – when it had a first-and-goal inside the Westhampton 5-yard line. Two short runs and a failed pass attempt set up a 4th down situation at the 'Cane 1. The defense dug in its heels and made the stop, turning the ball over for one last possession.

Westhampton went on the march, using a no-huddle strategy that had disrupted the Warrior defense throughout the game.

Hurricanes running back Vance Schindler busts it to the outside and picks up solid yardage.

On 3rd-and-12 at Westhampton 36, Schulz fired a dart to Cory Hubbard on the left hash for an 11-yard gain. That left the Hurricanes a yard short. Schulz took the snap, pushed forward on the line's right side but was stopped momentarily. He reached for the first down but the ball was poked away. Antonio Garcia scooped up the ball behind the line of scrimmage but was hauled down for a 7-yard loss.

The Hurricanes' lone score came just before halftime as Hubbard caught a quick out from Hubbard, shook the cornerback and made a beeline for the left pylon. It went for a 17-yard touchdown; however, a bad snap in the windy conditions kept the score at 7-6. Westhampton's best chance to take the lead came in the third quarter when it began both of its drives in Comsewogue territory. However, they couldn't string together enough positive plays to find the end zone or set up an Anthony DiNitto field goal attempt.

"We got some breaks and made some plays on offense, but we really couldn't run the ball consistently," Parry said. "They handled us up front. We kept them down on their end of the field the whole third quarter and we didn't produce."

The Bonackers of East Hampton also suffered a loss by the slightest of margins, theirs coming by the score of 22-21 at Rocky Point, and in most wild fashion.

Rocky Point had converted a 4th-and-14 to keep the drive alive when Ryan Peacock found Justin Oliver for a 40-yard gain down to the East Hampton 3. Peter Vivonetto converted from there with 55 seconds remaining to bring the Falcons within a point. Instead of going for the extra point – Eddie Torriero had converted on the back end of both prior touchdowns – Rocky Point went for the win. Kodi Lubkeman reeled in a 2-yard pass from Peacock for the two-pointer and the lead.

East Hampton's effort to charge downfield with under a minute to play was halted when Oliver intercepted an Austin Heneveld pass with four ticks remaining.

Rocky Point went up 14-7 on Oliver's 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but Bonac answered with 14 straight points to take a seven-point lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Tyler Buckley squirted through the Falcon defensive line on his way to the end zone, his 26-yard score giving him the hat trick for the evening. Buckley, who returned last week after missing four games with a broken rib, also registered touchdowns of 5 and 7 yards, each of which had tied the game for East Hampton. Heneveld led the rushing attack with 126 yards.

As the win was just the Falcons' second, East Hampton was knocked from second to fourth (114.49 power points) in the Division III standings. The Bonackers will likely need a victory Saturday against Hauppauge to earn a first-round home game in the D-III playoffs. Sayville, which entered the weekend ranked third, ascended to the No. 2 spot by toppling No. 3 Hauppauge (4-3), which managed to maintain its rank despite the loss. Eastport-South Manor, which like East Hampton is 5-2, beat Harborfields for its third straight win and climbed to seventh (111.63), just behind fifth-place Comsewogue (113.05) and sixth-place Islip (112.85). Out in front is unbeaten Half Hollow Hills West; with or a without a win on Saturday at Harborfields, the 7-0 Colts have almost assured themselves of the top overall seed.