Miller Place Makes an Early Statement

The Suffolk County high school football season got underway this past weekend, and it didn’t take long for some teams to make an early statement.

One of those teams was Miller Place.

The Panthers came out firing in their season opener Saturday night, putting together an impressive performance from start to finish in a dominant 47-7 victory over Harborfields.

And considering what Miller Place lost from last year’s team, the performance was even more impressive.

The Panthers are replacing Shane Kiernan, one of the best football players on Long Island and a player who was a major part of the team’s offense. With Kiernan no longer leading the way, there were plenty of questions heading into the season about how Miller Place would replace his production and find a way to keep its offense moving.

If Saturday night was any indication, the Panthers may have some answers.

Miller Place wasted little time showing that it was ready to move forward. The Panthers played with energy and confidence from the opening whistle, controlling the game on both sides of the football and putting together 47 points in a performance that had to make everyone around the program feel good about what could be ahead.

The defense also played a major role, limiting Harborfields to just seven points and never allowing the Tornadoes to establish much of an offensive rhythm.

Opening night always comes with questions. Teams are developing chemistry, younger players are stepping into bigger roles and coaches are figuring out exactly what they have.

For Miller Place, one of the biggest questions was how it would replace a player like Kiernan.

The Panthers didn’t simply answer that question Saturday night. They made an early statement.

One game certainly doesn’t define a season, and there is plenty of football still to be played. But putting 47 points on the board in the opener provides Miller Place with exactly what it needed — confidence, momentum and a great start to the post-Kiernan era.

Now the Panthers will look to build on it.