Martini brothers propel Wantagh to Nassau Class C lacrosse championship
Wantagh teammates celebrate after their 11-10 overtime victory over South Side in the Nassau Class C boys lacrosse final at Shuart Stadium on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
Whenever the Martini brothers take the field together, never count their team out.
On Saturday at Hofstra in the Nassau Class C boys lacrosse championship game, second-seeded Wantagh pulled off the comeback to upset top-seeded South Side and win it 11-10. With 3:05 left in the first overtime period, freshman attackman Luke Martini scored his fourth goal of the game to walk it off and defend Wantagh’s county title from last year.
With possession near the cage, senior midfielder Dylan Martini drew a double-team and dumped it off at the X to his little brother. The younger Martini then circled the cage around the doorstep before emerging in front on the net to the left. While on the run, Luke Martini whipped the ball top shelf to win it.
“There was no thought in my mind but, ‘Score the ball,’” Luke Martini said. “I just went blank. I had a shot, and I capitalized on it. Dylan did all the work — he drew the double, I beat my man by one step, I had my hands free so I let it go.”
Dylan Martini, who finished with three goals and two assists, was proud of his younger brother.
“I’m reliving it in my head now, and it’s just crazy,” Dylan Martini said. “I think he’s the greatest freshman in the country. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. He works tirelessly. There’s no work ethic like his.”
Wantagh (14-4) never led at any point in the game after falling behind 4-1 early and 10-6 with 4:49 left in the third quarter.
However, Wantagh’s defense never broke over the final 18:44 as it shut out South Side over that time, including a scoreless fourth quarter. They did so with eighth-grader Jack Devlin in goal, as he came off the bench and saved the only two shots on goal Wantagh surrendered during that span. He finished with three saves.
During the scoreless stretch, Luke Martini sparked the game-winning 5-0 run with a goal off an assist from junior attackman Sean Stachlik. Just under three minutes into the fourth quarter, Dylan Martini completed his hat trick, followed by a goal by Stachlik a minute and a half later to make it 10-9.
With 6:43 left in the fourth quarter, junior attackman Devin Paccione shook a defender loose and scored from the left of the arc to tie the game. Paccione finished with a goal and three assists.
With just 2:12 remaining, Devlin saved a shot to ultimately send it to overtime.
“We knew we were still in this the whole game,” Luke Martini said. “We never held our heads down. Great group of kids, great energy on the bench, and we just held our heads.”
Sophomore faceoff specialist Alec Notaro went 21-for-23 on faceoffs, controlled 16 draws cleanly and assisted on two goals for South Side (14-5). Sophomore attackman Luke Mullen and senior midfielder Cullen Lynch each totaled three goals and an assist.
Wantagh will return to Hofstra for the Long Island Class C championship on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. against Kings Park.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
