Wantagh defeats Carey in hard-hitting Conference III semifinal
Luke Martini of Wantagh makes a cut to avoid being tackled by Michael Lombardi of Carey in a Nassau Conference III semifinal playoff game on Sunday at Hofstra. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
It was only fitting that the ball would land in Luke Martini’s hands on the final meaningful play of the game.
Martini, who dropped in coverage from his linebacker position, intercepted Carey's last pass of the season to end the Seahawks’ comeback attempt. He returned the interception 15 yards before alertly sliding down at the Carey 20-yard line with 1:29 left to effectively end any chance of a Seahawks comeback.
Wantagh's Joe Nicholson ran 10 yards for the first down and quarterback Carter Loughman knelt on consecutive plays as No. 4 Wantagh sealed a hard-hitting 21-14 victory over top-seeded Carey in a Nassau Conference III semifinal playoff game Sunday afternoon at Hofstra University.
It was a battle of defending Long Island champions and lived up to the billing. Wantagh (7-3), the defending Class IV champion, took out Carey (7-3), the reigning Class II champion, with an air-tight defensive performance in the second half.
Wantagh will meet Bethpage at Hofstra on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
In a game that featured the brutish running game of a powerful Carey offense, the Wantagh defense stood tall and forced two second-half turnovers.
Devin Paccione forced a Carey fumble that was recovered by Vincenzo Fullone at the Wantagh 23 late in the third quarter. Wantagh then drove 77 yards in eight plays, capped by Martini’s 5-yard touchdown run with 9:18 left in the game. Brendon Wood added the kick for a 21-14 lead.
The key play came on a gadget play in which Wantagh utilized a double pass. Loughman fired a lateral to Martini at the sideline, and he unloaded a deep throw to Nicholson for 61 yards.
Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said he needed to go deep into the playbook after his offense was stoned most of the first half. “I emptied the playbook, had no choice,” he said. “We needed a jolt. We needed to show up physically, and that happened.”
He added: “They took it to us in the first half. And I thought we made a huge statement on the first drive of the second half to tie it up. We took their best shots and we were still standing. Our second-half effort was big.”
Trailing 14-7, Wantagh opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. Paccione caught a 19-yard pass from Loughman and Martini had a 23-yard run to set up an 8-yard TD run by Nicholson to tie the score at 14 with 6:39 left.
“Carey plays great football,” Martini said. “They were bringing it physically all game. We matched that intensity and made the key plays at the end. I’m proud of our guys.”
Wantagh withstood a Carey offense that relentlessly pounded the ball down the field. Halfback Justin DePietro rushed 21 times for 136 yards. James McGrath ran for 86 yards on 17 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“They’re as tough an opponent as we’ll see,” Nicholson said. “To beat Carey, you have to earn it.”
Wantagh-7-0-7-7-21-Carey-7-7-0-0-14
C – McGrath 4 run (Lombardi kick)
W – Loughman 1 run (Wood kick)
C – McGrath 7 run (Lombardi kick)
W – Nicholson 8 run (Wood kick)
W – Martini 5 run (Wood kick)
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
