Aponte, Santo lead W. Islip past Commack
West Islip's Nick Aponte made two interceptions and scored three touchdowns against Commack in the Suffolk high school Division I football game. West Islip won 46-20. (Oct. 22, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Nick Aponte constantly wants to be on the field so nothing goes wrong for West Islip. Saturday everything went right, thanks to him and quarterback Anthony Santo.
First, Aponte. The junior wide receiver/defensive back did it all in the Lions' 46-20 win over visiting Commack in Suffolk I. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns, caught a 49-yard TD pass from Santo and recovered an onside kick after Commack closed to within 32-20 with 4:17 to play.
"I never want to say I wasn't on the field if something wrong happens," said Aponte, who caught four passes for 85 yards and ran for 20 yards on five carries. "I want to be put in all those spots."
Santo helped put the West Islip receivers in the right spots with his precision passes. He was 10 of 14 for 216 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for a 4-yard score, as West Islip moved to 6-1. Commack is 2-5.
"It's a dual threat," said Santo about a Lions' offense averaging 35 points per game. "We can run and our receivers get open."
Ryan Wieczorek shook free in the Commack secondary twice in the second half for touchdown catches of 33 and 30 yards. They were Santo's 13th and 14th TD passes of the season.
The second came on a fourth-and-5 on the drive after Aponte's onside kick recovery, and made it 39-20 with 2:28 left. Four plays into the next drive, Aponte returned Ryan Heizman's interception 59 yards for a score. "That one put them down," Aponte said.
Commack was fiesty in the first half, taking leads in the first and second quarters. Paul Maline opened the scoring with a 46-yard pass from Heizman, and that connection flourished all game, as Maline finished with nine catches for 177 yards. The extra point was blocked by Pat Ryan, who had quite a day.
The senior linebacker, who also recorded a sack, became West Islip's career tackles leader with 229. "Our D-line is phenomenal. They do a great job keeping everyone off me," Ryan said.
After two Aponte touchdowns -- the 49-yard catch and 45-yard INT return -- made it 12-6 West Islip with 8:09 left in the second quarter, Commack had an eight-play, 76-yard drive to retake the lead. Heizman, who finished with 220 yards on 14 of 23 passing, scored from three yards out, but the big play was his 48-yard completion to Maline.
The Lions went into halftime with a 15-13 lead thanks to Tom Woodburn's 41-yard field goal. After missing his first extra point, Woodburn made his next four point-after attempts and also hit a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it 25-13. "I go out there with the mentality of a closer in baseball," Woodburn said, "I know I'm only going to get one or two shots to make a kick."
With a game against Northport (3-4) next week, the Lions, a preseason No. 10 seed, have positioned themselves nicely for a first-round home playoff game. Clearly, not much has gone wrong this season with Aponte and Santo on the field.
