Wantagh football's Ray Azzariti, Luke Martini and Luke Rubbo collect INTs in win over Bethpage
Wantagh wide receiver Luke Rubbo makes a touchdown catch against Bethpage's Luca Antongiova during a Nassau Conference III football game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Credit: Howard Simmons
Wantagh has won a lot of football games in many different ways over the years, but never has it found a more fool-proof method than it did on Saturday.
Wantagh’s pass defense did not allow a single completion against visiting Bethpage, carrying it to a 28-7 victory in Nassau Conference III. The win keeps Wantagh (6-0) as the only remaining undefeated team in the conference.
Bethpage — which has run a very effective wishbone offense this year — only dropped back to pass seven times, and was 0-for-7. Even with the limited opportunities, Ray Azzariti, Luke Martini and Luke Rubbo each caught an interception. Wantagh scored a pair of touchdowns off the takeaways.
“Everyone stuck to their jobs, and we were the more physical team,” Wantagh linebacker Pat Forthofer said. “When everyone thinks of Bethpage, you think of the wishbone, and of them being the bigger, tougher kids . . . but we couldn’t let up and had to be the stronger team.”
Bethpage (4-2) has won its games this year by establishing the run and controlling the clock behind a strong offensive line, as well as effective lead-blocking tight ends and fullbacks. Following that identity has allowed the Eagles to wear their opponents down and rip off chunk plays on the ground, which has made them contenders in Nassau III. Knowing that, Wantagh sold out to stop the run, forcing its opponents to put the ball in harm’s way.
That plan worked.
Bethpage rushed for only 31 yards through its first nine attempts. So, while facing a second-and-12 with 2:09 left in the first quarter, the team tried to air the ball out. Azzariti jumped a pass down the left sideline and picked it off at midfield, returning it 18 yards to the Eagles’ 32-yard line. From there, Rubbo — a receiver — threw a 24-yard pass to Martini on a double-pass. Three plays later, Martini drove up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to give Wantagh a 7-0 lead with 11:10 remaining in the second quarter.
With 47 seconds left in the first half, Wantagh doubled the cushion to 14-0 when Rubbo highpointed a pass from Max Avena at the goal line for a 16-yard touchdown.
Wantagh held Bethpage to 47 yards on 17 carries in the first half. The Eagles finished with 159 yards on the ground, but it took them 47 attempts. They did not rip off a run longer than 11 yards.
“Stopping the run and getting first-down stops was the key for us, and putting them in situations they didn’t want to be in,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. “It was really good team defense, with everyone in the right spots and going in the same direction.”
Wantagh spent the rest of the game draining the clock. It opened the second half with a 12-play, 74-yard drive, capped by another 2-yard rushing touchdown by Martini to make it 21-0 with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
Martini finished with 134 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. He added two catches for 32 yards.
“I think going up the middle worked a lot today,” Martini said. “They were blitzing the gaps, and my linemen did a great job adjusting and tugging through all the plays for me.”
Bethpage responded by driving down to Wantagh’s 7-yard line, but Martini intercepted a pass on first-and-goal with 11:34 left in the fourth quarter. After running three plays and punting, Wantagh’s defense took the field again and let the Eagles drive to their own 23 before Rubbo recorded an interception.
Six plays later, Rubbo caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Avena off a deflection. Bethpage running back Ryan Ribeiro later broke up the shutout with an 8-yard scoring run.
Rubbo finished with two catches for 42 yards and two scores, as well as the 24-yard completion and interception.
“I’m very proud,” Rubbo said. “I did everything I could and made it all count.”
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.
