Luke Martini, Wantagh deal Carey its first loss in matchup of two defending LI champions
Luke Martini of Wantagh makes it 41-23 during a Nassau Conference III football game against Carey in Franklin Square on Saturday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Luke Martini cut inside a block over the left side and took off for another long scoring run. Martini’s 41-yard dash midway through the fourth quarter was the fifth second-half touchdown for the Wantagh offense.
The 34-point barrage wiped out a nine-point halftime deficit and helped Wantagh come back for a 41-23 win over previously undefeated Carey in Nassau Conference III football Saturday in Rockville Centre.
Wantagh (5-2), the defending Long Island Class IV champion, snapped Carey’s 18-game win streak. Carey (6-1), the defending Long Island Class II winner, had cruised through the first six games of the season with a stingy defense and opportunistic offense.
It was a tasty matchup of defending Long Island champions that both teams circled on the calendar. Wantagh’s turbulent start to the season, two early losses, did nothing to douse excitement over this game.
“The real Wantagh showed up in last week’s win over Bethpage,” Carey coach Mike Stanley said. “We knew they were coming in here with momentum and ready to play. And they have three kids that make you hold your breath because they’re tremendous playmakers.”
All three of those guys -- Martini, Joe Nicholson and Devin Paccione -- were instrumental in Wantagh’s upset victory.
Wantagh scored on all five of its second half possessions. What made all the scoring even more impressive was who they did it against. Carey sported the least-scored-upon defense on Long Island, allowing only 39 points through six wins.
“Our line was great and gave us the room to run as they stayed on their blocks,” said Martini, who finished with 151 yards on 10 carries. “Carey is a great team, and this is a very big win.”
Martini scored on runs of 54 and 41 yards and teammate Nicholson added a 60-yard scoring run and caught a 77-yard TD pass. Quarterback Carter Loughman completed eight of 15 passes for 150 yards and three scores, including two TD to Paccione.
“Carter just keeps getting better,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. “He has the big arm. He extends plays, makes good decisions and has the patience to allow our receivers to find open space. And our two backs are just fun to watch.”
They certainly were for Wantagh folks in the second half. Nicholson totaled 187 all-purpose yards.
However, the first half belonged to the Carey defense and the team’s punter William Cooper.
Wantagh opened a 7-0 lead when Loughman found Paccione for a 24-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter.
Carey’s first drive stalled, but Cooper pinned Wantagh to its 2-yard line with a 47-yard punt. That set up a safety when linebacker Christian Anaya was held in the end zone to make it 7-2.
Cooper’s next punt pinned Wantagh at its 4 with 7:13 left in the half. Two plays later, defensive back Logan Alvizures recovered a fumble at the Wantagh 3-yard line to set up the first of two Justin DePietro TD runs. Carey led 16-7 at halftime.
The Wantagh line of guards Patrick Forthofer and Vin Fullone, tackles Shane Adee and Thomas Christoforidis, center Ryan Martine and tight end Mike Amodio took over in the second half. On the first possession of the third quarter, Nicholson broke a few tackles on his way to a 60-yard TD run to get within 16-13.
On the ensuing kickoff a big hit caused a fumble that was recovered by Ray Azzariti at Carey’s 23. Two plays later, Loughman found Paccione for an 18-yard TD and a 20-16 Wantagh lead.
Carey’s James McGrath ignited the home crowd with an 80-yard kickoff return for a score and a 23-20 lead with 6:10 left in the third quarter.
“We came right back,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson jumped over a defender on a go-route, caught a deep pass from Loughman, and tip-toed the sideline for a 77-yard TD reception to give Wantagh a 27-23 lead.
“It was tight coverage, but I went up and got it,” Nicholson said.
Wantagh extended the lead when Martini ran 54 yards for a score to make it 34-23 with 1:37 left in the third – punctuating a 27-point quarter.
Carey never recovered. And Wantagh’s win makes Conference III even more interesting.
“It’s a wide-open conference,” Sachs said. “We played well today. We didn’t have a choice.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
