Tom Von Bargen's 85-yard touchdown run powers Wantagh

Tom Von Bargen isn’t an easy one to bring down.

Whether he’s returning a kick, lined up at receiver or in the backfield, the Wantagh senior often has the ball in his hands. And teams need to make sure he’s fully tackled before deciding a play is over.

Take Wantagh’s first offensive play of the fourth quarter, for example. Von Bargen took a direct snap and was nearly stopped after just a few yards. But he kept his balance before breaking down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown in Wantagh’s 37-14 victory over host Mineola in Nassau Conference III Friday night.

“I just stayed with it, followed my blocks, followed my line pushing me like they always do,” said Von Bargen, who finished with 140 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. “And I just wanted it so much more.”

“Any time he gets the ball, he’s electric. He can go the distance,” coach Keith Sachs said. “He makes people miss. He’s explosive so we try to find different ways to get him the ball. At any time he can change the game.”

After Sean Carlo recovered a fumble on the ensuing possession, Michael Lombardi scored on a 24-yard run on the next play to help give Wantagh a 37-14 lead with 9:34 left in the game.

The Warriors opened with some trickery. Facing a third-and-15, quarterback Peter DelGais threw behind the line of scrimmage to Von Bargen, who then found Nick Teresky for a 27-yard gain to Mineola’s 25-yard line. Teresky capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

“It’s almost like going back to backyard football and Sachs putting it in our hands and us doing what we do best and just having fun really,” Von Bargen said. “It’s not really a trick play, it spreads teams out and that’s just us. That’s our offense.”

Wantagh (5-2) extended its lead to 14-0 after capitalizing on a fumble. With Mineola driving to the Wantagh 3-yard line, Nick O’Connor recovered the loose ball off a high snap and ran 70 yards for a touchdown.

Jonathan Salamone completed two touchdown passes for Mineola (3-4), a 10-yard score to Juan Flores and a 14-yard touchdown to Aidan McMahon. The Mustangs’ second score cut Wantagh’s lead to 17-14 with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter before the Warriors scored the final 20 points.