Robert Tucker's TD pass lifts Wantagh to upset of Garden City
Wantagh quarterback No. 2 Robert Tucker gets hoisted into the air by No. 44 Rich Russo as they celebrate their team's 18-13 win over Garden City in a Nassau County varsity football Conference II semifinal at Hofstra University on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Credit: James Escher
For Robert Tucker, it wasn't about his ball fake, which was slick. It wasn't about his pass, which was strong and true. It was about staying patient and allowing the play to unfold.
"A play-action pass," Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. "When we're running well, we'll try to slip one guy over the top."
The Warriors indeed were running well, so when Tucker faked a handoff, much of Garden City's defense bit.
Tucker rolled to his right, looked downfield . . . and kept looking as his primary target, Dylan Beckwith, cut from right to left on a deep slant. "He was initially covered," Tucker said. "But I kept the play going and made my reads. The offensive line did an amazing job to give me time. And they were great on the running plays, too."
Finally, Beckwith broke free, caught Tucker's long pass in stride and took it to the house . . . the penthouse, as it turned out.
That 64-yard touchdown pass with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter gave No. 4 Wantagh an 18-13 victory over No. 1 Garden City on Friday night in a Nassau II football semifinal at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium. Wantagh (8-2) next plays in the county final at 7 p.m. Friday at Hofstra. Garden City suffered its first loss after nine victories.
"I just had to get it to him," said an elated Tucker, who completed 8 of 12 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. "I lobbed it up there, and as soon as I saw him open, I knew it was a touchdown."
That was Beckwith's only catch, but it was one of several huge second-half plays by the Warriors. Kyle Sliwak (152 yards on 18 carries) exploded up the middle for 54 yards on the first play from scrimmage of the second half. That set up Tucker's 3-yard fade to Jimmy Joyce for a touchdown that produced a 12-7 lead.
The Trojans answered with a go-ahead score -- an 11-yard run by quarterback Tim Schmelziner (89 yards rushing and two TDs). Brian Haeffner (149 yards on 15 carries) made the biggest play of the drive, a 33-yard run on a toss left.
After that, Wantagh's defense and ball-control offense took over. Sliwak and Bruno Surace (70 yards on 16 carries) keyed a couple of clock-killing drives. Linemen Joe Valenti (five solo tackles, four assists) and Sean Colbert (four tackles, four assists) and defensive back John Burke (five tackles) helped the Warriors hold Garden City on downs twice in the second quarter and again in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
"The defense kept us in it," Sachs said.
Until Tucker made his big play. "He had some bad moments in a couple of games," Sachs said of his senior quarterback, "but he came up big tonight."
Afterward, Tucker jubilantly raced to the bleachers behind the Wantagh bench. To squeals of delight, he repeatedly leaped to high-five and embrace a cadre of fans along the railing. "They're family," Tucker said with a wide grin. A big happy one.
