Wantagh High School’s Varsity football team came back from a 14-0 deficit to claim the Nassau County championship for the second straight season, defeating Bethpage High School 28-21.
The fourth-seeded Wantagh Warriors and third-seeded Bethpage Golden Eagles met at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, with each team hoping to secure the Nassau Conference III title.
Despite Wantagh coming out victorious, Bethpage was the first team to reach the scoreboard.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring in the first quarter and added another touchdown early in the second quarter. The Warriors would put up 13 points before halftime to close the gap to a single point.
The team scored the only touchdown of the third quarter and converted a two-point conversion to put themselves up by seven heading into the final 12 minutes of the game.
Bethpage marched down the field, but a Devin Paccione interception prevented the Golden Eagles from tying up the game.
The Warriors would then tack on another touchdown, giving them 28 unanswered points.
Bethpage responded with a touchdown drive and then forced a punt to give the team a chance to tie the game.
Senior Dylan Martini, who already had 140 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Wantagh offense, then intercepted Bethpage’s Michael Mastrangelo in the closing minutes to seal the victory and the county title for the Warriors.
“This one was a lot of work. The kids showed a lot of heart and they got better every week,” longtime Wantagh football head coach Keith Sachs said to Newsday after the win.
The Warriors went 5-3 during the regular season, a fall from the team’s 7-1 2024 campaign. Wantagh won each of its first three games before suffering back-to-back losses to Clarke and South Side. The Warriors, sitting at 3-2 at the time, then faced off against the Golden Eagles.
Wantagh came out on top in the October matchup 35-12, which served as a precursor to the county title game. Martini had just under 200 all-purpose yards and also threw for an 18-yard touchdown in the victory.
The Warriors got their revenge against Clarke in the quarterfinals of the playoffs and then defeated Carey to set up the title game on Saturday.
The 2024 Wantagh Warriors didn’t just win the Nassau County championship; the team also won the Long Island title against Bayport-Blue Point. This year Wantagh will face 11-0 Sayville High School in the Long Island championship game.
The Warriors and Flashes will meet on Friday, Nov. 28, at 4:30 p.m. at Shuart Stadium.
