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Elmont's Jaquan Smith looks for running room during last Friday's 27-14 loss to Wantagh in a Nassau Conference II semifinal game at Hofstra.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
Elmont’s quest for back-to-back titles came to end with a sound defeat at the hands of Wantagh in a Nassau Conference II semifinal playoff game.
Quarterback Kyle Ambury ran for two touchdowns to lead the Warriors to a 27-14 victory in a driving rainstorm at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium last Friday night. The loss avenged Elmont’s 30-0 regular-season win on Oct. 31. Senior quarterback Diashawn Miller scored twice for the Spartans.
Elmont coach Jay Hegi was surprised by the loss. “Our kids were as prepared as possible for the game, so to come out flat is kind of hard to explain,” Hegi said. “We told the boys all week that it wasn’t going to be like last time. They’re too good of a team. We knew we would have to play well to win. They simply outplayed us, so there’s no excuse.”
Wantagh came out like a team on a mission in the opening quarter. When the teams met in the regular-season finale, Elmont (7-3) put 24 points on the board in the first half on the way to handing the Warriors one of their two losses. This time around, Wantagh took a commanding lead.
Keeping the ball on the ground, the Warriors dominated the Elmont defense. Each of Wantagh’s first two drives ended with one-yard touchdown runs by Ambury. The Warriors held an early 13-0 lead. The margin was extended to 20-0 when John Reicherter broke into the clear and went 60 yards for the score.
The Spartans appeared to have cut into the lead, but had a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty. The next time it got the ball, Elmont drove down the field but was stopped on fourth down deep in enemy territory.
A 27-yard scamper by junior Mike Scully gave the Warriors a 27-0 lead midway through the third quarter. But Elmont found some life. Miller took it in from a yard out for the first score, and moments later he energized the crowd with a 60-yard punt return. The two-time All-County quarterback had a hand in 22 of Elmont’s touchdowns on the season.
Hegi still liked his team’s chances. “We had plenty of time left, but just didn’t execute,” he said. “If you fall behind 27-0 to a good team like Wantagh, it’s going to be tough to recover.”
Trailing 27-14, the Spartans forced a turnover on the ensuing drive, but they couldn’t pound it in. A dropped pass and a few missed assignments put an end to any chance of a dramatic comeback.
Along with Miller, Jaquan Smith, Chris Moore and Kevin Michel all earned All-County honors. Junior Charles Dimoh picked up All-Conference recognition.
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