Seaford regains title from CSH

The revenge factor was very much in play for last Saturday’s Nassau Conference IV football championship game, and top-seeded Seaford didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

In a third straight matchup in the finals, the Vikings knocked off defending champion Cold Spring Harbor with a textbook 14-8 victory before a crowd of 1,250 at Hofstra. A late touchdown ended a 15-quarter shutout streak for Seaford (10-1), which avenged a 38-point defeat to the Seahawks during the regular season to capture its third county title in four years.

“That loss really changed and motivated us,” said senior linebacker Craig Ackerman, who had one of Seaford’s three interceptions and recovered a fumble that led to the game’s first score. “We worked hard every single day and gave 110 percent on every play and that’s why we won,” he added. “There’s no better feeling in the world.”

Junior Kyle Phieffer and senior Thomas Viscio had touchdowns for the Vikings, who’ll try for a second Long Island Class IV title in three years when they face Shoreham-Wading River this Saturday at noon at Hofstra. Cold Spring Harbor, which beat Shoreham in last year’s LIC, finished 10-2.

“I’m as proud of this team as any I’ve been involved with in 50 years of coaching football,” Seaford head coach Rob Perpall said. “The kids were very down after we got beat badly [44-6] at Cold Spring Harbor. To come back and run the table to win the county championship, it’s remarkable.”

While both offenses managed 211 total yards, the Vikings had more than 31 minutes of possession time and went 9-for-20 on third- and fourth-down conversions. Their biggest of those came with 6:37 remaining when after considering a chip shot field-goal attempt for a potential 10-0 lead, Perpall sent the offense back on the field and Viscio reached the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 to cap a workmanlike 19-play, 80-yard drive.

“We know when we’re rolling on a drive like that, it takes a toll on the other team,” said Seaford senior quarterback Logan Masters, who sealed the win with a first-down run on a rollout keeper with a minute remaining. “Our strength is pounding the ball downhill behind our line,” he added. “We have some big guys up front who hit hard.”

Seaford led 14-0 and was looking for more after Ackerman picked off CSH quarterback Richie Striano with 5:34 remaining. The Vikings drove inside the 10 but lost a fumble in the end zone, giving the Seahawks a little life. Striano then directed an 80-yard scoring drive capped by his 21-yard touchdown pass to Casey Reynolds. Striano’s two-point conversion run cut the margin to six with 2:18 left.

It was the first points allowed by Seaford’s defense in a month. “The defense has the mentality of each of them is 1/11th of the unit,” Perpall said. “They all just go out there and do their jobs. They pay attention to detail and they’re dependable.”

Senior Chris Surace had six tackles and a sack, junior Nick Luciano had 1.5 sacks, and juniors Jake Murphy and Robert Necco had interceptions. Jacob Bruno made a dozen stops to lead Cold Spring Harbor’s defense.

The Vikings allowed just 97 total yards a week earlier in a 21-0 semifinal victory over No. 4 Locust Valley. Viscio led the attack with 178 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 39 carries. Seaford opened the playoffs with a 42-0 rout of West Hempstead.

“We play with a lot of heart,” Perpall said.