VSS tops Malverne in thriller

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On a day dominated by offense, Valley Stream South made two defensive stands in the final three minutes to hold off visiting Malverne, 40-36, in a Nassau Conference IV football matchup last Saturday.

Tahj Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown run with 8:55 remaining put the Falcons (1-4) ahead for good in a game that featured six lead changes and wasn’t decided until the final snap when a desperation pass by Malverne’s Bryce Todd fell incomplete at the South 15.

“We needed this one,” VSS assistant coach Joe Gustafeste said. “The kids showed a lot of fight in a game with so many peaks and valleys. They stuck together when it would’ve been easy to put their heads down.”

The Falcons pounded out 428 yards rushing on 57 carries, with three senior backs surpassing the century mark. Wilson led the way with 121, James Cannon added 120, and Tyler Gill had 119.

“We couldn’t stop the run,” Malverne head coach Kito Lockwood said. “Now we’ve put ourselves in a tough spot as far as playoffs go.”

Senior Christopher Hackett had a monster day for the Mules, who slipped to 2-3 and into 10th place in the 14-team conference. He had touchdown receptions of 36 and 64 yards, an interception return for a score, and a two-point conversion grab.

Hackett scored twice in a span of 1:23 in the second quarter to give Malverne a 20-16 lead at halftime. On fourth-and-15 from South’s 36, Todd zipped a pass over the middle that Hackett caught in stride and strolled into the end zone to get the visitors within two. Two plays into the ensuing series, Hackett picked off the Falcons’ first pass attempt and brought it back 33 yards for a touchdown.

“He started the season in the backfield, but now he’s one of our top receivers,” Lockwood said of Hackett. “He’s a gamer.”

After seeing a late first-half drive fizzle inside the red zone, South cashed in its opening possession of the second half when Gill’s long punt return set up his own 5-yard touchdown run. Senior quarterback Stefawn James (71 yards rushing, one touchdown) ran in his second two-point conversion for a 24-20 advantage.

The lead was short-lived, as senior James Choisi returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to put the Mules back in front. Todd’s two-point toss to Hackett made it 28-24. 

The points kept coming.

South drove 80 yards, capped by Cannon’s 12-yard scoring plunge, and led 32-28 after Gill tacked on the conversion run. Malverne answered with Todd’s long touchdown strike to Hackett, and a Choisi two-point run to retake the lead at 36-32 with 3:20 left in the third quarter.

South’s winning drive, buoyed by linemen Isiah Morgan, Leonardo Jaco, Ubaldo Arismendi, Justin Cortez, and Abraham Cordero, covered 67 yards on 10 plays and burned more than six minutes off the clock. Gill made the biggest splash, an 11-yard run to the Malverne 17 on fourth-and-4. “Our offensive line was tremendous,” Gustafeste said. “Hopefully it was a coming-out party.”

The Falcons visit Clarke this Saturday at 2 p.m., while the Mules play their homecoming game against Seaford.