Rejuvenated Rams on win streak

After dropping 17 games in a row on the gridiron, West Hempstead has a streak to be proud of.

Sophomore Tayvon Hall rushed for 196 yards and four touchdowns last Saturday as the Rams spoiled Valley Stream South’s Homecoming and won their second straight matchup in Nassau Conference III, 41-20.

Senior Kyle Garrett and junior Justin Boatwright added rushing touchdowns for West Hempstead (2-2), which scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to erase a 20-13 deficit. Sophomore Ousmane Camara led the defense with 12 tackles.

“It’s the first winning bus ride we’ll have back to our place in a long time,” Rams first-year coach Dominick Carre said. “It’s pretty exciting. Everyone’s enjoying the success we’ve had the past two weeks, especially the seniors.” 

The Falcons, who held a lead for a third straight game, slipped to 0-4. They got rushing and passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Thomas Meaney and a kickoff return for a score from senior Ahmed Nasr.

“All year we’ve been a much better team in the first half,” VSS coach Lance Griffin said. “They wore us down.

“You try to replicate the amount of energy kids are going to use in games as best as you can in practice, but it’s not the same,” he added.

South struck first in a wild opening quarter that saw each team score twice. A botched snap on West Hempstead’s first offensive play resulted in a turnover, as sophomore Phil Crisci pounced on a fumble inside the Rams’ 10-yard line. Two plays later, Meaney faked a handoff to Nasr and scored on a keeper from eight yards out. Senior Anthony Romano’s extra point gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead.

The remaining 7:46 of the quarter was all about big plays. Hall, who led West Hempstead’s 20-7 victory over Great Neck North in Week 3 with three touchdowns, each covering at least 56 yards, broke loose on a 77-yard touchdown run to cap a 98-yard drive that made it 7-7 after junior quarterback Bruno DeVito’s extra point. On third-and-five from his own 23, Hall spun away from one defender and outraced two others to the end zone.

“Tayvon’s a naturally gifted athlete,” Carre said. “He’s patient behind his blocks. A lot of times it seems like we might take a loss on the play, and the next thing you know he’s off to the races.”

Nasr answered for the Falcons on the ensuing kickoff, busting through the middle for an 86-yard touchdown to put them ahead 13-6. But the Rams came right back on their next possession. Boatwright, who rushed for 150 yards, picked up 50 on one play late in the first quarter to set up Hall’s game-tying 1-yard touchdown run.

South responded and led by seven at the half thanks to a pretty hookup between Meaney and junior receiver Marco Sammerone early in the second quarter. With only half a step on West Hempstead senior Kijana Rogers, Sammerone corralled a high-arcing pass over his right shoulder at the 15 and went the distance.

“Those guys have some chemistry,” Griffin said of Meaney and Sammerone, who connected for a 37-yard touchdown in a Week 3 defeat to Manhasset. 

There were more big plays in the second half, all from the Rams. Garrett scored from 51 yards, Hall from 35 and Boatwright from 43. In the meantime, a defense led by Camara and seniors David Lopez, Brandon Zapelli, John Gomez, James Gomez and Michael Castagna continued its second-half dominance.

“We played a strong second half,” Carre said. “We’re really attacking the ball on defense.”

West Hempstead faces a stiff test this Saturday when Bethpage visits for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. The Golden Eagles are also 2-2. “Bethpage has one of the best football traditions not only in Nassau but all of Long Island,” Carre said. “We’re taking the David vs. Goliath angle. We’ve developed each week and we’ll try to keep it going.”