Wantagh pulls away from Elmont

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Last Saturday’s matchup between Wantagh and Elmont, a pair of Conference II rivals that are typically in the mix come playoff time, was intriguing for numerous reasons. 

The Spartans have struggled to get the best of the Warriors in recent years, but were coming off back-to-back victories, and were playing their best football of the season. Wantagh, a team that is not accustomed to being in the middle of the pack, had lost two of the three, but also appeared to be hitting its stride.

The game was as good as advertised for a half, but in the end it was Wantagh’s big-play ability that enabled the Warriors to pull away for a 31-14 road win on Homecoming day for Elmont. Senior Vinny Vasheo rushed for 161 yards on 14 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns to lead Wantagh (4-3). Junior Kyle Sliwak, nine carries for 101 yards, added a touchdown for the Warriors.

Wantagh head coach Keith Sachs was pleased with his team’s performance. “We’ve been having great practices, but we’re still trying to find ourselves,” Sachs said. “It’s nice when you practice hard all week long, prepare for a game, and then perform well on Saturday. The defense played great all game long, and we broke a few big plays.”

It was the first of those big plays that changed the course of the game. After Elmont (3-4) took a 14-10 lead on a Simon Kalu touchdown, the Spartans appeared to have all the momentum. However, Vasheo caught a bubble screen from quarterback Rob Tucker and went 75 yards for the score to give the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish.

Elmont head coach Jay Hegi knew the play was a game-changer. “We had just scored 14 straight points, and then kicked the ball out of the end zone. That play took the wind out of our sails,” Hegi said. “They just played with more passion than we did. They played like they wanted it more, and left everything out on the field. We had a good week of practice, and felt like we were prepared.”

In the third quarter, an 80-yard touchdown run by Vasheo extended Wantagh’s lead to 24-14. Sliwak put the game on ice when he broke loose and went 70 yards for the game’s final score.

The Wantagh defense was superb in the second half. Seniors George Potts and Ralph Sommer controlled the inside, and Joe Valenti and Corey Sachs did an excellent job of containing the Elmont ground game. Sachs had eight tackles to lead the Warriors. 

Elmont’s Tony White had a 44-yard touchdown run to get the Spartans on the board after Wantagh had taken a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 38-yard field goal by Chris Taibi, and a one-yard run by Tucker.

Wantagh travels to Westbury this Saturday, while Elmont goes on the road to take on Long Beach. Kickoff time for both games is 2 p.m.