Big win gives Rams .500 season

Sophomore Tayvon Hall ran for two touchdowns and junior Justin Boatwright added another to lead West Hempstead to a convincing 38-12 win over South Side last Saturday in the finale for both teams.

Senior Kyle Garrett added 70 yards and a touchdown for an offensive attack that amassed 253 yards on the ground. With the win, the Rams finished with a 4-4 record in Nassau Conference III.

West Hempstead came into the season with a 17-game losing streak. First-year head coach Dominick Carre was pleased the team’s progress, but not satisfied with the .500 record. “We went from being a team that couldn’t get back-to-back first downs a year ago, to a team that could convert on third-and-15,” Carre said. “That said I feel there were games that we let get away. We lost three games by one score. We’re on the right track, but have a lot of work to do to get to the next level.”

The first quarter was a sloppy one with neither team getting into any rhythm on offense. A 32-yard field goal by West Hempstead’s Danny Sheeler, the first of his career, was the only score in the opening 12 minutes.

The second quarter was all Rams. Boatwright, who ran for a game-high 80 yards on 12 carries, had a nifty run from 32 yards out for the game’s first touchdown. Sheeler, who was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points, made it 10-0. West Hempstead scored again before the half came to a close when Hall took it in from five yards out for the first of his two scores.

The teams exchanged touchdowns early in the third quarter. First, the Cyclones got on the board to cut the margin to 17-6. But sophomore Mike Petrizzo answered with a three-yard plunge for West Hempstead. A 12-yard touchdown pass from James Howard to Zach Scaduto put South Side within striking distance at 24-12 as the third came to an end.

West Hempstead’s defense displayed stubbornness in the fourth quarter of games all season long, and the finale was no different. Petrizzo and sophomore middle linebacker Osemone Camara, the team’s leading tackler, helped to shut the Cyclones down in the final quarter. Camara finished with 10 tackles. Petrizzo had a sack and an interception.