Clarke splits first two gridiron games

Separate quarantine issues delayed Wantagh’s football season and forced Clarke to pivot to a different Week 1 opponent with a non-league label attached.

However, last Saturday both teams hooked up in their official Conference IV openers. Wantagh, playing in the lowest enrollment-based conference for the first time in program history, welcomed two home spectators per athlete and defeated the visiting Rams, 41-0.

The Warriors dedicated the game to former longtime assistant coach Tony Carter, who passed away last spring after a battle with Covid-19. They wore his initials “TC” stickers on their helmets and held a pregame ceremony with Carter’s family members as guests. “It was an emotional day,” Wantagh head coach Keith Sachs said.

Junior Sean Carlo had three rushing touchdowns and junior Tyler Mantini added 138 yards and a score on the ground to lead the offense. Junior fullback Mark Maniet had a 33-yard touchdown reception from senior Bryan Picirillo, who is sharing quarterback duties with senior Kevin Griffin.

Originally scheduled to face East Rockaway to open the campaign, Clarke (1-1) ended up matching up with Wantagh’s original opponent, Locust Valley, on March 13. The game didn’t count in the standings, although the Rams wished it did considering they came away with a 22-6 victory.

“We play Locust Valley again in a few weeks,” Clarke head coach Tim O’Malley said. “The kids are just excited to play and looking forward to a challenging schedule. I keep reminding them to be grateful for every game because it’s impossible to predict what can happen.”

The Rams are rolling with a varsity roster much smaller — 22 — than usual, O’Malley said. That didn’t stop them from a big opening performance with just 10 practices under their belt.

Junior Nick Giardino, whose older brother Chris was the team’s starting quarterback in 2019, enjoyed a memorable varsity debut with two touchdown runs, including a 95-yard dash in the second quarter to open the scoring against Locust Valley. He added a 28-yard scoring run in the fourth.

“Nick is clearly our leader and a dual threat,” O’Malley said. “He’s extremely fast and has a calm demeanor.”

Clarke’s offensive front is led by seniors Anthony Rodriguez and Kevin Henning, and junior center Mike Delaney who worked closely with Giardino on the 6-win JV team last season. Junior Liam Farrell has also emerged as a starting two-way lineman, and junior tight end Tyler Benowitz stood out blocking in the opener. Rodriguez is a third-year starter and only lineman with varsity starting experience prior to two weeks ago.

Senior linebacker John Kern, who also handles a bulk of the ground attack and scored a touchdown in the opener, had 14 tackles against Locust Valley and is a prototypical throwback player. Senior Joe Dieppa is an aggressive linebacker and had a 2-point conversion run following Giardino’s first career touchdown.

The Rams aren’t expected to throw a lot but when they do senior Nick Valente and junior Justin Rindner serve as the main targets.

Clarke has a pivotal game this Saturday at West Hempstead at 2 p.m.