Mepham holds off surging VSC

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A passing attack that’s gaining steam each week carried Mepham to a 28-13 victory over Valley Stream Central in a Nassau Conference II football matchup last Friday night before an overflow Homecoming crowd.

Junior quarterback Sean White threw for three touchdowns for a second straight game to lead the Pirates (3-1), connecting with three different receivers for scores, and junior Matt Hegi (17 tackles, one sack) and senior Marco Baez (two sacks and a fumble recovery) sparked the defense after one of its standouts, senior Anthony Novello, suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and didn’t return.

The Eagles (2-2) saw their two-game win streak snapped despite getting a 90-yard touchdown run and 48-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Armani O’Brady.

“We knew this was going to be a battle and having Novello go down made it that much tougher,” Mepham head coach Anthony Cracco said. “We had to move a few things around on defense and everyone stepped up. Their quarterback is a really, really good football player. He makes big plays, but our offense came up big tonight also.”

Five of the game’s six touchdowns came in the second half. Mepham scored midway through the first quarter and led 7-0 at halftime. The offense drove 62 yards on six plays, capped by Hegi’s 24-yard touchdown catch over the middle. The work of seniors Gianni Macchio (23 yards on the drive) and Alex Mroz (15) out of the backfield led to the score.

Central punted away its first two possessions but moved into the red zone early in the second quarter after O’Brady found junior Omar Waterton for 30 yards and senior Christian Rodriguez for 12. However, on second-and-goal from the Mepham 8, a botched handoff resulted in a turnover as Baez pounced on the fumble.

“We’re not where we want to be [after four games],” VSC head coach Mike Rubino said. “We’re not executing at the level we want to execute at, but the good news is it’s not because of a lack of talent. We have to get back to the drawing board and be ready for New Hyde Park at home next week.”

The Eagles, who came a few yards shy of upsetting Carey in Week 1 and followed with convincing wins over Manhasset and Sewanhaka, broke through against Mepham on the opening possession of the second half when junior Nate Grimsley caught a short pass over the middle and turned it into a dazzling 48-yard touchdown. Junior Richard Jones’ extra point kick made it 7-7.

The Pirates, who travel to Calhoun this Saturday for a 3 p.m. kickoff, answered two possessions later when senior Nick Cucinella set up his own 4-yard touchdown catch by taking a screen 49 yards. Senior kicker Corey Lichtman, who was perfect on four PAT attempts, made it 14-7 with 44 seconds remaining in the third.

Mepham maintained a slim advantage after O’Brady’s electrifying touchdown run with 7:38 remaining, thwarting a 2-point conversion try with the Eagles seeking their first lead. White’s 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Anthony Paolillo provided breathing room with 4:26 left, and Macchio iced it two minutes later with a 2-yard touchdown run after senior John Aliberti recovered a fumble in Central territory.