Wantagh flag football's Makayla McNeil finds Kayla Mannix for winning touchdown pass
Wantagh's Makayla McNeil runs with the ball during a Nassau Conference II flag football game against Glen Cove at Glen Cove High School on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Credit: Derrick Dingle
What looked like a Glen Cove comeback turned into a finish Wantagh’s first-year program will never forget.
With 42 seconds left, Wantagh needed to go 66 yards. Quarterback Makayla McNeil and receiver Kayla Mannix delivered. The duo connected on gains of 26 and 14 yards, setting up one final play.
With seven seconds left, McNeil rolled right, scanned the field and fired across her body, hitting Mannix in stride. She reached across the goal line for the game-winning 20-yard touchdown as time expired to lead visiting Wantagh to a 25-24 victory over Glen Cove in Nassau II girls flag football on Tuesday.
“When we needed it, everyone came together,” McNeil said. “I remember on the last play, I just threw it up there and I knew Kayla would catch it. It was a great celebration after. It was so much fun.”
“I knew there was no time left,” Mannix said. “I caught it, and it was so exciting. It feels really good to win.”
On Wantagh’s first drive, it was a first-ever touchdown for Emma Palmisano. McNeil connected with her for a 2-yard touchdown to lead 6-0 with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Palmisano caught another touchdown in the second quarter to give Wantagh a 12-6 lead with 3:17 left in the half, and there was some extra celebration involved.
“It’s my mom’s birthday, and because I play center she was like, ‘I just want you to get one touchdown,’” Palmisano said. “And I was like, ‘I think I can make that happen for you.’ And now I turn around and I got two touchdowns on her birthday.”
Wantagh (5-3-1) led 19-6 at halftime, but Glen Cove’s Makaylaa Chesnut would take over.
On fourth-and-5 in their own territory, Chesnut burst up the middle and accelerated past defenders for a 45-yard touchdown with 5:55 left in the third quarter to trim the deficit to seven.
On Wantagh's next play, Chesnut had a 17-yard pick-six for her third touchdown, and Glen Cove (0-8-1) trailed by one with 5:49 left in the third quarter.
“Makaylaa took the game into her hands and put the team on her back,” Glen Cove coach Brett Rubin said. “I’m so proud of what she’s done for us. This one was a heartbreak. My girls played tremendously well. They played as a group, I can’t be any more proud of them.”
Sarai Fernandez connected with Myah Grella for a 10-yard touchdown to give Glen Cove a five-point lead with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Wantagh was stopped three times in the second half, but McNeil’s final drive propelled it to a dramatic win.
“One of the best finishes I’ve been a part of,” Wantagh coach Jim Morrow said. “And to do that with a first-year program shows volumes of the athletes I have out there, and it’s special.”
