Wantagh rallies from 14-0 hole to defeat Bethpage in Nassau III football final, repeats as county champs

Wantagh had a problem to solve, sitting 14 points down early in the second quarter against Bethpage. Not the place you want to be sitting with a county championship as the prize for winning.

“Obviously, a little nervous,” senior quarterback Carter Loughman said. “But I know with this team we can battle back.”

Coach Keith Sachs said, “My goal was to be down by seven at halftime.”

His team beat his goal. Wantagh was down by one at halftime. By the time 1:58 had passed in the third quarter, it was up by seven. Before the quarter was done, it was up by 14.

Problem solved.

Fourth-seeded Wantagh held on to beat No. 3 Bethpage, 28-21, on Saturday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium to claim the Nassau Conference III football title and earn a ticket to the Long Island Class III championship game.

“It’s a great feeling,” said sophomore running back/ linebacker Luke Martini, who ran 15 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns and made the clinching interception. “Still want one more game now. Never satisfied. But happy with the win today.”

The team had lost players at 19 starting positions and moved up a conference after claiming the Nassau Conference IV and Long Island Class IV titles — and it still won back-to-back county crowns for the first time in program history.

“This one was a lot of work,” Sachs said. “The kids showed a lot of heart. And they got better every week . . . We always want to play our best ball at the end of the year. The kids just really stepped up big.”

Next up for these 8-3 kids? Another big mountain to climb — 11-0 Sayville. Wantagh will go for a second straight Long Island championship at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Shuart Stadium.

“Again back-to-back would be even better,” Loughman said. “Sayville’s a great program. We know we’ve got our work cut out.”

It took Wantagh four plays to erase the one-point halftime hole. Martini went on a 42-yard scoring burst, then threw to Joseph Adamo for the two-point conversion for a 21-14 lead.

Bethpage (9-2) responded with a march to the Wantagh 12. On third down, it looked as if Bethpage was going to get called for pass interference in the end zone. Instead, it got hit with an illegal touching penalty by a receiver.

That made it fourth-and-15 at the 17, and Michael Mastrangelo fired down the middle in the end zone.

Devin Paccione intercepted it about 4 yards deep and ran it back to his own 45.

Loughman capped that drive nicely, scrambling down the left sideline for a 9-yard score.

“Second half, I wanted to make sure I was using my legs,” he said.

From down 14-0 to up 28-14.

“In high school sports, if you have momentum and everyone’s going, it’s a good feeling,” Martini said.

The Golden Eagles responded with a 65-yard drive, concluding it with a 4-yard scoring run by Chase Solliday, who carried 18 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The PAT cut it to seven with 7:50 to go.

Bethpage forced a punt, then had to start at its own 6, and the Golden Eagles went for it on fourth-and-9 from their 25. Martini picked off Mastrangelo at their 43 — victory-bound.

It didn’t look that way early on. Mastrangelo found James LiPetri for a 46-yard touchdown on the day’s first drive. Then Solliday carried the ball in from the 1. It was 14-0 with 1:27 gone in the second quarter.

Cue the comeback.

Martini ran it in from the 15. Then he ran it in from the 10 with 41.4 seconds remaining before halftime. The PAT was blocked, but Wantagh had trimmed the deficit to 14-13 and was on its way.

“Our whole goal is to win the county,” Sachs said. “That’s a bowl game to us.”