Dimitris Vardamaskos' pick-6 gives Plainedge breathing room
Plainedge celebrates after a interception run back for a touchdown by Dimitris Vardamaskos #23 of Plainedge during a Nassau Conference IV football game at Lynbrook on Friday. Credit: David Meisenholder
The only downside about Friday night’s game between Plainedge and Lynbrook: somebody had to lose.
In a Nassau Conference IV heavyweight bout between a pair of unbeaten teams, Plainedge outlasted Lynbrook, 45-35, to remain atop the standings. The Red Devils (4-0) are now one of only two remaining undefeated teams in Nassau IV, tied for first place in the conference alongside Seaford.
With 7:13 left in the third quarter and Plainedge leading 31-28, senior Dimitris Vardamaskos jumped a route and picked off Lynbrook quarterback Chase Samelson. With nothing but room to run, Vardamaskos took it 32 yards for the touchdown to give the Red Devils a 10-point cushion.
That two-possession lead was the key, as Lynbrook (3-1) hung with them all night. There were four ties and one lead change in the game. The Owls even responded to the pick-6 by marching right back down the field with a touchdown of their own to make it 38-35.
“It was a huge momentum change,” Vardamaskos said. “Honestly, we weren’t comforted at all. We just needed that stop and we got it. From there, we dug in and got the stops when we needed to.”
Plainedge was able to match Lynbrook’s explosiveness stride for stride. Junior Jaxson Torres completed three passes for more than 50 yards — one of which came on third-and-17 to senior Taylor Nitsch for 51 yards, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Jonluca Rucci that gave them the 31-28 lead.
With 4:34 left in the third quarter, Torres hit Vardamaskos for a 59-yard catch-and-run play that took the Red Devils to the 1-yard line. Torres then broke the plane on a quarterback sneak to go up 45-35.
Torres finished the night 9-for-16 passing with 243 yards and also rushed four times for 14 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Dylan Fella carried the ball 24 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 89 yards. With just under four minutes left in the game, Fella forced Lynbrook to call its final three timeouts. Then on third-and-7, he turned the right corner for 12 yards and stayed in bounds to move the chains and salt away the win.
“That felt great — first down, game was over,” Fella said. “A running back is nothing without his offensive line, and we got first downs when we needed them.”
For Lynbrook, Samelson completed 19 of 35 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another. Tim Odiah had six catches for 146 yards and two scores, and Orji Agwu made eight grabs for 162 and a touchdown.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
