Reigning Thorp Award winner Luke Martini helps Wantagh football overcome 19-point deficit to beat Plainedge
Luke Martini of Wantagh rushes during the fourth quarter of a Nassau Conference III football game against Plainedge on Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026, in Massapequa. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
Luke Martini hasn’t lost a step.
Wantagh trailed Plainedge by 19 points at halftime, and the reigning Thorp Award winner had been held in check.
Then the switch flipped.
He broke big runs.
He hauled in long passes.
He completed a pass for a first down.
He changed the game with an interception.
And when Plainedge’s onside kick bounced off a Wantagh player and was up for grabs, Martini emerged out of the pile with the ball raised above his head.
The junior running back had 21 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns and added a 32-yard interception return for a TD to lead visiting Wantagh to a 36-33 win over Plainedge in a Nassau Conference III football opener Thursday night.
“He brought the calmness to the team at halftime,” coach Keith Sachs said. “He just wanted everyone to believe in each other. That’s all he kept saying, which is amazing. Then he just puts the team on his back.”
Martini hauled in a 35-yard pass from Max Avena on third-and-21 to set up Avena’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Luke Rubbo to cut the deficit to 26-21 with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter.
“I had plenty of time and I saw [Martini] had a step on his defender, so I knew he was going to come down with it,” Avena said. “He’s an amazing player. He makes my job a lot easier, along with my linemen.”
On Plainedge’s ensuing drive, Martini leaped in the air for an interception on the sideline, reversed field to follow his blockers and ran through a defender at the goal line to help give Wantagh a 29-26 lead with 8:02 left.
“Plainedge has some fantastic receivers, and when they go to into a trips formation, it makes my job so tough,” the linebacker said. “Our coaches told me to move over, right to where the ball was thrown. I just happened to be in the right spot, made the grab and the runback was all on the people blocking for me. I had to make one guy miss, but I’ll take that.”
On Plainedge’s next drive, Martini was in the mix on a third-down sack to force another punt. Ryan Rice’s 22-yard touchdown run gave Wantagh a 10-point lead with 2:42 left.
Aidan Ryan found Jimmy Marx for a 24-yard touchdown pass to cap Plainedge’s 70-yard drive with 58 seconds left. The onside kick almost worked to perfection, but Martini wouldn’t let it.
Martini was held to three yards on four carries in the first half, as Wantagh ran only 10 offensive plays to Plainedge’s 36. Even with plenty of inexperienced players, the reigning Nassau III champs found a way to overcome the 26-7 deficit.
“We had to fight through adversity,” Martini said, “and for the new guys that don’t have as much experience, it shows a lot of heart and determination for them to step up and make a play in a big moment.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
