Following a thrilling end to the regular season and a shutout victory in the opening round of the Nassau Conference I football playoffs, Oceanside’s eighth trip to the county semifinals in 10 years wasn’t one to remember.
Behind a dominating performance by senior running back Kevin Wilson, Farmingdale avenged a loss to the Sailors in last year’s semis with a 49-7 victory on Nov. 14 at Hofstra. Wilson rushed for 188 yard and five touchdowns and added a fumble recovery for a score on defense as the second-seeded Dalers (8-2) advanced to face defending county and Long Island champion Freeport in the title game this Thursday at 7 p.m.
“He really cut it loose tonight,” Farmingdale head coach Buddy Krumenacker said of Wilson, whose touchdown runs came from 44, 37, 8, 16 and 45 yards.
Wilson’s forced fumble and recovery covered 57 yards and gave the Dalers a 21-0 lead with 4:11 remaining in the opening quarter. No. 3 Oceanside (7-3) broke the shutout with less than a minute to go in the third quarter when junior Thomas Flavin found the end zone on a 9-yard run. Sophomore quarterback Charlie McKee, who torched Farmingdale in a 62-33 win a year earlier at Hofstra, completed 33 of 43 attempts for 234 yards with two interceptions. Sophomore Dan McCormick had a Nassau playoff record 15 catches.
“Hats off to Farmingdale for a great game plan and execution,” Oceanside head coach Rob Blount said. “They came to play and played with a purpose.”