Seaford hands Rams first defeat

A little more than a year after West Hempstead ended Seaford’s 44-game winning streak against Nassau County opponents, the Rams had the Vikings on the ropes again in a Conference IV showdown last Saturday but couldn’t slam the door.

Fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Austin Quiroz and Nick Fischetti helped Seaford erase a 10-point deficit to win a battle of previously unbeaten teams, 31-27. Fischetti, who left the game momentarily due to an ankle injury late in the third quarter, had a rugby-like 74-yard touchdown scamper with 7:22 remaining to provide the difference. The Rams possessed the ball for the last five minutes but their long drive stalled inside the red zone.

“It was a great game, but we needed 30 more seconds,” West Hempstead head coach Dom Carre said. “We played well for two quarters and made some mistakes. The good thing is, it’s Week 4, not week 9 or 10.”

Fischetti had 203 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries and sandwiched a pair of scores around a Matthew Murphy field goal as Seaford (4-0) built a 17-point lead by the opening minutes of the second quarter. Not too long ago, the Rams (3-1) may have waved a white flag and went through the motions, Carre said. But senior tailback Tayvon Hall (134 yards, three touchdowns) scored from 44 and 5 yards on consecutive possessions, and they went into halftime trailing 17-12 and feeling confident.

“The first touchdown got us going,” Carre said. “They did a good job containing Tayvon in the first quarter, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s going to break one.”

West Hempstead outscored Seaford 15-0 in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Michael Petrizzo’s 52-yard completion to senior Vincent DiLorenzo set up Hall’s go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run, and junior Enrique McFarlane scored from 30 yards out after Petrizzo put the offense back in business with a fumble recovery.

Up 27-17, the Rams couldn’t hold on. They beat Cold Spring Harbor, Clarke and Island Trees in September and will try to get back on track this Saturday at 3 p.m. when Valley Stream North (3-1) visits.

“We’ll turn the page on this one and get back to practice,” Carre said. “I’ve watched all four of Valley Stream North’s games. They mix it up well on offense.”

The Spartans are likely to have their hands full with Hall, who has 740 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the year. McFarlane has four touchdowns, including the first two of the season from 60 and 28 yards out to lead a win over Cold Spring Harbor.