Rams roll into semifinals

Senior Enrique McFarlane carried the ball 14 times for 182 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead No. 3 West Hempstead to a 34-6 victory over visiting Mineola in the opening round of the Nassau Conference IV playoffs last Saturday.

With the win, the Rams advanced to the semifinal round for the second consecutive season. West Hempstead will take on No. 2 Seaford on Thursday night at 7:30 at Hofstra University. The Vikings, who advanced to the semis with a win over Clarke, won 20-13 when the teams met during the regular season.

Mineola, the No. 6 seed, kept things close in the early going by stacking the box and holding West Hempstead’s rushing attack in check. The Rams found the end zone through the air when quarterback Anthony Beaubrun capped off a 90-yard drive by hooking up with McFarlane for an 18-yard touchdown reception. Anthony Messina’s kick gave West Hempstead a 7-0 lead.

Head coach Dom Carre knows that it usually takes time for his team’s vaunted running game to break through. “I tell the guys all the time that it’s going to be tough to break a big one on the ground when they put so many guys up front,” Carre said. “They have to take the yards they can get, stay patient, and keep at it. Everyone knows we’re going to run the ball. Mineola did a nice job of stopping us early on in the game.”

The patience paid off, as it wasn’t long before the Rams were able to get the ground game on track. Junior Bruce Gibbs (13 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns) gave West Hempstead, which improved to 7-2, a 14-0 lead when he got out in the open and went 40 yards for his 17th touchdown of the season.

Prior to the end of the half, the Rams extended the lead to 21-0 when McFarlane got into the clear and went 51 yards for the score for his 17th score of the year.

Any thoughts of a comeback by Mineola were put to rest early in the second half as McFarlane put the game on ice with a 66-yard touchdown scamper. Messina’s kick spilt the uprights to give the Rams a 28-0 lead. 

Gibbs capped off West Hempstead’s scoring when he ran it in from two yards out. James Gerstner broke the shutout when he scored a late touchdown for Mineola. Vinny Messina and Andy Benitez led the Rams on defense. The Mustangs finished with an overall record of 4-5. 

Carre is hoping the Rams get off to a better start this time against Seaford. The Vikings scored all 20 of their points in the opening quarter in Week 5. “We can’t afford to fall behind like that and expect to win,” Carre said. “A few mistakes really put us in an early hole. After that, we played them real tough. Seaford is a physical team that likes to get after it. We’re going to run our stuff with a few adjustments. I expect a tight game.”