West Hempstead ousted in semis

West Hempstead’s dream of capturing its first conference football title since 1982 came to a bitter end as Roosevelt knocked off the Rams, 45-16, in a Nassau Conference IV semifinal game last Saturday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Roosevelt junior Johnnie Akins ran for 259 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Rough Riders. 

Roosevelt, the defending champions, advanced to the title game where it will meet Valley Stream North, which upset top-seeded Seaford. West Hempstead finished 8-2.

After Akins scored to cap off a 13-play, 74-yard drive and give Roosevelt an 8-0 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter, the Rams answered 11 seconds later when senior Tayvon Hall (26 carries for 190 yards and two touchdowns) found a hole and went 63 yards, untouched, for the score. Michael Petrizzo ran in the two-point conversion to tie the score at 8-8.

The Rough Riders took just 20 seconds to retake the lead when senior Marquell Saunders broke into the clear and went 56 yards for a touchdown. Roosevelt’s lead stayed at 14-8 when the two-point conversion attempt failed.

An untimely turnover by West Hempstead led to another Roosevelt score. The Rough Riders went 57 yards in nine plays with fullback Robert Hansen barreling his way in from a yard out to give Roosevelt a 22-8 lead.

West Hempstead head coach Dom Carre knew his team couldn’t afford to turn the ball over. “We were moving the ball well, and we made a mistake,” Carre said. “You can’t afford to give Roosevelt extra possessions. To their credit, they capitalized when we turned it over.”

The Rams were in danger of letting the game get away, but a key run by Enrique McFarlane on fourth-and six kept the drive alive and led to an 8-yard touchdown run by Hall. Petrizzo again scored on the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 22-16 with 1:24 to go in the half.

Roosevelt, which improved to 8-2, took back the momentum when Akins went the distance for a 72-yard kickoff return to open up the second half. A perfectly placed kick seemed to have the Rough Riders taking over at the 28-yard line, however two West Hempstead defenders fell down, and Akins raced down the left sideline for the score.

Trailing 30-16, the Rams drove deep into Roosevelt territory, but the drive stalled when West Hempstead turned the ball over inside the 10-yard line. It didn’t take long for Akins to find the end zone again, this time on a 70-yard run.

Carre expressed his appreciation for the role his seniors played in turning the program around. “These guys should be very proud about what they accomplished here at West Hempstead,” he said. “We went from being a team that scored 28 points all season to a team competing in the playoffs. Our captains, Tayvon Hall, Michael Petrizzo, and Daniel Njoku were true leaders. They left their mark here. I’m going to miss the seniors.”