Emotional opening win for Wantagh

Separate quarantine issues delayed Wantagh’s football season and forced Clarke to pivot to a different Week 1 opponent with a non-league label attached.

However, last Saturday both teams hooked up in their official Conference IV openers. Wantagh, playing in the lowest enrollment-based conference for the first time in program history, welcomed two home spectators per athlete and defeated the visiting Rams, 41-0.

The Warriors dedicated the game to former longtime assistant coach Tony Carter, who passed away last spring after a battle with Covid-19. They wore his initials “TC” stickers on their helmets and held a pregame ceremony with Carter’s family members as guests. “It was an emotional day,” Wantagh head coach Keith Sachs said. “I can’t say enough about the class Clarke showed. They presented us with a sympathy card signed by each of their kids.”

Junior Sean Carlo had three rushing touchdowns and junior Tyler Mantini added 138 yards and a score on the ground to lead the offense. Junior fullback Mark Maniet had a 33-yard touchdown reception from senior Bryan Picirillo, who is sharing quarterback duties with senior Kevin Griffin.

“The last few weeks have been horrific and I’m really proud of how the kids responded,” Sachs said. “It’s a dedicated group. They worked hard in the weight room during the offseason. They all did a nice job with their assignments without the benefit of much practice or a scrimmage. Everyone contributed.”

Wantagh returned only four starters but still was tabbed as the No. 2 seed in Conference IV behind defending champion Seaford. Martini, standout junior middle linebacker Liam Casey, and senior two-way linemen Joe Fontana and Adam Kissinger brought the most experience into this spring.

Casey led the defensive effort against Clarke along with senior Sean Conigliano and junior Luke Janosko. Sachs said the shutout was more symbolic than it was important.

Originally scheduled to face East Rockaway to open its campaign, Clarke ended up matching up with Wantagh’s original opponent, Locust Valley, on March 13. The game didn’t count in the standings, although the Rams wish otherwise considering they came away with a 22-6 victory.

“We play Locust Valley again in a few weeks,” Clarke head coach Tim O’Malley said. “The kids are just excited to play and looking forward to a challenging schedule. I keep reminding them to be grateful for every game because it’s impossible to predict what can happen.”

The Rams are rolling with a varsity roster much smaller — 22 — than usual, O’Malley said. That didn’t stop them from a big opening performance with just 10 practices under their belt.

Junior Nick Giardino, whose older brother Chris was the team’s starting quarterback in 2019, enjoyed a memorable varsity debut with two touchdown runs, including a 95-yard dash in the second quarter to open the scoring against Locust Valley. He added a 28-yard scoring run in the fourth. “We knew he was dangerous and focused on containing him,” Sachs said of Giardino.

Wantagh is home again this Saturday with a 2 p.m. kickoff versus North Shore.