Farmingdale rallies to top Oceanside

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The last time Oceanside and Farmingdale met on the football field was in a Nassau Conference I semifinal game at Hofstra last fall. In that one, freshman quarterback Charlie McKee put on an aerial show, completing 30 of 40 passes for eight touchdowns to lead the Sailors to a lopsided victory and a trip to the county championship game.

Farmingdale came into last Friday afternoon’s matchup looking to exact a little revenge. With Sailor Nation in full throttle, the Dalers did just that. Dominic Ciaccio’s third touchdown of the second half, an 84-yard scamper down the left sideline with 3:01 to play, gave the Dalers a thrilling 43-36 road victory. 

The Sailors drove to the Farmingdale 26-yard line in the final minute, but senior Rob Manetta made a tremendous play, picking off a McKee pass deep in the right corner of the south end zone. McKee went 27-for-43 for 346 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes. Senior Nick Platia caught 12 passes for 187 yards and a score. Senior Dan Mullin led the Oceanside defense with three sacks. 

“We came out hot, both teams made adjustments, but at the end of the day we gave up too many big plays,” Oceanside head coach Rob Blount said. “We missed tackles and botched a few assignments. Our special teams play is usually very good, but we didn’t get it done on special teams today.”

With the Dalers trailing 22-9, senior Kevin Wilson gave the visitors a huge boost by taking the second half kickoff 91 yards to the house. After forcing a punt on the ensuing drive, it took Farmingdale just four plays to take its first lead. A 24-yard touchdown pass from Nick Lundin to Will McCarthy put the Dalers up 23-22 with 4:19 to play in the third quarter.

The lead was short-lived. Oceanside went back on top when junior Thomas Flavin took it in from a yard out for his second score of the game. However, disaster struck again. Ciaccio took a short kickoff and sprinted 74 yards to paydirt. Senior captain Thomas Schmitt blocked the PAT to keep the score tied at 29. 

McKee and Platia hooked up for 34-yard gain, a beautifully thrown ball and an equally terrific grab on the final play of the third quarter to get Oceanside within striking distance. Three plays later, junior Andres Duran (15 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns) scored from seven yards out for a 36-29 lead.

Back came the Dalers. With 8:20 to play and the energetic crowd imploring the defense to get a stop, Lundin found a wide open Ciaccio and the junior running back did the rest for a 29-yard touchdown reception. Schmitt appeared to save the day by again blocking the kick, keeping the Sailors ahead at 36-35. 

“We have to continue to grind and get after it,” Blount said. “We missed opportunities, but made some big plays. We’ll be okay going forward.”

Oceanside (1-1) will host Baldwin this Saturday at 4 p.m.