Every high school football player knows that the uniform he’s representing each week doesn’t just speak for him.
That number, those colors, go back decades, and so many great players have worn it before them, and many more will wear it after.
It’s a sense of pride and community that powers them, and few places on Long Island have the kind of football passion that’s found in Wantagh.
The 2024 Warriors know all about tradition. The 2001 team that won the Long Island Championship is often around the current players; texting, encouraging them, coming to practices and reminding them what wearing the black and gold means.
The 2016 team that was the last LIC champ is also around; this year’s star running back Dylan Martini said “there’s so much support, at practices, around town, everywhere we go.
“Even if you’re not a football player, you know Wantagh is a football town. The bleachers are packed for pee-wee games.”
That pride has been back on display in force this season, as the Warriors avenged so many close calls in the playoffs in recent years to finally finish the job.
Wantagh dominated its first three playoff games in Class IV, earning the county title, then snapped a 34-game Bayport-Blue Point winning streak on Nov. 29 with a 29-21 win at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
It was one of a clean sweep of Nassau County wins in the four Long Island Championship games played over the weekend; Massapequa defended its Class I title with a 42-40 thriller over Floyd High School on Saturday.
It was running back Tyler Villalta powering the way for Massapequa again, as he ran for an incredible 243 yards on 39 carries, scoring three touchdowns.
For Wantagh, the win was the latest feather in the cap of legendary coach Keith Sachs, who in 32 years has built a program that wins year in and year out.
“Honestly it feels like we’re always a win or two away from doing this in the LIC, and this team just had the intangibles more than most others,” Sachs said. “These kids are so unselfish. And when your best player is that unselfish, the rest follow.”
That best player, Martini, is revered by teammates and coaches alike. Headed to University at Albany to play lacrosse next year, Martini is the kind of kid who pops into Sachs’ office all the time to make play suggestions.
“He’s coming in and saying things like “If I do this here, we can get Johnny the ball more easily,” Sachs said. “He’s constantly looking for ways to share the ball and get other kids involved. He’s never, not once, came with a suggestion for him to get the ball more. He’s just an incredibly special player and incredibly special kid.”
For the players, winning for their coach was at the forefront of their minds.
“There’s no one who cares as much as he does, he’s always there for us and we definitely wanted to win another one for him,” said senior linebacker Cole Spinelli.
“Sachs and the other coaches, we owe them so much,” added quarterback Ryan Conigliaro. “They’re there with us every day, for hours, pushing us and supporting us.”
While Wantagh steamrolled through most of the regular season, the only defeat coming to Plainedge, it finally faced some adversity in the championship game.
Against a Bayport-Blue Point team that was much bigger and stronger, the Warriors relied on Martini (142 yards) but much more than usual on Conigliaro. The senior signal-caller only averages about six throws per game, but in the LIC completed 13 of 16 passes and three TD strikes.
Wantagh pulled out all the stops to win, including a fake extra point that resulted in a successful two-point conversion, a Wildcat pass from Martini for a touchdown, and a hook and ladder play that resulted in a first down.
“I live for these moments, and I was just waiting for my chance,” Conigliaro said. “The offensive line gave me time and Sachs had faith in me.”
That faith was rewarded, and all those nights the Warriors players hung out after practice at the Cold Stone Creamery on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown built a team ready to withstand any challenge.
For Sachs, who was inducted into the Nassau County Athletics Hall of Fame two years ago, the wins get sweeter as he ages, since who knows how many are left in his storied career.
“We try so hard to overachieve with each team, but this group, there was no such thing as overachieving, because they’re such great kids and were at a high level all year,” Sachs said. “And this team … when you love your group of kids like we did this year, you never want the season to end.
“You just want to keep being with them for one more day.”
