Sachem East vs Ward Melville

HIGHLIGHTS

Ward Melville 32, Sachem East 0: Nick Messina returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a score and added TD runs of 40 and 2 yards to go along with 138 yards rushing on 17 carries for host Ward Melville (4-2). Messina accounted for 233 yards of offense and three touchdowns, and a tenacious Patriots defense pitched a shutout before a homecoming crowd of nearly 1,000. The Patriots scored on the opening drive of the second quarter when senior quarterback Peyton Capizzi found Marcus Velez with a 20-yard touchdown pass to give Ward Melville a 12-0 lead just 1:21 into the period. The 6-4 Velez was a matchup nightmare for Sachem East (3-2) throughout the afternoon. The senior wide receiver had seven catches for 89 yards. Capizzi, who rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries, was 10 of 16 passing for 110 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Messina scored his second touchdown on a 40-yard scoring run with 4:16 left in the first half to give Ward Melville an 18-0 lead it would take into halftime. But one of Messina’s biggest runs would come later in the third quarter on a fake punt. Stephen Torrico threw a great block to spring Messina 21 yards on a fourth-and-4 from the Ward Melville 45. Three plays later, Messina scampered in from 2 yards out. He ended the day with 140 yards rushing on 17 carries. Capizzi found Nick Troy with the two-point conversion pass and the lead was 26-0. After Patriots cornerback Christian O’Toole recorded his second interception of the game, Troy scooted in from the Sachem East 20 to close the scoring.