No. 6 Oceanside forces seven turnovers in Nassau I quarterfinal win over No. 3 East Meadow
Dillon Tveter #1 of Oceanside streaks toward the end zone for a 64-yard touchdown reception as Brian Kraemer #10 reacts to to play during the third quarter of the Nassau County Conference I football quarterfinals against host East Meadow on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Credit: James Escher
Oceanside football’s defense wanted to create havoc Saturday, and the recipe worked to perfection.
The No. 6 Sailors had four interceptions and three fumble recoveries, forced two turnovers on downs and never allowed No. 3 East Meadow to take a snap inside Oceanside's 35-yard line in an emphatic 26-7 win in a Nassau Conference I quarterfinal at East Meadow High School.
“Our defensive staff did an outstanding job game-planning and then putting together a plan for us, putting our guys in the right spots,” Oceanside coach Rob Blount said. “And hats off to the kids, they just executed.”
Oceanside (6-3) will meet No. 1 Massapequa (9-0) in the Nassau I semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday at Hofstra. East Meadow, which was ranked 10th in Nassau I heading into the season, finishes 7-2.
“Great team win, great team 'D,' great team 'O,' " junior wide receiver/defensive back Dillon Tveter said. “We practiced real hard for it, and it all came down to us preparing, and we executed.”
Tveter starred on both sides for the Sailors, finishing with two interceptions and four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Oceanside opened the scoring with sophomore quarterback Luke Villella’s 1-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked, but Oceanside led 6-0 with 7:55 left in the first quarter.
Oceanside senior defensive back Chris LaLima intercepted East Meadow senior quarterback Kevin Canto at the East Meadow 30-yard line in the second quarter, setting up a 30-yard field goal by Ryan Pender with 1:53 left in the half. Oceanside led 9-0 at halftime.
East Meadow had five drives in the first half, turning the ball over five times — three lost fumbles and two interceptions.
The Sailors extended their lead to 16-0 as the third quarter expired, with Villella feeding Tveter for a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown. A second Pender field goal and Justin Diez’s 51-yard touchdown run gave the Sailors a 26-0 lead with 4:50 left.
Jayson Costabile put the Jets on the board with a 57-yard touchdown run with 1:43 remaining. Saturday marked the final game for East Meadow coach Vinny Mascia, who is retiring after 21 seasons.
The Sailors had one previous meeting with Massapequa this season, falling 21-6 at home on Sept. 30.
“We’re back with Massapequa again, and it seems like they’ve had our number for the last couple years,” Blount said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board and try to chop it up, and we’re the 6 seed playing with house money.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
