D'Andre Mullings-Newberry, South Side hold off Seaford in Nassau III/IV crossover football game
Gavin D'Alessandro of South Side reacts after making a touchdown catch in the second quarter during a Nassau crossover football game against Seaford on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 in Seaford. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The crossover game between South Side, the preseason No. 1 seed in Conference III, and Seaford, Conference IV’s top seed, lived up to they hype.
South Side held a two-point lead late, but Enzo Casha blocked a punt to set Seaford up on the Cyclones’ 18 yard-line with 2:13 left. Two plays later, the Vikings had a fresh set of downs at the 8-yard line.
It was up to South Side’s defense to either create a turnover or force a field-goal try into wind gusts of more than 30 mph.
“We just had to dig deep and do whatever it takes to stop them,” D’Andre Mullings-Newberry said.
The senior defensive end batted a pass at the line of scrimmage on first down, Leonard Berry made a tackle for a loss of 2 on second down and pressure by Mullings-Newberry forced an incompletion on third down.
The 26-yard field goal try went up . . . and was completely knocked down in the end zone by the heavy wind, allowing South Side to kneel out a 14-12 win over host Seaford in a Nassau III/IV crossover game on Friday night.
Michael Lynch’s 24-yard touchdown run cut Seaford’s deficit to two points with 6:57 left in the third quarter. Seaford went for two to try and tie it at 14, but Mullings-Newberry and the South Side defense stopped the Vikings’ run just short of the goal line.
“I was just trying to go get whoever had the ball before they made it to the end zone,” Mullings-Newberry said. “Shea Owens was pulling him back and I was pushing him forward. We had a bunch of guys rally to the ball.”
Lynch broke a 47-yard run on Seaford’s opening drive and followed it with a 10-yard TD run to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead. Seaford lined up with quarterback Finn Curry flanked by Mikey Kofod and Brock Conway, and Lynch at tailback. Curry routinely flipped to Kofod, who handed to Lynch, who followed Conway’s lead blocks.
“That offense coach [Mike] McHugh ran was very tricky," South Side coach Phil Onesto said after his team improved to 3-0. "Seaford is a No. 1 seed for a reason.”
“That was the first time our starting defense gave up a point this season,” South Side running back AJ Magaraci said. “We had to respond. That was the most fired-up I’ve seen our offense.”
On South Side’s second drive, Magaraci ran in an 18-yard touchdown for a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter.
Later, Magaraci made a key block on a fourth-and-goal from the 16-yard line. That allowed Rob Cesario Jr. to fire over the middle to Gavin D’Alessandro, who made a leaping grab in the end zone for a 14-6 lead with 7:05 left in the second quarter.
It was D’Alessandro’s first catch of the season.
“With all the weather and the circumstances, that was our best play of the season by far,” Magaraci said.
Magaraci had 19 carries for 85 yards and a score and Ryan Solomon had an interception for South Side. Lynch had 11 carries for 131 yards and two scores for Seaford (1-2). Injuries to Seaford’s top two running backs have given Lynch and Kofod more opportunities.
“Michael Lynch was our fourth running back to start the season, but he won’t be, even when everyone is healthy. He’s earned some more touches,” McHugh said. “Hats off to Phil and the South Side staff, they do a great job and are great people. It was great to have a game like this against them.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
