Mineola Football Trounces Malverne to Improve to 4-2

In what was thought to be a rebuilding season for the Mineola High School varsity football is turning into a year of exceeding expectations for the Mustangs who won for the fourth time in five weeks Saturday, defeating Malverne by a score of 28-6.

Its offense clicking from the start, Mineola (4-2) jumped out to a 15-0 lead, scoring on two of its first three possessions, before adding 2 fourth-quarter scores to seal the win. Senior running back Brian Gaffney was a force all game, running for two touchdowns and a season-high 218 yards on 32 carries.

Junior quarterback Vinny Bienick continued his strong play, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown and tossing a 25-yard scoring pass to Matt Long to open the scoring. On the ensuing conversion, Gaffney, the holder on the extra points, took the snap, rolled to his right and passed to a wide open Lorenzo Gulinao for the two points and an 8-0 lead.

That smart play was a sign of things to come for the Mustangs, which offensively played its strongest game of the season. Gaffney added TD runs of 1 and 5 yards for the final margin of victory, a convincing road win that sets up the Mustangs for a playoff berth. As head coach Dan Guido has been preaching all season, “If we can play like this, we can beat anybody on our schedule,” but the key is to come ready to play.

Mineola’s unheralded defense again stood tall against a dangerous Malverne offense that possesses good speed on the edges. The Mustangs gave up just the second quarter score. Justin Oommen led the team with eight tackles, but as has been the case in all of its wins, it was a team-oriented defense that did the job.

With a 4-2 record, Mineola is tied for fourth place with two other teams in Nassau IV. Mineola will host Oyster Bay (1-5) on Saturday.