Sayville coach Rob Hoss said it best.

“Tackling Luke Martini is like trying to tackle a ghost,” Hoss laughed. “Now you see him, now you don’t.”

Such was the case for Nassau Conference III football teams. Martini was a wrecker of game plans. The elusive one rushed for 1,968 yards and 21 touchdowns, leading Wantagh to the conference championship.

“I thought he got better each week without question,” Carey coach Mike Stanley said. “He was one of the most dynamic players we played and well beyond his years. He’s certainly no typical sophomore.”

For his accomplishments, Martini, a halfback/outside linebacker, was presented Newsday’s 84th Tom Thorp Award as Nassau’s most outstanding player Wednesday night at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.

The announcement held historical signi

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