Sports

Wagner earns tourney berth

After being besieged by Hurricane Sandy, Staten Island had a reason to feel good yesterday.

Dominique Williams rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead points with 5:54 left, and Wagner, full of residents from the beaten-down borough, clinched the Northeast Conference title and qualified for the FCS playoffs for the first time with a 23-17, come-from-behind victory over Duquesne.

The Seahawks (8-3, 7-1 NEC), who started 0-3 before running off eight straight wins, took an early 14-3 lead, but had to rally in the final quarter after Duquesne (5-6, 3-5) took the lead on a 5-yard TD run by quarterback Sean Bennett early in the fourth quarter.

Williams’ second touchdown run, from 1-yard out, capped an 11-play, 81-yard drive that gave the Seahawks the lead for good. Jerome Williams and Daevonte Barnett combined to tackle Bennett in the end zone less than two minutes later for a safety that capped the scoring.

Wagner quarterback Nick Doscher, the former minor league catcher and Moore Catholic grad from Staten Island, threw for 106 yards and ran for a career-high 88. Senior safety Sidiq Soulemana of The Bronx led the defense with 11 tackles.

Wagner, loaded with eight Staten Island products, will find out its opening-round opponent today at 1:30 p.m. on the ESPNU selection show.

zbraziller@nypost.com