HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW 97 / Patchogue’s on the Defense:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Sep 1997:

SUFFOLK DIVISION I SEEDINGS

1. Patchogue-Medford: There is a wealth of experience and some of Long Island’s finest players back to defend the Long Island Class I championship. But coach Bob Sconone believes the team needs to mature in a hurry to be successful, and hopes senior leadership provides that direction. Senior linebacker Derric Rossy and halfback Mike Funaro are key players. The offense is strong once again and the defense, which allowed a division-low 70 points, has seven starters returning.

2. Sachem: The Flaming Arrows have reached the playoffs for 16 straight years and have won five league championships during that span. They finished the regular season unbeaten (8-0), but lost in the division title game to Patchogue. The Flaming Arrows will have to wait until the season finale to seek revenge on the Red Raiders. Three-year starter Jesse Brush, a junior, will move from fullback to offensive tackle to shore up the line. He will play alongside junior center Jason Mauro (6-0, 221). Senior halfback Eric Martinez (5-10, 170) shared the load last year with two other backs and will be relied upon heavily this year. Martinez rushed for 704 yards and scored nine touchdowns as a junior and will get help from wide receiver Derek Brady (5-10, 181), who had 19 receptions for 344 yards and four scores.

3. Longwood: The return of Hansen Award winner Marc Riley makes the Lions a serious contender for the division title. Riley, a team co-captain, gained 1,971 all-purpose yards and scored 116 points as the first junior to earn the award, which is given to Suffolk’s top player. Co-Captain Tim Reany (6-3, 240), a senior, earned All-Division honors last season as a junior in his first year of organized football. Reany was the second-leading tackler on the team and also was a factor on the offensive line.

4. Brentwood: Senior quarterback Oscar Alcantara (5-9, 175) is back for an Indians team that reached the playoffs with a 5-3 record last year. Senior linebacker David Irrizzary (6-1, 195) is back to lead the defense for Brentwood, which is young and has speed at the skill positions. First-year coach Bob Kolar takes over for Vin DeRiggi, who will coach the district’s ninth-grade team.

5. Floyd: Tied for the final playoff spot with a 5-3 record last year, but missed the Big Four in the tiebreaking criteria. “We were eliminated when they went deep into the tiebreaking procedures,” coach Paul Longo said. The Colonials are experienced at the skill positions, but lack experience on the line. Only one lineman returns. Junior quarterback Joel Barone (6-2, 195), an All-Conference player as a sophomore, and junior halfback Maceo Clinton (5-10, 165) are back. Senior linebackers Joe Cicero (6-1, 225) and Evan Link (6-0, 200) will anchor the defense.

6. Smithtown: Offensive coordinator Brad Rock takes over as head coach and has 17 players returning from last year’s team. The Bulls have had an excellent passing attack in recent years, but must prove they can run the ball and play defense. Two quarterbacks with experience return: senior Chad Nuzzi (5-10, 170) and sophomore Brad Rock Jr. (6-3, 184). The main targets will be tight end Mike Javidi (6-5, 225) and wide receiver Pat Miceli (5-8, 155).

7. Connetquot: Coach Nick Masi will start 10-12 underclassmen to try and improve on last season’s 2-6 record. Junior Heath Hocoluk (6-1, 200), a first-year starter at quarterback, will be counted on to lead way.

8. Ward Melville: Much of the Patriots’ success will depend on how well senior quarterback Matt Denzler (6-foot, 175) adapts to his starting role. Look for Craig Perrino’s team to be strong at linebacker, where junior Dave Savage (6-foot, 230) should make an impact. The Patriots showed signs of improvement in 1996, but lost 15 starters from a 4-3-1 team.

9. Lindenhurst: Still reeling after two years of heavy graduation. Finished at 3-5 last season. Five starters return on offense and only three defensively. Three-year starter Iggy Gomez (6-0, 215), a senior guard, senior quarterback Adam Chardavoyne (6-4, 210) and senior defensive back Jesse Phillips (5-10, 165) lead the way.

10. Bay Shore: Phil McLean (6-1, 175), a junior All-Conference running back, is one of the few starters returning for coach Tim Cox, whose team went 6-2 last season. The Marauders lost eight starters, each of whom played both sides of the ball, and will be hard-pressed to compete as they move into Division I from II.

11. Commack: The Cougars finished 3-5 last season, and are hoping to improve with the return of All-County senior fullback Steven Efstathiadis (6-0, 195), who gained 820 yards rushing, 320 yards receiving and scored eight touchdowns. He will get help from senior quarterback Nathan Ajiashvili (5-10, 180), an All-Conference selection who had 11 touchdown passes and threw for 1,100 yards.

12. Centereach: Senior quarterback Adam Barrett (6-1, 195), who threw for 1,813 yards and 15 touchdowns, wingback Matt Ziminski (5-11, 185) and two-way tackle Tom Beyer (6-4, 280) return to a team that didn’t win a game last season. Senior linebacker Scott Gelber (6-foot, 210), the Cougars’ leading tackler (43 solos), also returns.

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Sep 1997

Longwood 33, Bay Shore 12: Give Suffolk’s premier player the ball on a play called “The Mad Dog Special,” and how can you go wrong?

Marc Riley, last season’s Hansen Award winner as Suffolk’s top player, scored the first time he touched the ball for the second year in a row when a trap play sprung the senior halfback 67 yards up the middle on the first play from scrimmage. The play was designed by line coach Joe Peterson, a.k.a. “Mad Dog.”

Riley, who scored the first time he touched the ball last season on a punt return, ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries and the Lions totaled 341 yards on the ground. He also scored twice on 8-yard runs as Longwood opened a 19-6 first-quarter lead. Quarterback Eric Hatkewitz rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown running the option. Linebacker Chris Fanning (8), cornerback Kevin Sturmer (7) and lineman Steven Perretta combined for 20 tackles to lead the Longwood defense.

Longwood 54, Ward Melville 7: Halfback Marc Riley ran for 161 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. He scored two first-half touchdowns of 28 yards and 1 yard as Longwood (2-0) built a 20-7 lead. Ward Melville (0-2) allowed 425 yards of total offense, including 360 rushing. Defensive back Frank Gandiosi had one interception and one sack and defensive tackle Steven Perretta had four solo tackles and one sack to lead the Lions’ defense. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Sep 1997: 

Sachem-Longwood Set For Another Epic Battle:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 04 Oct 1997

Sachem and Longwood played a magnificent Division I football game last season. Sachem coach Fred Fusaro called it, “One of the greatest wins in my 26 years coaching.”

It was the opposite for Joe Cipp III, in his first year as Longwood coach. “You can’t forget a game like that,” he said. “But I’d like to.”

Sachem negated one of the more herculean efforts by Hansen Award-winning halfback Marc Riley and pulled off a stunning comeback victory. Riley rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Longwood built a 26-7 lead. He was held to 31 yards as Sachem used a rousing second-half surge to edge the Lions, 27-26.

Sachem (2-0) travels to Longwood (2-0) for a 2 p.m. game Saturday. Longwood has the highest-scoring offense in the division (43.5 points), but Sachem’s defense is allowing only 7.5 points.

Sachem’s running game is led by Eric Martinez, who had 177 yards and touchdown runs of 53 and 64 yards in a 37-12 win over Connetquot last week.

Fusaro knows Riley, a senior, is the gamebreaker his Flaming Arrows need to stop. He also understands that Riley hasn’t forgotten last year’s ending.

Riley took a slant pass and moved through the Sachem defense as time expired. As a crowd of 4,300 gasped with his every step, Riley was finally tackled after a 31-yard gain at the Sachem 34. Game over. See you next year.

“He’s the best back I’ve ever seen out there,” Fusaro said. “He’s a man out there. I look at the tape and I admire him. Our defense is geared to stop him.”

But can it?

DIVISION I: Fusaro said he finds it difficult to follow other teams in the division because he is so focused on the opponent at hand. “I’m happy for the kids at Centereach and Commack because of all the turmoil and coaching changes they’ve endured,” he said. “It’s good to see them winning.” Centereach (2-0) will travel to Smithtown (0-2) to try and match its best start in 10 years. The Cougars are looking for a third successive win, something they did in 1987. Commack (2-0) is at Floyd (1-1) tomorrow.

Line Paves Way for Sachem:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Oct 1997

Halfbacks, quarterbacks, wideouts, basically all skill guys get the spotlight. They are the touchdown makers, gamebreakers and the ones everyone in school knows by their first name.

At Sachem, the student body better “Brush” up on getting to know its offensive line. Because those guys get it done – and in a big way.

Sachem ran the ball on 52 of 60 offensive plays, behind tackle Jesse Brush and the rest of the line, to gain 291 yards and run Longwood off its home field, 42-20, yesterday in a Division I football game.

Sachem taught Longwood about clock management, ball control and line dominance, using 34:13 of the game’s 48 minutes. Halfback Eric Martinez, who was part of a triumvirate of running backs last year, emerged as the biggest benefactor of Sachem’s superior line play, gaining 133 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns.

“They blew us off the ball,” Longwood coach Joe Cipp III said. “I expected a shootout. But our defense couldn’t get the football back. And we turned the ball over four times.”

Longwood found out just how costly turnovers can be as two interceptions and a fumble inside the Lions’ 10-yard line led to two short Martinez touchdown runs. In the third quarter, Sachem linebacker Peter Dowling returned one interception 37 yards for a score and defensive end Pat Kelly picked off a screen pass and returned it to the Lions’ 6, setting up Martinez’ 5-yard scoring run.

“Things went our way today and they made some bad decisions on the field,” Sachem coach Fred Fusaro said. “Our line was excellent and our linebackers played well. We knew we had to contain {Marc} Riley and not allow the cutback runs that make him so dangerous.”

Riley found no cutback lanes and the Sachem defense refused to give him the big play. His longest run of 33 yards came on Longwood‘s first drive. He finished with 120 yards on 18 carries and added a 49-yard scoring reception from quarterback Eric Hatkewitz at the end of the first half to get the Lions within 14-13.

“We just didn’t come here to play,” Riley said. “They wanted it more.”

Sachem quarterback Frank Nola (5-for-8, 89 yards) opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown strike to Mike Miller with 7:14 left in the first quarter. Hatkewitz tied it when he scored on a 21-yard scramble with 8:53 left in the second quarter.

“I thought we could move the ball all day,” Riley said. “But we never held them on defense.”

Fullback Doug Maranda gained 96 yards on 16 carries and added a 2-yard scoring run with 4:55 left in the third quarter to tie the score at 20. Pat Schneph kicked the third of his six straight extrapoints to give the Flaming Arrows a lead they never relinquished.

“We didn’t want to let up the big play and we stressed to swarm to the ball on defense,” said Brush, also a linebacker. “And on offense, we sustained our drives and finished them off. The game was won on offense.”

So remember these names at the next Sachem football game. Tackles Brush and Sean Fitzmorris, guards Mike Loper and Chris Bendetto, center Jay Mauro and tight ends Pat Kelly and Gary Carruthers. They make up the drivetrain of Sachem’s four-wheel machine.

Fun-aro Day for Patchogue:

By Jason Molinet. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Oct 1997:

Longwood tailback Marc Riley picked up the phone and called Patchogue-Medford linebacker Derric Rossy on Thursday night. The two friends and rivals talked about college and the big-time Division I schools that are recruiting the All-Long Island football players. They assured each other about their respective futures, and just how limitless the possibilities seem.

But most of all, they reveled in the excitement of playing Sunday. No, not in the NFL. Not yet, anyway. They were looking ahead to yesterday, when their schools would clash in one of the most widely anticipated matchups on Long Island and certainly one of the most meaningful Division I games of the season.

Rossy apparently took the phone call to heart. He led an angry defense that played as if Riley – Newsday’s 1996 Hansen Award winner as the premier player in Suffolk County – had called collect.

It helped Patchogue turn a tight halftime advantage into a 34-7 victory over Longwood before 2,500 at home in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff game won by Patchogue, 30-6.

The Red Raiders battered the Riley-led offense. Rossy (14 tackles, three for losses) and Co. held Riley to 45 yards on 17 carries, and a single yard in the second half as the Lions managed a sparse 144 yards of total offense.

“This was real test for our defense and we came through,” said Rossy, who was aided by noseguard Mike Orlandi’s six-tackle, two-sack day.

Patchogue (4-0) has surrendered 14 points this season.

“I knew we had a good defense, but I’m really impressed with how great a job we’ve done,” said 5-11, 215-pound senior Mike Funaro, who carried the load offensively and had an interception at safety.

As dominating as the Red Raiders defense was, their offensive line was even more overbearing. Funaro rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and fullback Greg Murphy added 165 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts, part of a 433-yard ground attack.

Through four games, Funaro has 696 yards and 13 touchdowns on 69 carries. He had eight runs longer than 10 yards yesterday, including touchdowns from 25, 51 and 30 yards.

“Funaro has good vision on the field and he made a number of good cutbacks that went for big yardage,” Riley said.

With Riley (who was held to under 100 yards for the first time in his two years as a starter) doing his best Rossy imitation, the Lions jumped ahead early. Playing cornerback, the 6-2, 205-pound Riley blindsided Red Raiders quarterback Mike Cirigliano in the backfield, jarring the ball loose late in the first quarter. Riley fell on it for the Lions’ second fumble recovery of the game. Nine plays and 3:44 later, Riley capped a 32-yard drive – kept alive with a fourth-down scramble by quarterback Eric Hathewitz – with a 3-yard scoring run with 11 minutes to go in the half.

The Red Raiders responded with two second-quarter scoring drives of 79 and 75 yards, highlighted by long Funaro scoring runs, to take command and a 13-7 lead into halftime.

“We knew Patchogue was going to come back tough,” said Riley, who rushed for 483 yards on 46 carries heading into the game. “That’s the type of team they are. They don’t like people scoring on their home field and we did. They took it personal. And they took it to us.”

Longwood (2-2) fell apart in the second half. Now it’s in a .500 hole, looking up at unbeaten Patchogue, Sachem and Centereach and Floyd (3-1).

All that remains in Patchogue’s quest for a Division I title is the defending divisional champ, Sachem. The way it looks, both teams could easily be unbeaten when they meet at Patchogue on Nov. 8, the final week of the regular season.

The Red Raiders’ defense will only get better, though. “We’re stronger, a little faster – we’re ready to bang,” Rossy said.

Longwood 40, Connetquot 26: Longwood‘s offense was keyed by senior tailback Marc Riley, who exploded for 279 yards on 32 attempts and three touchdowns, and Fadi Abirafeh, who added 72 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Longwood (4-2) had 482 yards rushing. Sophomore tailback Tim Fisher rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown for Connetquot (0-6). Abirafeh added eight tackles and Kevin Willi had seven tackles for Longwood. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 26 Oct 1997

Longwood 17, Smithtown 0: Marc Riley, the defending Hansen Award winner, was at it again, showcasing his awesome repertoire in Division I.

Not only did the senior running back gain 136 yards on 26 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run, he also sealed the win by returning a punt 55 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Frank Gandiosi added 65 yards on eight carries as Longwood improved to 5-2.

Stephen Perretta had six tackles and two sacks and Kevin Sturmer added three tackles and one sack to key the shutout. Teammate Kevin Willi contributed seven tackles and an interception. Smithtown falls to 2-5. Nov. 4

High School FOOTBALL WEEK 8 / Brentwood Lives / Rally earns Indians playoff spot, ousts Longwood:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Nov 1997

No football team knows frantic finishes like Brentwood. The Indians have seen three games this season come down to the wire. Two of those have resulted in heart-wrenching losses – the other in a bittersweet tie.

Yesterday, teetering on the brink of postseason elimination, Brentwood desperately needed to feel the thrill of victory. The significance of the Division I thriller at Longwood carried larger implications than a regular-season game. At stake was a playoff berth. A loss meant elimination and a win, qualification. Indeed, this was a playoff game.

Yesterday, the Brentwood season took a different turn as the Indians used a fourth-quarter rally for a 21-16 victory at Longwood before 400 rain-soaked fans. Quarterback Oscar Alcantara scored on a sneak behind center Dave Santiago from 3 yards with 3:59 remaining in the game to cap the decisive 52-yard, 12-play drive.

“The noseguard went to slant the gap and I got my hands underneath him and moved him out,” Santiago said. “It was an easy touchdown. But my main goal was not to fumble the exchange out there. We kept the balls dry and I got a good handle and made sure he {Alcantara} had it before I left to block.”

It took a huge defensive stop as time expired to ultimately send the Indians (4-3-1) playoff bound. Longwood (5-3), however, was eliminated from the playoff picture.

“We’re done,” said Longwood senior Marc Riley, last year’s Hansen Award winner. “This was our final performance. They stepped up and played a great game. They rebounded in the fourth quarter and we didn’t.”

The Indians’ defense swarmed Riley (21 carries for 151 yards) at the Indians’ 12 as time expired. Riley took a dump pass from quarterback Frank Gandiosi at the 15 and darted inside before the defense collapsed on him.

“There was no where to run,” said Riley, who broke the school single-game rushing record with 279 yards in a 40-26 win over Connetquot two weeks ago. “I tried to shake ’em but there were too many guys. Maybe if it was a little drier . . . Naahh . . . They did the job.”

Brentwood built a 15-0 lead before Longwood mounted a second-half comeback. Alcantara threw a 59-yard, play-action pass to tight end Jason Mejia for a first-quarter score and Derek Williams added a 5-yard touchdown run in the second. On the extra-point attempt, Jason Lambert scooped a bad snap and ran for the two-point conversion.

“He {Mejia} got off the line pretty good and we play-faked the fullback Williams,” Alcantara said of his touchdown pass. “The defense stepped up and he {Mejia} was all alone.”

Longwood forged a 16-15 lead with 11:17 left in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 straight points after three poor punts. The Lions capitalized on Lambert’s 12-yard punt with 48 seconds left in the half, getting a Dan McKinney 37-yard field goal to make it 15-3 with three seconds left.

Longwood kept that momentum in the second half after Brentwood‘s first possession stalled at the Indians’ 48 and Lambert shanked a 2-yard punt out of play.

“We had a couple of bad punts into the wind,” Brentwood coach Bob Kolar said. “We were trying to hit the sideline and keep the ball away from Riley. The wind was a big factor.”

Three plays after the shank, Riley went 44 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 7:25 left in the third quarter and McKinney’s kick made it 15-10.

On Brentwood‘s ensuing possession the wind factored in again as Lambert only got off a 12-yard punt to the Longwood 37. The Lions drove 63 yards in 11 plays before Gandiosi went on an option left and faked the cornerback with a pump to Riley before cutting inside for the end zone and a 16-15 lead.

“I was nervous no doubt about it,” Kolar said. “But I knew our kids have that resiliency in tight finishes. They’ve been through it before.”

So as Longwood moved from its 44 to the Brentwood 13 with 40 seconds to play, forgive the Brentwood faithful from covering their eyes. They’d been there and seen this before. But for the second consecutive year Brentwood held off a frantic Longwood finish to reach the playoffs.

Last year, cornerback Ernie Joseph intercepted a Longwood pass and the Indians held on for a 28-25 win to earn the final Division I playoff spot.

This year, the Indians gang-tackled one of the best halfbacks in county history – 12 yards short of paydirt.

The payoff – the playoffs.