SUFFOLK DIVISION 1: PREVIEW
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Sep 2008:
When you’ve won a Long Island-record 33 games in a row, everyone takes aim. Colonials coach Paul Longo’s response? “It’s fun. How exciting is that? “
It’s probably unrealistic to think Floyd can run the table again in 2008, having lost quarterback Joe Sidaras and running back Brock Jackolski along with four of its five starting offensive linemen.
“We’re just thinking about a championship,” Longo said.
Top players include linebacker Kevin Lacey, whom Longo calls the best in Suffolk, two-way lineman Tom Lindley and tailback Vaughn Magee.
Someone probably will knock off Floyd this year because Division I is balanced and deep. Sachem North is a serious challenger as the No. 2 seed, and Floyd also has toughies Lindenhurst, Longwood, Patchogue-Medford, Brentwood and Connetquot on its schedule.
Sounds like fun, right coach?
1. FLOYD (11-0)
Coach: Paul Longo (14th season).
Key players: Sr. RB/CB Vaughn Magee (5-10, 165); Jr. FB/LB Kevin Lacey (6-0, 200); Sr. G/DT Tom Lindley (6-3, 300); Sr. QB Steve Murphy (6-1, 200); Sr. FB/DE Marcus Muelthaler; Sr. DE Wayne Magee (6-1, 180).
On the Colonials: We are already in uncharted waters here. No Long Island school has ever won 33 straight football games nor has any team won three consecutive LI championships. That’s the streak Floyd is currently riding and even Longo acknowledged, “We’re going to lose one of these days.” Most likely it will be this season but that doesn’t mean Floyd won’t wind up on top in tough Division I. The defense looks sturdy, led by Lindley, Lacey and Magee. Where the Colonials really need the speedy Magee, though, is on offense, where he backed up All-LI tailback Brock Jackolski the last couple of years. “He gets his chance to show how good he is,” Longo said. So does Steve Murphy, last year’s starting tight end and this year’s replacement at quarterback for All-LIer Joey Sidaras. Murphy has shown plenty of elusiveness as a runner. But only Lindley returns on the offensive line, so don’t expect perfection again.
2. SACHEM NORTH (4-4)
Coach: Dave Falco (sixth season).
Key players: Sr. QB/S Craig Geoghan (6-1, 190); Sr. RB/S Anthony Quezada (5-9, 165); Sr. OT/DT Cong Tian (6-2, 305); Sr. OT/DT Sam Bishop (6-2, 285); Sr. WR/DB Drew Javetski (6-0, 185); Sr. OG/DT Dan Cancro (6-0, 230).
On the Flaming Arrows: It’s been five years since the mammoth Sachem school district split, diluting the talent. But Falco isn’t complaining now. “It’s the best group we’ve had since the split,” the coach said. He loves his senior quarterback Geoghan, who can run or throw from the spread and is an All-LI safety. Tian is one of the biggest and best two-way players on the Island. Quezada, who rushed for 1,201 yards last season, adds speed to the offense. As if playing at Floyd on a Friday night (Oct. 17) in the sixth game of the season isn’t enough drama, with the league title possibly on the line, North has something else on its mind. Said Geoghan, “We’re trying not to think about Floyd, but we want to be the first team to beat them.”
3. LONGWOOD (8-2)
Coach: Chris Meyer (second season).
Key players: Sr. FB/LB Moses White (6-0, 200); Sr. TE/LB Nick Mauceri (6-0, 195); Sr. QB Eddie Wess (6-1, 175); Sr. WR/TB/CB Nick Esposito (6-1, 185); Sr. OT/DT Chris Gonzalez (6-2, 240); Sr. G/DT Pat Caroll (6-1, 230).
On the Lions: Their only losses were to the powerful Colonials. Is this the year those results get reversed? Wess (1,113 passing yards, seven TDs), the versatile Esposito (354 yards rushing, two interceptions), Mauceri (44 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Gonzalez are three-year starters. White is a premier two-way player who had 78 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two interceptions and ran for 306 yards and three TDs last season. The defense is not afraid to blitz.
In memory of a fallen leader Connetquot football team honors Stan Hartnett, who died in automobile accident
Martin, Kimberley A. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Sep 2008
They carried him with them, just as they did their helmets and jerseys.
The Connetquot football team wore No. 14 decals on their helmets as they ran onto the field Friday night, but Stan Hartnett was there in more than just spirit.
Hartnett, a former Connetquot football and lacrosse co-captain, died July 29 in a single-car accident just a few weeks after graduating.
He will never be gone, they say, never forgotten.
“He’s always with us. We’re always thinking about him,” Connetquot coach Mike Hansen said.
The players had talked about Hartnett before their season opener. Perhaps that made the Thunderbirds’ 20-19 road loss to Division I rival Longwood all the more painful.
Fullback Moses White scored twice and tailback Walter Miles once for Longwood.
Halfback Michael Pellegrino scored a TD for Connetquot with five minutes remaining to bring the Thunderbirds within one. But a failed two-point conversion and a fumbled punt return with less than 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining ended all hope of a dramatic victory.
Hartnett missed his entire junior football season – as well as the basketball and lacrosse seasons – after injuring an anterior cruciate ligament in one knee. He devoted himself to the weight room and returned the following fall, bigger and stronger. Then, a week before his senior year, he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his other knee, which kept him sidelined a few more weeks.
Despite the setbacks, Hartnett’s smile never faded. He was always upbeat, always happy. And cocky. He had no doubt he would return, better than before. And that’s what people loved about him.
“He wasn’t a guy who folded under pressure – that’s where he shined,” Hansen said. “He wanted to be out there, he wanted the pressure on him. And he always answered the call.”
Hartnett was a natural leader. He was like “a magnet,” said senior Dylan Clifford, who hung out with Hartnett the night he died.
As Harnett lay in a Brookhaven Memorial Medical Center trauma room, his loved ones expected him to recover, just like he always had. But Hartnett, who had accepted a scholarship to play lacrosse at Briarcliffe College, had no more fight left in him.
“A kid like that, who is the definition of Connetquot football, is gone. It’s unbelievable,” said senior Andrew Grogan, who grew up in the same Lake Ronkonkoma neighborhood as Hartnett.
Hartnett gave so much of himself to others. And now, they are returning the favor.
The Connetquot community – as well as friends from other school districts – have rallied around the Hartnett family, including younger brother Steven, who wears Hartnett’s No. 14 on the ninth grade junior varsity team.
“What really struck me was the thoughtfulness of all the kids,” said Hartnett’s mother, Lynn. “… As tragic and horrible as it is, it’s beautiful because the support we’ve received is just phenomenal. I can’t imagine getting through this without the people that have supported us.”
The team, which also ordered wristbands bearing No. 14, have left his old locker – filled with his jersey, helmet and a full pack of his favorite drink, Red Bull – untouched. Just inside the locker room door hangs an inspirational quote of Hartnett’s.
In time, Hansen hopes to set up a memorial scholarship and to dedicate a new piece of athletic equipment and a plaque in the weight room in honor of Hartnett.
He’ll never be far from his teammates’ minds, or their hearts.
“I’ll be playing for him,” Grogan said. “Every game, every play. Everything is for Stan.”
Credit: BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN. [email protected]
DIVISION I FOOTBALL: FLOYD 24, LONGWOOD 15: The tips going their way Stoner’s TD catch of deflected pass helps Floyd to 35th straight
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 20 Sep 2008:
For just a moment, Rick Stoner didn’t know where he was. “I got the wind knocked out of me,” Floyd’s junior wide receiver said after being hit hard midway through the third quarter Friday night. “First thing I did was ask my coach, ‘Was it a touchdown?”‘
The answer was yes, indeed, on a tumbling 6-yard reception on a pass from Steve Murphy. Stoner was in paradise and the host Colonials had a 10-point lead on their way to a 24-15 victory over Longwood at Lincoln Ave. Field in Mastic Beach.
It was the second touchdown reception of the game for the 6-foot, 170-pound Stoner, who is in his first year on the varsity. His first one tied the score at 7 late in the second quarter on a 64-yard pass from Murphy that was tipped by a defensive back and landed on his shoulder as he broke free.
“We’re a young team and it’s nice to see one of our young players like Ricky step up,” said Floyd coach Paul Longo, whose team is 2-0 in Suffolk Division I and has a L.I.-record 35-game winning streak.
The Lions, who grabbed a 6-0 lead on their first play from scrimmage – a spectacular 68-yard run by Walter Miles after a clever pitch from quarterback Eddie Wess – are 1-1 and are the last team to beat Floyd, on Oct. 19, 2004.
Until Stoner (four catches, 135 yards, two TDs) and an overpowering second-half rushing attack rescued the Colonials, it looked as if the Lions could do it again. They not only scored first; they dominated the first half.
“I thought we came out with a good game plan. We practiced all summer for this game,” Longwood coach Chris Meyer said. “They have a very aggressive defense and we thought we could attack it with our option game. But then we had too many fumbles. We stopped executing.”
Longwood lost two fumbles late in the first half, but Floyd could not capitalize.
Murphy struggled (5-for-20 in the first half), so Longo abandoned his spread offense and went back to his wing-T, power-I attack that emphasized the run. It wore down the Lions and produced 17 second-half points and 154 of the team’s 218 yards rushing.
Vaughn Magee (120 yards on 20 carries) was a second-half force. He scored on a 5-yard run to make it 24-7 and had runs of 22, 11 twice, 13 and 20 as Floyd took advantage of two more lost fumbles by Longwood.
“I love carrying the ball,” said Magee, a senior who backed up Brock Jackolski. “The line stepped it up after we had a good talk at halftime. And our defense was great. The linebackers and the line put their hats on the ball every time.”
And Longo tipped his to Stoner.
Longwood 41, Bay Shore 14: Nick Esposito ran for three touchdowns, including a 37-yarder, and accumulated 200 yards of total offense to lead Longwood (2-1). Bay Shore is 0-3. Sept. 28
Longwood 27, Patchogue-Medford 0: Halfback Nick Esposito caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eddie Wess and halfback Walter Miles added a 4-yard scoring run with 15 seconds left as Longwood (4-1) took a 12-0 halftime lead. Esposito carried 12 times for 112 yards and Miles finished with 130 yards on 19 carries and two scores. Patchogue-Medford is 2-3. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Oct 2008:
DIVISION I: Esposito, Longwood stay hot
Anonymous. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 26 Oct 2008:
The Longwood football team continues to roll in Suffolk Division I. The Lions won for the fifth straight week with a 45-13 win over Brentwood. Halfback Nick Esposito carried eight times for 103 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 23 and 45 yards for Longwood (6-1). Tom Scala scored from nine yards out late in the third quarter to give Longwood a 38-0 lead. Jalisa Rehal became the first girl in Longwood football history to score as she connected on three extra point kicks. Brentwood is 3-4.
LONGWOOD 44, SACHEM NORTH 26: Offense is in overdrive Lions, hitting on all cylinders, score on 7 of 8 possessions -Oct. 4
They call this a statement game. In a division loaded with high-caliber football, Longwood put its high-powered offense into overdrive and came away with a thorough 44-26 win over Sachem North Friday night before a packed Homecoming crowd of more than 1,300 in Holbrook.
Senior fullback Moses White rushed for 134 yards on 15 carries, including touchdown runs of 1, 59 and 8 yards as Longwood scored on seven of eight possessions. The offense was dynamic in every way. Quarterback Eddie Wess was unflappable, ran the option to perfection and completed 6 of 8 passes for 101 yards as the offense rolled up 583 total yards.
“We were so up-tempo the entire game,” said Wess, a three-year starter. “We were popping big runs, making clutch catches and our guys never allowed the momentum to slip away. Our checks at the line were unbelievable.”
Longwood (3-1) opened the game with a nine-play, 50-yard touchdown drive. Wess hit Nick Esposito for 25 yards to key the march capped by Walter Miles’ 1-yard run. On the night, Esposito also had 101 rushing yards on 13 carries and two scores out of the option. The kick failed and the Lions led 6-0 with 8:30 left.
After Longwood forced the only punt of the first half, the Lions went 51 yards in five plays, capped by a 1-yard scoring run by White. The quick scoring drive was keyed by a fourth-and 4 play from the Sachem 44. Miles went back as if to punt and fired a pass off the long snap toward the Longwood sideline where Tom Scala stood uncovered. Scala raced 44 yards to the Sachem 1. The Sachem coaching staff screamed at the officials that Longwood pulled the old sleeper play, where a player steps off the sideline unbeknownst to the defense and runs a go route with no coverage.
“It was the turning point of the game because it put us down by two scores and they got away with it,” Sachem North coach Dave Falco said. “It was a good play on their part and a bad play on ours.”
Sachem (2-2) responded by going 60 yards in 10 plays with Anthony Quezada scoring on a 10-yard run. Drew Javetski’s kick made it 12-7 with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.
Longwood never turned off the offense. Receiver Sherif Saad keyed the third scoring drive with a spectacular leaping righthanded grab of a 36-yard pass from Wess at the Sachem 10.
“I had the d-back beat and I just reached up and made the catch,” said Saad, who had five receptions for 87 yards. “This was a big win for us and shows people we’re for real.”
Sachem closed to within 18-14 on Jesse Scanna’s 3-yard touchdown run with 2:41 left in the half. But White ripped off a 59-yard scoring run on a fourth-and-1 with 1:36 remaining as the Lions took a 26-14 halftime lead.
“We need to play better defense,” said Sachem QB Craig Geoghan, who competed 13 of 18 passes for 182 yards and had a 1-yard touchdown run. “This was a major disappointment.”
Longwood 27, Patchogue-Medford 0: Halfback Nick Esposito caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eddie Wess and halfback Walter Miles added a 4-yard scoring run with 15 seconds left as Longwood (4-1) took a 12-0 halftime lead. Esposito carried 12 times for 112 yards and Miles finished with 130 yards on 19 carries and two scores. Patchogue-Medford is 2-3. Oct 12
Longwood 14 14 0 0-28
Lindenhurst 7 0 0 13-20
Li — Vespier 80 kickoff return (Hartley kick)
Lo — Miles 38 run (kick failed)
Lo — Saad 25 interception return (White run)
Lo — Miles 17 run (kick failed)
Lo — Esposito 14 run (Miles run)
Li — Derham 10 pass from Vespier (Hartley kick)
Li — McGibbon 25 pass from Skon. Oct 19
Sachem East 9, Longwood 6: Will Hockenjos kicked three field goals to lead Sachem East (4-4). Hockenjos kicked his third field goal of the game with 3:34 left to put Sachem East ahead of Longwood (6-2) for good. Quarterback Joe Botti completed 15 of 25 passes for 134 yards and rushed 13 times for 61 yards for the upset win. Christian Lopez had seven tackles and one sack and Kyle Murray had eight tackles, forced a fumble and made a fumble recovery. Nov. 2
PLAYOFFS: 1st-round matchups: SUFFOLK
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Nov 2008:
(7) PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD (4-4)
at (2) LONGWOOD (6-2)
Moses White, Nick Esposito and Walter Miles will have the Longwood running game in high gear. Can the Raiders find the offense to compete?
Sarra: Longwood
Herzog: Longwood
DIVISION I: LONGWOOD 23, PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD 8 Miles’ big second half spurs Lions
McLAUGHLIN, COREY. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 08 Nov 2008:
The Longwood offense would like to forget the first half. Sloppy handoffs led to three fumbles and not much production. In fact, the Lions led by a touchdown at halftime only because of a lucky bounce into the end zone after one fumble near the Patchogue-Medford goal line.
The second half? It was much nicer. Two scores, no drops of the ball and crisp play all-around.
The result? A comfortable 23-8 win Friday night against No. 7 Patchogue-Medford in the first round of the Suffolk Division I playoffs at Longwood.
“I told them at halftime that I didn’t have any adjustments, we just had to hold on to the football and we’ll win the game. It’s really that simple,” said Chris Meyer, coach of second-seeded Longwood. “If you block and hold on to the football, you’ll win, and in the second half, we did those two things.”
Longwood running back Walter Miles, who rushed for 108 yards on 10 carries, spurred the change. The junior returned the second-half kickoff 55 yards to the Patchogue-Medford 35. Three plays later, another of Longwood’s talented backs, Moses White, rambled 29 yards for a touchdown, breaking armtackles along the way. A two-point conversion toss from Eddie Wess to Nick Mauceri put Longwood up 16-0 less than two minutes into the final half.
On Longwood’s next possession, it was Miles’ turn on offense as he took a counter-trey handoff 75 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. He ran through a wide-open hole and followed the blocking of tackle Chris Gonzalez nearly 50 yards downfield. Jaelisa Rehal’s extra point made it 23-0.
“It was mental,” Miles said of the difference between the two halves. “We got a speech at halftime that said we needed to kick it into gear, and that’s what we did.”
No doubt with help from Longwood’s defense. The Lions (7-2), who held Patchogue-Medford (4-5) to just 38 yards of total offense in the first half, stopped two key fourth-down plays in Longwood territory in the third quarter: once at the 25-yard line and again at the 13. P-M finally scored in the fourth quarter on Andrew Silva’s 8-yard run.
“We had to keep our heads,” Miles said. “Everyone doubted us because of the loss to Sachem East . But we clicked and showed everybody what we’re about.
PLAYOFFS: 2nd-round matchups: SUFFOLK
Sarra, Gregg; Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Nov 2008:
(3) CONNETQUOT (7-2) at (2) LONGWOOD (7-2), tomorrow at 6 p.m.
These teams opened the season with a 20-19 thriller won by host Longwood. The Lions came away with a win after a big stop on a two-point conversion run with about 4:30 left. Expect more of the same smashmouth football here. Inclement weather is expected again. Longwood‘s Moses White and Connetquot’s Jeremy Leggiero are two of Long Island’s top linebackers and will have a big say in what promises to be a hard-hitting nail-biter.
Sarra: Connetquot
Herzog: Longwood
DIV. I: CONNETQUOT 12, LONGWOOD 7 RB Zuco finally finds daylight
Ronis, Adam. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 15 Nov 2008:
The Connetquot offense didn’t have an easy time running the ball against Longwood Friday night. The T-Birds’ leading rusher Joe Zuco had 13 carries for just 43 yards with 6:46 left.
But on fourth-and-1 at their own 32 with 4:51 left and trailing by a point, Zuco took a handoff and burst through for a 27-yard gain.
Zuco continued to move the chains and scored on a 2-yard run with 1:15 remaining to lift No. 3 Connetquot to a 12-7 win over host No. 2 Longwood in a Suffolk League I semifinal.
Connetquot (8-2) will play No. 4 Lindenhurst at 7 p.m. Friday for the Division I championship at Stony Brook University. Lindenhurst upset top-seeded Floyd, 24-21, to end the Colonials’ Long Island-record 42-game win streak.
“We wanted to go with a dive,” Zuco said of the fourth-down conversion. “We were running away from [Longwood‘s] Moses White and I sprung free for a big gain.”
Said Longwood coach Chris Meyer: “Connetquot did a great job. That was a championship drive. That fourth-and-1 really hurt us. [Zuco] is a tough runner and that run broke our backs.”
The 13-play, 77-yard drive took 5:31 off the clock. Zuco had nine carries for 68 yards on the winning drive.
“They clogged the hole,” Zuco said, “but I just leaped over. I wasn’t doing too great most of the game. The field was real slippery. We were running outside too much. We just went north and south on that drive.”
“We dug down deep,” Connetquot senior Jeremy Leggiero said. “It all starts with the offensive line. They started to dominate and the backs just followed the holes. Our defense played well the whole game. They kept us in it.”
Longwood (7-3), which defeated Connetquot 20-19 to open the season, took over at its own 33 with 1:10 left, but on a third-and-17 play, Jon Sternbach intercepted a pass to seal the win.
Connetquot’s Michael Pellegrino returned the opening kickoff 35 yards to the 50. Two plays later, Ryan Andersen hit Sternbach, who hurdled a defender at the 35 and outran the defense for a 45-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Longwood had a great opportunity when Nick Esposito recovered a fumble. Longwood had a first-and-goal from the 8 but failed to score on four runs.
With 57 seconds left in the first half, Longwood‘s Eddie Wess hooked up with Tommy Scala for a 69-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 6. Jaelisa Rehal’s extra point made it 7-6.
Suffolk League I semifinal
Connetquot 6 0 0 6-12
Longwood 7 0 0 0-7
C – Sternbach 45 pass from Andersen (kick failed)
L – Scala 69 pass from Wess (Rehal kick)
C – Zuco 2 run (run failed)