LONG ISLAND FOOTBALL: SUFFOLK DIVISION I
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Sep 2010:
For the first time since the seismic split of the Sachem school district in 2005, one of its teams is the No. 1 seed. “It’s like Rex Ryan said, where else would you want to be?” Sachem North coach Dave Falco said. The Flaming Arrows deserve the preseason top spot, coming off a school-record 10-win season and returning three All-County players, led by bruising FB/LB Jesse Scanna. Already fast, North got an infusion of more team speed when the Crosson brothers transferred in from Shoreham-Wading River. “High expectations are a good thing,” Falco said. “It’s the fastest, strongest team we’ve had here in a long time.” Naturally, perennial power Floyd also will contend for the league title, with a team built on youthful speed, not power. The speediest is junior RB/CB Stacey Bedell and Division I Eastern powers have been quick to notice his impressive skill set. Colonials coach Paul Longo relishes the challenge of being the chaser. “Of course you want to be No. 1, but it’s nice not to be favored in every game for a change,” he said. “I’m curious to see how we’ll respond.” Floyd visits Sachem North on Oct. 23. Lindenhurst, Northport, Connetquot and Longwood should also make some noise.
1. SACHEM NORTH
FLAMING ARROWS
(10-1)
Coach: Dave Falco
(8th season)
Key players: Sr. LB/RB Jesse Scanna (6-0, 215); Sr. LB/RB Mike Andreassi (5-10, 190); Sr. OT/DT James Thompson (6-1, 275); Sr. QB/LB Angelo Armine (5-10, 175); Sr. OL/DE Tim Lang (6-1, 190); Sr. DB/RB Alec Katos (5-9, 175); Jr. RB/DB Dalton Crossan (5-10, 175).
About the Flaming Arrows: Won school-record 10 games before losing to Floyd in county championship game in 2009. Plenty of talent returns, led by returning All-Suffolk players Scanna, Andreassi and Thompson. Scanna may be the best linebacker in the county. Arrows have excellent team speed, which got a boost when Crossan, a two-way starter at Shoreham-Wading River, transferred into district.
2. FLOYD COLONIALS
(10-2)
Coach: Paul Long
(16th season)
Key players: Jr. RB/CB Stacey Bedell (5-11, 160); Sr. MLB William Brooks (5-9, 200); Sr. DT Anthony Tavarone (5-10, 300); Jr. DE Matthew Allen (5-10, 190); Sr. OL James Walsh (6-2, 265); Sr. OL/DL Matthew Bindman (5-11, 24); So. QB A.J. Otranto (5-11, 160).
About the Colonials: Longo refers to this group as the “Baby Colonials” because of its youth, typified by starting quarterback Otranto, a sophomore. But there is tremendous team speed and, as usual, the defense will fly to the ball. Bedell is a legit 4.42 speedster already on the radar screen of several Division I colleges. Tavarone anchors the defensive line.
3. LINDENHURST BULLDOGS
(5-5)
Coach: Nick Lombardo
(2nd season)
Key players: Sr. QB Steve Skon (6-2, 205); Sr. DE/TE Ted Mangione (5-11, 210); Sr. DE/OL Evan Wildberger (6-2, 225); Jr. Ken Skon (6-3, 215); Sr. DL/OL Mike Anding (5-10, 210); Jr. LB/FB David Fowler (5-11, 185).
About the Bulldogs: Mangione (46 tackles, four sacks) and Wildberger (31 tackles, eight sacks) lead a rugged defense expected to improve on the 22 points per game it allowed last season. Offensively, it’ll be the Skon Show, with quarterback Steve (1,860 yards passing, 17 touchdowns, 66 percent completions) throwing to his brother Ken (28 receptions).
4. NORTHPORT
TIGERS
(7-2)
Coach: Kip Lukralle
(25th season)
Key players: Sr. G/NG Lucas Vallas (5-10, 265); Sr. WR/S Jack Delahunty (6-3, 190); Sr. RB/CB Donovan Devaney (5-7, 170); Sr. QB John Laurine (6-1, 185); Sr. OT/DT Connor Walsh (6-2, 260); Sr. FB/LB Jesse Ferraro (6-0, 220).
About the Tigers: Even without graduated 1,000-yard rushers Tom Delahunty and Dan Russo, this team should have an explosive offense. Jack Delahunty (Tom’s brother) is an excellent receiver and along with Tom Cordts gives Laurine and couple of big targets. Vallas is an elite lineman and, like Walsh, is a returning two-way starter. Untested defense must mature.
5. CONNETQUOT THUNDERBIRDS
(4-5)
Coach: Mike Hansen
(8th season)
Key players: Sr. RB/LB Mike Pellegrino (5-9, 185); Sr. WR/S Tommy McInerney (6-0, 195); Sr. OL/DL T.J. DeGirolamo (5-11, 195); Sr. QB Kevin Jadick (5-11, 175); Sr. WR/S Steve Compitello (5-8, 170); Sr. TE/DE Nick Cascio (6-1, 205).
About the Thunderbirds: The skill positions are the team’s strength, led by Pellegrino, a returning Newsday All-Long Island selection in both football and lacrosse (the sport he’ll play at Johns Hopkins). Gained 1,122 yards with 13 touchdowns. He also made 50 tackles and two interceptions. Wideouts McInerney and Compitello should be an asset for first-year starting QB Jadick.
6. LONGWOOD
LIONS
(4-5)
Coach: Chris Meyer
(4th season)
Key players: Sr. G/DT Darius Greene (6-2, 260); Jr. C/NG Kevin Perretta (5-11, 220); Sr. QB/LB Eric Lee (6-1, 200); Sr. FB/LB Anthony Bullock (5-10, 205); Sr. TE/DT Dominique Desroches (6-2, 205); Sr. OT Connor Oglesby (6-3, 265).
About the Lions: This young squad expects a better start than last year’s 0-4 opening run thanks to some size and experience up front, led by Greene, who had 15 tackles and two sacks. Lee is a tested quarterback who threw for 576 yards and five touchdowns. Bullock is a power runner who had 302 yards and seven touchdowns.
LINDENHURST 27, LONGWOOD 6: From the start, Skon is hot Lindy’s quarterback throws three TD passes Mangione leads defense with 10 tackles, 4 sacks
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Sep 2010
They huddled together at the 29-yard line and Steve Skon called the first play of his final season at Lindenhurst. The three-year starting quarterback then fired a fine 15-yard pass to wideout Dave George and set the tone for the rest of a beautiful afternoon on the south shore in Lindenhurst.
Skon dissected the Longwood defense, completing 11 of 15 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs rolled to a 27-6 win in a Suffolk Division I opener before a crowd of more than 900.
On the first drive of 2010, Skon engineered a nine-play, 71-yard methodical march, completing all five pass attempts for 47 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown to senior Colton Haupt. Skon looked left before turning right and throwing a bullet to Haupt in the flat, who turned upfield behind a wall of blockers. Vin Valela added the extra-point kick to make it 7-0 with 7:38 left.
“It was a great start to the season,” Skon said. “Our guys ran disciplined routes and when our two primary receivers were covered our doubled, I checked down to the valve routes and they were open.”
The first drive featured five first downs, including a 16-yard pass to tight end Teddy Mangione.
“I’m the hot read,” said Mangione, who had three catches for 37 yards. “And Steve’s reads were right on all game.”
Lindy tackle Evan Wildberger recovered a fumble on Longwood‘s first possession at the Lions 38. But Skon’s first pass to his a wide open brother Kenny Skon, ricocheted off his facemask and into the arms of defensive back Victor Hickson.
“Oh, I was not happy right there,” Skon laughed. “He’s got great hands. I was knocked down and when I got up they had the ball. I wasn’t laughing at that point.”
Longwood went on a mesmerizing 15-play, 71-yard drive to the Bulldogs 1 yardline. The Lions failed to capitalize on the turnover when middle linebacker Josh Stewart, who had seven tackles, forced a fumble.
“We made big stops on defense,” said Stewart. “That play was huge. They’re a very physical team and we matched their intensity and then some.”
Longwood wasn’t done. The Lions, pinned deep in their own territory after Valela boomed a 69-yard punt to the 6, started another long drive.
The Lions went on a seven-play, 94-yard scoring drive, keyed by a 37-yard pass from Dan Farrell to Anthony Martuccio to the Lindy 27.
Junior Corey Wallace capped the march when he grabbed a 13-yard touchdown pass from Farrell with 3:13 left in the half. The two-point conversion run failed.
“We got penetration on the run and stuffed it,” said Mangione, who had 10 tackles and four sacks.
Clinging to a one-point lead, Skon went to work. He completed four passes for 43 yards and scrambled for 17 yards to the Lions 11 to set up a 6-yard scoring strike with 37 seconds left. This time Kenny Skon caught the ball on the break for the score. Valela made it 14-6.
Skon was on target again the second half. He directed a long scoring drive, moving 60 yards in six plays. Skon found a diving George with a 6-yard out at the pylon for a 21-6 advantage.
“Coach [Rick] Caravaggio has us doing comeback drills and scramble drills and everything,” said George. “We run our routes and Steve goes through all his reads. He was on target.”
Skon had plenty to be happy about yesterday.
Longwood 28, Central Islip 6: Devante Booker rushed 20 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and Jeremy Morgan was 4-for-4 on extra points for Longwood (1-1). Anthony Marone sent his only pass of the game for an 86-yard touchdown with 1:20 left in the second quarter to give Longwood a 21-0 lead at halftime. Eric Lee had 9 1/2 tackles and an interception. Central Islip is 1-1. Sept. 18
Longwood 0 6 14 0-20, Ward Melville 0 0 6 12-18 – Sept. 26
L – Wallace 2 run (run failed)
WM – Lucatuorto 6 run (run failed)
L – Bennet 42 pass from Farrell (Morgan kick)
L – Booker 8 run (Morgan kick)
WM – O’Hea 1 run (run failed)
WM – Lucatuorto 4 run (pass failed).
LONGWOOD 22, FLOYD 13: Booker helps thwart nemesis
Marcus, Steven. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Oct 2010:
The raucous celebration started on the field with the victorious Longwood players jumping up, down and all over each other in the euphoria of a 22-13 triumph over rival Floyd yesterday.
The good times continued in the stands where an estimated 3,000 fans stood and shouted, high-fiving each other and advancing toward the bleacher railing to deliver a collective shout-out to their team.
“This was one huge,” Longwood quarterback Danny Farrell said. “This one meant so much to our fans, our players.”
Floyd had won 12 of the last 13 meetings with Longwood, but this time, with potentially big implications in Division I, Longwood prevailed.
Floyd (4-1) next has a televised MSG Varsity showdown with division-leading Sachem North (5-0) Friday night, while Longwood (4-1) will have its own meeting with Sachem North in Week 7.
Longwood has served notice. “We’re here,” Farrell said. “Longwood‘s here.”
The victory was not sealed until Davonte Booker’s 16-yard touchdown run with 4 minutes, 9 seconds left. It came with Longwood holding a 14-13 advantage and right after Anthony Marone’s dash into the end zone for Longwood was negated by a holding call.
“It was an exciting moment,” Booker said. “Coach [Chris Meyer] said ‘Run hard, drop your head in the end zone.’ I had to stick it in.”
Taking care of the ball had been a problem all game for Longwood, which advanced to Floyd’s 2-yard line on its first possession before fumbling for the first of three times. Floyd speedster Stacey Bedell converted that first miscue into a 98-yard touchdown run.
“A little miscommunication,” Farrell said. “I fumbled the ball and they made a good play out of it.”
Farrell made up for that later in the first quarter when he raced 30 yards on a naked bootleg to tie the score at 7 with the extra point. “It was the same boot,” Farrell said, referring to the play call that proceeded the earlier fumble.
Longwood took a 14-7 edge just before halftime when Farrell connected with Jon Morgan on a 9-yard scoring pass. That was preceded by Victor Hickson’s 70-yard interception return to Floyd’s 11. “I did what I do all day in practice,” Hickson said. “We have a lot of skill in a lot of positions. I thought we could do what we did today and we did.”
Floyd closed to 14-13 in the third quarter on a 58-yard TD run by Bedell. In the fourth, Floyd advanced to the Longwood 35, but was stopped on fourth-and-inches. Longwood extended its lead on the next drive.
Longwood‘s defense was led by Darius Greene (10 tackles) and Cory Wallace (7 1/2). Booker led the team in rushing with 90 yards on 13 carries. Kavaughn Wiggins ran for 68 yards in three quarters before sitting out the fourth with leg cramps. It was only his second game back since missing the first three to work on his grades. He rushed for 170 yards last week.
“He’s a game breaker,” Meyer said. “He’s like our Bedell. He can touch it and be gone.”
Longwood 29, Bay Shore 25: Davonte Booker’s 13-yard TD run gave Longwood (5-1) a 29-13 lead with 11:50 left in the game Friday night. Kavaughn Wiggins rushed for 75 yards and three TDs and Corey Wallace rushed for 105 yards. Bay Shore is 3-3. Oct. 17
SACHEM NORTH 41, LONGWOOD 14 Armine passing adds an extra dimension
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Oct 2010:
The halftime music program included this classic oldie from Bill Haley and the Comets: “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” That pretty much described the Sachem North offense.
The Flaming Arrows, Newsday’s No. 1-ranked team in the Big 10, shook off tacklers, rattled the opposition into mistakes and rolled to their seventh straight victory, 41-14, over Longwood in a Division I game Friday night at Sachem North.
The offense, as usual, featured what coach Dave Falco likes to call “the three-headed monster” of running backs Mike Andreassi, Jesse Scanna and Dalton Crossan. But there was a wrinkle Friday night: Quarterback Angelo Armine actually threw several passes.
In fact, on the game’s first play from scrimmage – after a motion penalty – Armine hit Crossan on a deep slant for a 59-yard touchdown pass. “It was something we saw on film that we thought could work,” Falco said. “A man in motion like when we run, but a straight drop-back pass.”
Given that Sachem North’s rushing offense is its bread and butter, having an effective passing game is like having dessert before dinner. Armine (5-for-7) served up another tasty offering later in the first quarter – a 32-yard pass to Tyler Andreassi that set up Armine’s 1-yard sneak for a 20-0 lead.
It was a first-half offensive feast for the Flaming Arrows (7-0) who rolled up 191 of their 271 yards by intermission and a surprising 95 of their 120 yards passing in building up a 34-7 lead. Andreassi had 63 yards in that first half and scored on three short runs.
“That’s as balanced as we’ve been all year, in the first half,” Falco said. “That was a goal. Teams are loading up on the run. It’s a lesson we learned last year that we have to have the threat of a pass.”
Longwood (5-2) had a solution to stopping the Sachem North offense in the second half: Keep the ball away. The Lions, with Kavaughn Wiggins shouldering most of the load, controlled the ball for 7:25 on the first possession of the third quarter. But the drive stalled at the Sachem North 29.
After the Arrows’ first punt of the game, Longwood mounted another long drive from its own 10. But on a third-and-7, Crossan intercepted an overthrown deep pass down the middle and turned upfield. The junior used his exceptional speed to cut to the right sideline and went all the way for a 65-yard touchdown that made it 41-7.
Longwood showed off an impressive rushing attack of its own. Davonte Booker’s 57-yard burst set up a 4-yard run by Wiggins, who finished with 123 yards. Booker had 92.
But the main dish all night was Sachem North’s offense, a nice mix of rock and roll.
Longwood 39, Whitman 7: Anthony Marone rushed for 73 yards and two TDs on eight carries to lead Longwood (6-2). Whitman is 1-7. Oct. 31
FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Will we get an upset?
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Nov 2010:
Lindenhurst (4-4) at Longwood (6-2), 6 p.m.: In the season opener, No.6 Lindy quarterback Steve Skon sliced and diced the No.3 Longwood secondary for a 27-6 victory. The Lions have come a long way since that loss, winning six of the next seven games. The running game was bolstered by the return of Kavaughn Wiggins midway through the season. The Division I matchup promises to be a close one tonight.
Bennett, Wiggins all smiles as Longwood beats Lindy
By BOB HERZOG, November 5, 2010
His smile had enough wattage to provide his own set of Friday night lights. It went from ear to ear. Sideline to sideline. Goalpost to goalpost. “I was born with the nickname,” Dave (Smiley) Bennett said.
The Longwood linebacker/defensive back had plenty of reasons to flash his trademark expression. He made a key interception at his own 2 to stop one drive and was part of a defensive unit that staged a dramatic last-minute goal-line stand as the host Lions held off Lindenhurst, 13-7, Friday night, in a Suffolk Division I first-round playoff game.
“Look at him. He’s always smiling. Sometimes at the weirdest times,” said teammate Kavaughn Wiggins, who scored the winning touchdown with a 60-yard run on a pitchout around left end with 7:29 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“All game, I was running inside and they were chopping me,” said Wiggins, who also scored Longwood’s first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge and finished with 123 yards on 23 carries. “I needed to use my speed. I took a pitch, made a stutter-step move inside and cut outside. Then I was free. No one was going to catch me.”
It was on the next series that Bennett cut in front of Alec Wrieth at the Lions’ 2, and made the third interception of Lindenhurst quarterback Steve Skon. Linebacker Darius Greene made the other two, returning one 57 yards to set up Longwood’s first touchdown.
But the Bulldogs (5-4) got the ball back on the Lions’ 47 with 1:48 left. Even though Skon (15-for-31, 178 yards, one touchdown) did not have a huge game, he is dangerous. He completed a 10-yard pass to his brother, Kenny, and a 28-yard inside screen to John Elliott that put the ball on the Longwood 4 with 36.3 seconds left.
Skon tried a quarterback draw, but 295-pound Omari Palmer stopped that for a 1-yard loss, forcing the Bulldogs to use their last time out. The Lions (7-2) knew three passes to the end zone were coming.
SEE PHOTOSLongwood 13, Lindenhurst 7
“We tried to get in his face from the outside,” Longwood coach Chris Meyer said. “We didn’t sack him, but he was off target on those three passes. We made him hurry.”
Bennett defended Wrieth on the first, which was wide. “I knew I had to stay in my zone,” Bennett said. The next pass was behind Kenny Skon and the last pass of Steve Skon’s career sailed over the head of his brother in the left corner of the end zone.
At that moment, Bennett wasn’t the only Lion smiling.
FOOTBALL PREVIEW: A historic weekend?
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Nov 2010:
Longwood at Floyd, 1 p.m.: All eyes will be on this Suffolk Division I rivalry. Longwood (7-2) won, 22-13, in Week 5 but Floyd (7-2) has won 12 of the 14 meetings since 1999. The teams are 2-2 all-time in the playoffs. Will it be Stacey Bedell and Floyd or Kavaughn Wiggins and Longwood moving on?
Staff selections
Gregg Sarra Andy Slawson Bob Herzog Chris Mascaro Carl Reuter
St. Anthony’s St. Anthony’s St. Ant. St. Ant. St. Anthony’s
Garden City Garden City Garden City Garden City Garden City
East Islip W.Babylon East Islip W.Babylon W.Babylon
Bellport Bellport Bellport Bellport Bellport
Floyd Floyd Floyd Longwood Longwood
FLOYD 26, LONGWOOD 22: Miller makes difference Runs for 3 TDs, makes key sack to lead Colonials Sachem North up next in Suffolk final on Friday
Mascaro, Chris. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Nov 2010
When Floyd needed an inch on fourth down, Luke Miller got 55 yards. When the Colonials needed a stop late in the game, Miller got a sack. And when Longwoodneeded some love after another tough loss at Floyd, Miller provided it.
For the third time in the last four years, Longwood‘s season ended at Floyd, this time with a 26-22 decision in a Division I semifinal yesterday.
Miller rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, and also had a sack and recovered a fumble as No. 2 Floyd (8-2) advanced to the county final for the seventh time in eight years. Undefeated Sachem North awaits Friday night at Stony Brook.
“Right now, we’re going to let this one soak in,” Miller said. “It’s going to be a tough test. [Sachem North] blew us out the first time we played [40-6 in Week 6].”
Floyd coach Paul Longo said he’d celebrate this win “for about two hours” before firing up the video machine in preparation for the machine that is Sachem North.
Miller got the Colonials past the No. 3 Lions (7-3) with an extraordinary all-around effort. Floyd held a 20-15 lead with seven minutes to play, facing fourth-and-inches on its own 45. Miller took a handoff off-tackle right and bolted 55 yards down the sideline for the touchdown to make it 26-15. It was Miller’s third TD of the game after a pair of 1-yard scores.
“He’s a great short-yardage back,” Longo said about calling Miller’s number on fourth down. “He’s not going down unless there’s three guys in the backfield. The touchdown’s a nice bonus.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Miller made a touchdown-saving tackle on Dave Bennett. But it didn’t take Longwood long to score regardless. The Lions drove 56 yards in 1:09 with Kavaughn Wiggins (188 yards on 34 carries) taking it the final 7 yards for his second touchdown.
Longwood regained possession with 3:41 to play down four. But consecutive sacks by Miller and Anthony Tavarone brought up a fourth-and-27, which the Lions couldn’t convert. Will Brooks, who had an interception, said, “It was basically a war out there.”
A gentlemanly war at that. On the handshake line after the game, Miller, the last player on Floyd’s line, hugged each Longwood player. Miller took so long, he nearly missed Longo praising him during the postgame speech. “When you play a great team like Longwood, it’s a battle to the last minute,” Miller said. “It’s kind of sad we’ll never play our rivals again.”
Miller, one of only 14 seniors on the Floyd roster, won’t play on his home field again. Not included in that group is sophomore quarterback A.J. Otranto, who was 9-for-12 for 119 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Grimm to put Floyd up for good, 13-9, with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Miller took control from there.
“The adrenaline was kicking in during the game, but right now, I’m starting to feel it,” Miller said before walking off the field (the last Floyd player to do so) with a big smile. “I’m overwhelmed.”