“We couldn’t be more excited for Isaiah,” first-year Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “He showed everybody what we all think he’s capable of.”

As did senior fullback Malcolm Stowe, who ran for 147 yards and a score and was stout at linebacker, helping the Lions dominate both sides.

This was a matchup of the preseason fourth and fifth seeds, as the teams had 3-6 records. But Longwood — along with a 42-7 drubbing in last year’s meeting — shows there’s a considerable divide.

“We can be dominant,” linebacker Marquise Marshall said. “I think we’re great, it’s just a matter of proving it repeatedly.”

White’s 49-yard TD scamper put Longwood on the board late in the first quarter. He exploded off right guard with great blocking, juked left and outran the pursuit. He scored again on a sweep left from 4 yards in the second, and Stowe’s two-point conversion run made it 14-0.

Marquis Simpson hit Jelani Green for a 33-yard TD on a fade, then Stowe had a 35-yard TD run just before halftime. Jamal Schuman’s 4-yard TD plunge created the margin with 5:53 remaining. Andrew Ferriolo and Sean Rausch each had an interception for the Lions.

“This was great for everybody, especially Isaiah,” said Stowe, White’s best friend. “Getting on the field gave ‘Zay’ a chance to relax a little, and he did his thing.”

White, Stowe: Off and running

Haynes, Stephen. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Sep 2014: A.33.

Isaiah White was anxious for this game – more so than for any other before. A season opener at home to begin his senior year, and finally the talented tailback was healthy. The Longwood star was slowed by a concussion two years ago, and a fractured right hip cost him all but three games last season.

White‘s body is reinvigorated, but he entered last night emotionally drained. His uncle, David Brown, died Tuesday and he attended the funeral Thursday, shortly before a team meeting.

“We were close,” White said of his uncle. “He used to spoil me and buy me shoes all the time … This week was rough, so I couldn’t wait to play, be with my team and take my mind off it.”

As it so often does, the field offered a respite. It also provided White a platform to showcase what Longwood longed for in his absence.

He dazzled, showing burst, power and elusiveness in racking up 164 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, leading the Lions over Brentwood, 49-0, in Suffolk I football.

“We couldn’t be more excited for Isaiah,” first-year Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “He showed everybody what we all think he’s capable of.”

As did senior fullback Malcolm Stowe, who ran for 147 yards and a score and was stout at linebacker, helping the Lions dominate both sides.

This was a matchup of the preseason fourth and fifth seeds, as the teams had 3-6 records. But Longwood – along with a 42-7 drubbing in last year’s meeting – shows there’s a considerable divide.

“We can be dominant,” linebacker Marquise Marshall said. “I think we’re great, it’s just a matter of proving it repeatedly.”

White‘s 49-yard TD scamper put Longwood on the board late in the first quarter. He exploded off right guard with great blocking, juked left and outran the pursuit. He scored again on a sweep left from 4 yards in the second, and Stowe‘s two-point conversion run made it 14-0.

Marquis Simpson hit Jelani Green for a 33-yard TD on a fade, then Stowe had a 35-yard TD run just before halftime. Jamal Schuman’s 4-yard TD plunge created the margin with 5:53 remaining. Andrew Ferriolo and Sean Rausch each had an interception for the Lions.

“This was great for everybody, especially Isaiah,” said Stowe, White‘s best friend. “Getting on the field gave ‘Zay’ a chance to relax a little, and he did his thing.”

Longwood 42, Patchogue-Medford 7: Isaiah White ran 22 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead Longwood (2-0). Marquis Simpson ran for 113 yards and passed for another 59. Malcolm Stowe added 59 yards rushing and a sack. Sept. 20

L – Simpson 73 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 1 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 27 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 3 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 65 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Clark 2 run (Owens kick)

PM – Figurowski pass from Holmberg (Jones kick)

SUFFOLK I: Longwood Defeats Patchogue

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Sep 2014

Longwood 42, Patchogue-Medford 7: Isaiah White ran 22 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead Longwood (2-0). Marquis Simpson ran for 113 yards and passed for another 59. Malcolm Stowe added 59 yards rushing and a sack.

L – Simpson 73 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 1 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 27 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 3 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 65 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Clark 2 run (Owens kick)

PM – Figurowski pass from Holmberg (Jones kick)

Longwood 48, Northport 13: Isaiah White ran for 220 yards and two TDs and Malcolm Stowe rushed for 196 yards and two scores for Longwood (3-0). Sept. 28

N – Gerdvil 1 run (Tromblee kick)

L – Simpson 4 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Rausch 19 pass from White (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 71 run (Linbrunner kick

L – Stowe 65 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 89 run (kick failed)

N – Gerdvil 3 run (kick failed)

L – White 51 run (Owens kick)

L – Owens 2 run (Linbrunner kick)

Longwood’s White runs away

Albanese, Laura. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Oct 2014: A.48. 

Isaiah White has spent almost his entire high school career overcoming roadblocks. It’s really little wonder then that he had no trouble with the William Floyd defensive line. 

White, who missed his sophomore season because of a concussion and his junior year because of a fractured hip, is putting an exclamation point on his senior year. 

Yesterday, White ran for five touchdowns and 210 yards on 19 carries in a little more than three quarters, and he added another touchdown on defense as Longwood (4-0) defeated Floyd, 46-6, in Suffolk I. White has scored at least two touchdowns in all four of Longwood‘s games.

“There were a bunch of cutback lanes, and after I got past the first five yards, it was over,” White said. “The linebackers weren’t closing up the gaps and our offensive line was awesome. They kept blocking even 30, 50 yards downfield.” 

Trailing 6-0 midway through the first quarter, Longwood recovered a muffed punt at Floyd’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, White scored his first touchdown on a 3-yard run up the middle. On Floyd’s next possession, White forced a fumble and ran it back for a 52-yard score and a 14-6 lead. 

White scored four straight times after that – a 3-yard run off right tackle with 4:53 left in the second quarter, a 51-yard runwith 30 seconds left in the half, a 63-yard blast up the left sideline a minute into the third quarter, and a 2-yard dive with 6:20 left in the third.

The Longwood defense managed to stymie every attempt by Floyd (2-2). Myles Corso had six tackles and Antonio Scala had a sack. 

“[White] has been training really hard after missing the last two years,” Longwood coach Jefferson Cipp said. “He knows how to score, even on defense.”

White credited a good bit of his resurgence to athletic trainer Michele Mensch, who worked to strengthen him during the offseason, and taught him to stretch more to aid his game and prevent injury. 

He’s relieved, he said, to have a wide-open space after all those setbacks. “This,” he said, beaming, “is awesome.” 

SUFFOLK I

LONGWOOD 46

FLOYD 6

LIONS BRING BACK THE ROAR

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Oct 2014: B.2. 

This was a playoff atmosphere in the middle of October. Unbeaten and top-ranked Connetquot at No. 2 Longwood, a program searching for the roar that made it a feared program in Suffolk’s rugged Division I between its championship seasons of 1998 and 2004.

It was a packed house, fans lined around the field, cars parked out beyond the school lot and to top it all – homecoming day in Middle Island.

The Lions‘ roar is officially back. Senior halfback Isaiah White, behind a punishing offensive line, rumbled for 273 yards on 33 carries and one score as Longwood edged Connetquot, 14-13, for its fifth straight win in Suffolk I before a crowd of more than 2,000.

Connetquot’s Jack Cassidy scored on a 1-yard run with 6:41 left to get within 14-13 but Malcolm Stowe charged untouched through the T-Birds’ line to force the extra-point kick to go wide left and avoid overtime. Stowe came through the guard-center hole to disrupt Jake Piccinnini’s attempt.

“Every week is a statement game for us,” Longwood first-year coach Jeff Cipp said. “We were a 3-6 team last year and I want them to take it one game at a time and not look forward and not look back. I’m very proud of these guys to come out and beat the top-ranked team on Long Island.”

A defensive tone was set early. Longwood forced a three-and-out on Connetquot’s first possession and after a short punt, took over at the T-Birds’ 38. Four plays later, White bulled his way into the end zone on a 3-yard run with 8:55 left for a 6-0 lead. He carried all four plays, including a 19-yarder to the 3.

“The O-line is doing a great job and I’m not allowing the first tackler to take me down,” White said. “Yards after contact is a big thing with me.”

Connetquot (4-1) responded on its next drive. The T-Birds went 70 yards in eight plays before halfback Jack Richardson scored from a yard out with 5:48 left. Piccininni added the kick and the T-Birds led 7-6. Richardson carried for 49 yards.

“The Connetquot line is very good,” Cipp said. “But overall, we outplayed them.”

The Lions managed an 11-play, 85-yard march in 5:11 to take a 14-7 lead. Quarterback Marquis Simpson capped the drive with a 20-yard TD pass to an uncovered Stowe on third-and-5. Simpson sold the play fake and made the perfect throw. White added the two-point conversion behind crushing blocks from Eric Saunders and Anthony Lavio.

The third quarter was a physical affair in which both teams forced turnovers. Austin Pinto recovered a fumble on Longwood’s first possession of the third quarter.

The T-Birds couldn’t move the football but punter Dan Lewis flipped the field position with a 72-yard punt to theLongwood 5.

That’s where White took over. He rushed seven times for 77 yards behind tackle Matt Weiss to the T-Birds’ 3. On first-and-goal, Jake Elenterio recovered a fumble at the T-Birds’ 1-foot line. 

On first down, Richardson, who finished with 105 yards on 16 carries, popped through the line for 35 yards. Two plays later, Cassidy threw the first of two critical interceptions.

“We were swarming,” White said. “There was no time to throw back there.” 

Longwood special teams were also flying to the ball. Richardson fielded a punt at the T-Birds’ 18, broke two tackles and juked into the open field before Michael Scalice lowered the boom at the 42, causing the Longwood sideline to erupt.

It was a day to roar.

SUFFOLK I

LONGWOOD 14

CONNETQUOT 13

SUFFOLK I: LONGWOOD DEFEATS BAYSHORE 62-20

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Oct 2014:

Longwood 62, Bay Shore 20: Isaiah White’s nine-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave Longwood (6-0) the lead for good at 20-13. White ran 13 times for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Latrell Horton returned an interception 97 yards for a score that extended Longwood‘s lead to 34-13 in the second. Malcolm Stowe and Marquise Marshall also scored a touchdown. Bay Shore is 1-5. Oct. 19c

BS – Ilchuk 48 pass from Button (kick failed)

L – Simpson 28 run (run failed)

L – White 33 run (Linbrunner kick)

BS – Ilchuk 45 pass from Button (Hasselbach kick)

L – White 9 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 61 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Horton 97 INT return (Linbrunner kick)

L – Marshall 36 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – White 43 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Corso 1 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Owens 36 run (Linbrunner kick)

BS – Scarpa 11 pass from Button (Hasselbach kick)

Longwood’s Jeff Cipp named Jets’ tri-state high school coach of the week

October 15, 2014

For guiding Longwood to a thrilling 14-13 victory over Newsday’s No. 1-ranked team, Connetquot, last Saturday, Lions coach Jeff Cipp was named the Jets’ tri-state high school coach of the week for Week 5.

“It’s a great honor and a testament to my staff and my players,” Cipp said, before adding with a laugh, “Even though we got the win, it was our worst film session of the year. We give out grades after every game and that was the worst. We had a bunch of turnovers but we did enough to win.”

Longwood is 5-0 and is in first place in Suffolk I.

This is the second week in a row that a Long Island coach was honored by the local professional teams. Sayville’s Rob Hoss earned the Giants’ tri-state coach of the week award in Week 4 after the Golden Flashes defeated Miller Place, 56-20. Sayville is 5-0 and on top in Suffolk III

Isaiah White is the do-it-all playmaker for Longwood. He made plays everywhere last night in Longwood‘s 62-14 win over Sachem North in a Suffolk Division I football game. It was the Isaiah White show.

The senior halfback rushed 15 times for 231 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of play. He made seven tackles, forced a fumble and grabbed two interceptions.

“He’s an incredible athlete,” Longwood tackle Matt Weiss said. “He makes us look good all the time. I don’t even think it was our best performance on the line but his running was spectacular.”

Longwood (7-0), Long Island’s top-ranked team, scored on all nine possessions. The offense was so efficient, the Lions scored on the first or second play of four possessions. And no possession took longer than six plays – it was pure domination.

“It’s unbelievable having a guy like White,” said Longwood quarterback Marquis Simpson, who threw for two touchdowns. “He’s a great runner and our guys block hard until the whistle. We did a great job up front.”

White opened the scoring with a 51-yard touchdown run. Mike Linbrunner added the kick to make it 7-0 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. On the next possession, Simpson used a neat play fake to White to draw the defense and then fired a 51-yard scoring pass to a wide open Sean Rausch to make it 14-0.

“Just like every game, we’re out to make a statement,” White said. “These guys were the defending champs and it means something to us to beat them. I felt like I exploded through the defense a few times.”

White‘s second touchdown was special. From a shotgun formation, he took a direct snap and jetted over the right side of the line and went untouched for a 68-yard scoring burst in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead. White added a 21-yard scoring run just before the half for a 35-14 advantage.

“We were clicking,” Simpson said. “Everything was working.”

Sachem North (3-4) halfback Kevin Bragaglia scored on runs of 11 and 58 yards to keep the Flaming Arrows within striking distance at the half. Bragaglia finished with 139 yards on 15 carries and sat out the second half.

In a show of sportsmanship, the teams agreed to play with a running clock for most of the second half.

SUFFOLK I

LONGWOOD 62

SACHEM N. 14

Longwood’s White lights it up: 5 TDs

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 25 Oct 2014:

Isaiah White is the do-it-all playmaker for Longwood. He made plays everywhere last night in Longwood‘s 62-14 win over Sachem North in a Suffolk Division I football game. It was the Isaiah White show.

The senior halfback rushed 15 times for 231 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of play. He made seven tackles, forced a fumble and grabbed two interceptions.

“He’s an incredible athlete,” Longwood tackle Matt Weiss said. “He makes us look good all the time. I don’t even think it was our best performance on the line but his running was spectacular.”

Longwood (7-0), Long Island’s top-ranked team, scored on all nine possessions. The offense was so efficient, the Lions scored on the first or second play of four possessions. And no possession took longer than six plays – it was pure domination.

“It’s unbelievable having a guy like White,” said Longwood quarterback Marquis Simpson, who threw for two touchdowns. “He’s a great runner and our guys block hard until the whistle. We did a great job up front.”

White opened the scoring with a 51-yard touchdown run. Mike Linbrunner added the kick to make it 7-0 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. On the next possession, Simpson used a neat play fake to White to draw the defense and then fired a 51-yard scoring pass to a wide open Sean Rausch to make it 14-0.

“Just like every game, we’re out to make a statement,” White said. “These guys were the defending champs and it means something to us to beat them. I felt like I exploded through the defense a few times.”

White’s second touchdown was special. From a shotgun formation, he took a direct snap and jetted over the right side of the line and went untouched for a 68-yard scoring burst in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead. White added a 21-yard scoring run just before the half for a 35-14 advantage.

“We were clicking,” Simpson said. “Everything was working.”

Sachem North (3-4) halfback Kevin Bragaglia scored on runs of 11 and 58 yards to keep the Flaming Arrows within striking distance at the half. Bragaglia finished with 139 yards on 15 carries and sat out the second half.

In a show of sportsmanship, the teams agreed to play with a running clock for most of the second half.

Longwood football players carry teammate’s memory into homecoming game

By AMY ONORATO, October 16, 2014

Before every game, members of the Longwood High School varsity football team are sure to run their fingers across the white No. 65 jersey hanging on the wall inside the locker room as they head to the field.

The ritual is part superstition and part tribute to their friend and former teammate Dominic Trionfo. Trionfo, who wore the number 65 as a lineman for the school’s junior varsity squad, was killed when his personal watercraft crashed into the anchor line of a boat in May 2012 at the age of 14.

This year would have been Trionfo’s senior season on the Longwood varsity squad. But for safety Luke Soriano, Trionfo was there on the field with them the whole time, leading them to victory in a 14-13 win against Connetquot.

“We’re a very superstitious team, we have had his jersey in our locker room even when we were junior varsity,” Soriano said. “And when we made that field goal to win the game on Saturday, I knew he was there. It was because of him.”

Before kickoff of the homecoming game last Saturday, the Longwood varsity players, who have also nicknamed themselves the “Dom Squad,” paid special tribute to Trionfo. Members of Trionfo’s family were invited onto the field, where they were presented with a green number 65 jersey as bagpipes played in the background. Trionfo’s stepfather and grandfather were also asked to join the team captains for the coin toss before kickoff.

“It was all very moving,” said John Martinelli, Dominic’s grandfather. “These guys have been playing football together in youth leagues since they were 7 or 8 years old. You never really know how much you can miss someone until they are gone.”

Shortly after Trionfo’s death, family members set up an athletic scholarship in his name, presented to one Longwood senior every year at their senior banquet. Now, the family is looking to expand on their charitable efforts, creating the Dominic Trionfo Memorial Fund as an official nonprofit earlier this year.

The family threw its first fundraiser “Dom’s Day,” at Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island on Sunday, the day after homecoming. The event attracted more than 700 people and brought in $25,000 in donations.

“It was kind of a great coincidence, that homecoming fell on that weekend,” Martinelli said. “Almost all of the football team was there, it was a great success.”

Martinelli says the family is looking to use the money to offer more academic scholarships and is working with the Peconic Bay Power Squadron to put together a boating education package that can be implemented in schools.

“We want to honor Dom’s memory,” Martinelli said. “Here on Long Island, there is a huge boating culture, it’s very popular here. It’s important to teach safety, and hopefully we can continue to do that.”

Longwood 55, Ward Melville 26: Malcolm Stowe ran for 103 yards and two TDs and returned an interception for a score to lead Longwood (8-0). Marquise Marshall ran for 101 yards and two scores and Khalil Owens had 121 rushing yards and a TD. Stowe made seven tackles, two for a loss, with two picks. Isaiah White had five tackles and returned an interception for a score. Nov. 2

L – Stowe 47 run (Linbrunner kick)

WM – Pryor 21 yard pass from Towle (kick failed)

L – Simpson 1 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 42 run (Linbrunner kick)

L – Stowe 29 INT return (Linbrunner kick) 

L – White 37 INT return (Linbrunner kick) 

L – Marshall 50 run (Linbrunner kick)

WM – Cusmano 68 fumble return (O’Hea kick)

L – Marshall 5 run (Linbrunner kick)

WM – Aliperti 50 pass from Towle (kick failed)

WM – Wong 5 pass from Towle (O’Hea kick)

L – Owens 2 run (run failed)

Longwood 18, Sachem North 7: Isaiah White ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries to lead No.1 Longwood (9-0) over No.8 Sachem North in a Suffolk I quarterfinal on Friday. White’s 7-yard TD run gave the Lions a 12-0 lead with 8:59 left in the second quarter. Nov. 9

QUARTERFINALS – AT HIGHER SEED

LONGWOOD 18, SACHEM NORTH 7

(1) Longwood 6 6 0 6-18

(8) Sachem North 0 7 0 0-7

L – White 38 run (kick failed)

L – White 7 run (run failed)

SN – Bragaglia 15 run (Gagliardi kick)

L – White 9 run (pass failed)

BELIEVE IT! Pat-Med’s Ciufo insisted his team would pull off upset

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 16 Nov 2014:

‘OK, I believe you.”

That’s what I said to Patchogue-Medford quarterback Rich Ciufo on Friday night after his team’s shocking win over top-seeded Longwood.

A day earlier, Ciufo had shared some “inside information” about the upcoming Suffolk I semifinal game – that the seventh-seeded Raiders would convincingly beat their powerful (and undefeated) opponent. 

Shades of Joe Namath: He was right. 

Ciufo engineered what many will say was the biggest upset in the last 20 years of Long Island high school football. 

The athletic senior threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 38-22 win over the Longwood juggernaut.

Though I respected his confidence when Ciufo first shared his inside information, I had to laugh at what I believed was blind optimism. 

Ciufo visited Newsday late Thursday for a photo shoot after signing a national letter of intent to play baseball at Stony Brook University. With a sly smile that screamed “I know something that you don’t,” he remarked that his Raiders were going to spoil Longwood’s perfect season.

“We’re going there to win,” Ciufo said. “And we will.”

We know quarterbacks have to believe they’re going to win every time they take the field – or why play the game, right?

Aside from the Jets themselves, no one thought Namath and his team belonged on the same playing field as the powerful Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. 

But Namath guaranteed a win. We know how that turned out. 

Ciufo‘s promise was pretty hard to believe, too.

Longwood was undefeated at 9-0 and had trounced the Raiders, 42-7, during the regular season. No seventh seed in Class I had ever beaten the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the playoffs, but Patchogue-Medford already had disposed of No. 2 Connetquot in a 29-28 quarterfinal win – and hoped to become the first.

Want more? Patchogue-Medford had four losses and needed to win its last two regular-season games just to get into the postseason. Longwood’s high-powered offense had scored 62, 62 and 55 points in the last three weeks of the regular season and averaged 44 points per game overall. The Lions had the player considered Long Island’s top halfback in Isaiah White, who entered the game with 26 touchdowns and 1,728 yards rushing.

Pretty daunting stats – unless, of course, you’re Rich Ciufo.

Maybe Ciufo hoped his team could pull this one out and needed to say it over and over to believe it himself. Or maybe he knew his teammates needed to hear it to believe it. In any case, his words reverberated throughout Friday night’s game.

Dom Cassella returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to kick-start a memorable evening for the Raiders faithful.

But the capacity crowd of more than 2,500 fans rose from their seats when White raced 62 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7. 

There was Ciufo jumping up and down on the sideline, ready to pick his team up. On the next play from scrimmage, he fired a 50-yard touchdown strike down the middle of the field to tight end Andrew Garcia for a 14-7 lead, and the rout was on as Patchogue-Medford put together a 24-point first quarter.

Ciufo engineered a nine-play, 62-yard scoring drive capped by his 3-yard run and completed 3 of 3 passes for 34 yards on the next drive before running 37 yards on a trap play for a 31-14 halftime lead. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 232 yards overall.

His last touchdown strike was a thing of beauty – a 32-yard pass to Mike Baldwin on a pump-and-go down the sideline for a 38-14 lead in the third quarter. At that point, you had to believe.

Patchogue-Medford’s last Suffolk title came in 2002. The Raiders went on to beat Farmingdale, 27-12, in the Long Island Class I championship game. They will meet Lindenhurst, a 33-7 winner over Sachem East, in the Suffolk I final at Stony Brook University on Friday at 7 p.m.

When Friday’s game ended, Ciufo led his team in the midfield handshake. As soon as he shook the final opponent’s hand, he turned to me, pointed and – with a huge smile of satisfaction – said, “Did I tell you?” 

And that’s why they play the games!

c

Hansen to White

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Dec 2014: A.46. 

Call it tough love. Or just call it a mother’s love. Isaiah White can look back and thank his mom for setting the foundation for what transpired last night.

White‘s mom, Christie Rivers, pulled him off the Longwood Junior High School football team in the eighth grade. Citing a lack of focus in the classroom and a much-needed readjustment of goals, Rivers told her son, “school before football.” 

“I’ve taught my three children that their athleticism was a gift from God,” Rivers said. “It’s a gift that can take them places. But without an education, you go nowhere. When he decided he wasn’t going to work hard for his grades, I decided he wasn’t going to play football in the eighth grade.”

Message received. With a laserlike focus, White hit the books and returned to the football program, where he had an outstanding senior season.

The two-way starter rushed for 1,948 yards and 28 touchdowns as Longwood finished the Suffolk Division I regular season with an 8-0 record and earned the top seed in the postseason. For his efforts, White earned the 55th annual Carl A. HansenAward, presented to Suffolk’s top football player last night at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association banquet at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge.

The other finalists were Jasawn Thompson of Deer Park, Matt Selts of Sayville and John Daniggelis of Smithtown East.

“I’ve seen an amazing transformation in him in my first year with the program,” Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “He’s grown up right before our eyes into an exemplary leader and a focus destined for success. This is a kid who learned how to be a leader in every regard.”

White was electric on the field, averaging 12 yards per carry. The 5-10, 205-pound hammer stayed low on tacklers and powered through most initial hits.

“His yards after contact was off the charts,” Cipp said. “We ran our offense around him and opponents knew it and couldn’t stop him. We only passed 26 times this season.” 

“The defense had to swarm him because he broke so many tackles,” Connetquot coach Mike Hansen said.

White was the leader of the Longwood weight room, setting the tone for younger players to emulate their captain. He was able to bench press 365 pounds, squat 475 and power clean 275. He had the highest vertical jump at the Suffolk football combine.

“He was injured as a junior and wanted to be as strong as possible to avoid injury,” Cipp said. “He was the total team player.”

White was a highlight machine. He had 11 runs of 50 or more yards, eight for touchdowns, and rushed for more than 200 yards in six games, including 273 on 32 carries in a 14-13 win over second-place Connetquot.

Cipp used White as a hybrid linebacker, at which he was a game-changer. He returned a fumble 55 yards for a score against Floyd and returned an interception 37 yards for a TD against Ward Melville. He had 44 tackles, including 12 for a loss, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

“He could play safety in coverage or come up as a d-end and have the size and strength to make any play,” Cipp said.

White talked about his last benching, the one imposed by his mom in the eighth grade.

“She knows what’s right,” he said. “I took it very hard and worked my tail off to play in ninth grade. I love her for everything she’s done for me. It wasn’t easy for her, either, because she loves watching me play. No one wants to disappoint their mom.”

Christine Rivers looks at her son now and gushes.

“It’s been humbling,” she said. “He doesn’t have an ounce of arrogance. He gets it and that can take him really far in life. I’ve seen him grow and develop into a mature young person that can handle some of life’s hardships really well.”

She added, “You know his middle name is Mandara, an African word, which means leader.”

How very true

Longwood’s Weiss: Zellner

Haynes, Stephen. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Dec 2014: A.44. 

Matthew Weiss‘ demeanor is a bit like the heroes in those old Western classics. He doesn’t say much, and his expression seldom changes as a poker face cloaks his emotions.

That is, until it’s time for action. And his spoke more loudly than words possibly could.

The Longwood junior anchored both lines for his football team, paving the way for an unstoppable rushing attack that carried the Lions to the Suffolk Class I semifinals. Those accomplishments earned Weiss the Zellner Award, presented last night to the top lineman in the county. He is the second Longwood player to receive the honor, along with Darius Greene in 2011.

Much like the gallant cowboys in those flicks, video of Weiss‘ exploits depict a tough guy often triumphant despite being outnumbered.

“In one game, he made two pancake blocks on the same play,” coach Jeff Cipp marveled. “Me and the looked at each other like, ‘Wow! You can’t teach that.'”

That being a mean streak and a drive to dominate.

As a defensive tackle, Weiss filled gaps and drew countless double teams. Nevertheless, he made 46 tackles, including 17 for loss. On offense, at right tackle, he consistently cleared lanes and sealed edges, helping Isaiah White tear through defenses. “He opened holes like nobody’s business,” said White, who ran for 1,948 yards and 28 touchdowns. “We’d watch film after games and see him 30 yards down field pancaking people.”

That happened 22 times, according to Cipp. So twice per game, on average, Weiss was able to overpower and outmaneuver a defender, flattening him to the ground. “Running behind Matt,” White said, “you knew you’d get 5 more yards than you probably should.”

There was little secret to what Longwood did offensively. White, Malcolm Stowe and Marquis Simpson were going to run. And they were going to run to the right. A lot. Defenses adjusted, stacking the box, and still the Lions averaged more than 10 yards per carry.

“He’s a quiet kid,” White said, “but if a play was unsuccessful, you knew Matt was mad and he’d dominate on the next one.”

At 5-11, 245 pounds, Weiss plays with leverage in the trenches and has smooth technique. His explosiveness and core strength – he squats 455 pounds – convinced Cipp before the season he could successfully make a transition from center to tackle. “He works hard and we expected good things,” Cipp said, “but by no means did we think he would be this good.”

Weiss excelled despite playing most of the season with a bone bruise in his right hand and an injured right thigh. But you wouldn’t hear a peep from him about it.

He was, however, vocal when necessary. During an early-season practice, White said, a few players were “fooling around too much,” and it was time to get serious.

“Matt just erupted with this booming voice,” White said. “He was kind of scary and he made everyone take a step back.”

Different reasons, but several of the guys who lined up across from him can probably relate.