H.S. FOOTBALL PREVIEW: LONGWOOD IS PUMPED

Lynch, Kieran. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Sep 2015:

Latrell Horton doesn’t need to think long to remember the day a perfect season slipped from Longwood’s grasp.

After a 9-0 start, it ended abruptly with a 38-22 loss to Patchogue-Medford in a Suffolk I semifinal Nov. 14. That moment is stuck in the minds of Horton and his returning teammates. “The feeling – you can’t even explain it,” Horton said. “It really hurt.”

As if that disappointment wasn’t enough motivation, the Lions, who were the No. 1 team entering the playoffs, are seeded third heading into Friday’s opener at Sachem North. Floyd is the top seed, with Lindenhurst No. 2. 

The Lions lost All-Long Island running back Isaiah White but have a strong offensive line anchored by Anthony Lavio and Matt Weiss, who won the Zellner Award as the county’s top lineman. He was the first junior in 34 years to earn the honor.

“Our motto this year is respect: Go and get it, nobody’s going to give it to you,” quarterback Marquis Simpson said. “We did lose a big, big piece in Isaiah.”

Backing up teammates, filling different positions and increasing the team’s strength each game will help adjust to the loss of White, Simpson said. One guy who does all three on both sides of the ball is Weiss. The offensive and defensive lineman anchors a team looking for stability after White’s departure.

Weiss said he wants to improve on his award-winning season for the benefit of his teammates and second-year coach Joe Cipp, who has instilled a renewed work ethic.

“Everyone wanted to play harder for him because he’s a really hard-working coach for us,” Weiss said. “I want to work for him.”

While Weiss, a quiet giant at 6-1 and 270 pounds, gave most of the credit for his success to his team, Simpson didn’t shy away from highlighting Weiss’ importance, along with Lavio’s, on the line of scrimmage.

“Running behind him is going to be amazing,” Simpson said. “Lavio on the side with him, it’s going to be good.”

Horton, a fullback and linebacker, will have an increased presence on defense, and he credited the time he spent learning from the Weiss/Lavio duo.

As for being able to recall last season’s disappointment vividly, Horton said the thought of having to get through another season for a chance at redemption doesn’t seem hard to imagine, even under a hot summer sun.

“I can picture it more; I can feel it more, just have to keep working hard,” Horton said.

And forget about talking. Simpson has a better idea for those who doubt the resiliency of the Lions.

“Just watch,” he said.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: POP’S CULTURE: Cipp brothers follow in dad’s footsteps

Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Sep 2015

The coaching seeds were planted in the den at the Cipp home on Beaver Dam Road, adjacent to Bellport High School. That’s where Joe Cipp‘s two sons not only watched cartoons on TV as kids but also viewed the flickering images of old film every Sunday and learned that part of their father’s success as a high school football coach was built on reviewing game film. Over and over again.

“I remember when he would watch film with his coaches in the den,” said Joe III, 46. “We’d just sit on the floor and hear everybody talking football. Not that we knew what was going on, but being exposed to it and growing up in that kind of environment, the idea of coaching wasn’t scary. It was just what you do.”

Joe III is the older of the football-coaching Cipp brothers. Each earned a No. 1 seed for last year’s playoffs and was voted Coach of the Year, Joe III for Division II Bellport and Jeff, 42, for Division I Longwood.

“I remember the coaches’ meeting at the house on Sundays,” Jeff Cipp said with a laugh. “I don’t really remember the film, but I do remember the doughnuts.”

Both brothers have memories of playing on the equipment at Bellport’s field. “We would wrestle on the practice dummies when we were little,” Joe Cipp III said. “We’d build forts and just dive into them.”

Sometimes they’d dive into each other. “There were a few injuries,” Jeff said. “We’d say, ‘Uh-oh, we can’t tell Daddy we got hurt.’ “

These days, they tell Daddy everything, sometimes right on the spot. Joe Cipp watched nearly every Bellport and Longwood game last year and plans on doing it again this season.

“He’s always on the sidelines and it’s a welcome thing,” Joe III said. “He’s going to see things I may not see and he’ll always have input if he wants it. When they see him come onto the field, he commands respect. They still stand for him when he comes into our meetings or film sessions.”

Longwood’s players don’t have the same relationship with Joe Cipp, the winningest coach in Suffolk public school history with 211 victories, but they see him every weekend. “When the game is going on, we really don’t have any interaction,” Jeff said, “but at the end of each game, he always says, ‘Good job.’ That’s it.” 

When Joe III and Jeff played for their father, neither thought they’d become branches of a family coaching tree. “In high school, I just wanted to play. In college, I just wanted to play,” said Joe III, who played at Ithaca. “When college was over, there definitely was a void, and coaching helped fill that void.”

Jeff was similarly driven. “When I was young, I didn’t really think about being a coach. It was all about wanting to be a football player,” said Jeff, who played at Kentucky and Maine. “Since I was going to be a phys ed teacher, coaching kind of goes along with that.”

Joe Cipp, 67, is justifiably proud of what his sons have accomplished, and he especially enjoyed last year because it was the first in which both were head coaches at the same time. They were assistants on his staff from 2004-06 and 2009-10. Bellport went 41-12 in those seasons, with three county and two Long Island titles. Joe III was the offensive coordinator and Jeff was the defensive coordinator. Their dad retired after the 2010 season.

“There’s a sense of pride because they’re doing something that I did and I can relate to it,” the elder Cipp said. “And they went into education, like I did. Coaching is just a branch of education. The football field is their classroom. The plays and getting kids to learn is their blackboard.”

Both sons work in the Longwood school district. Joe III is a special-education teacher and Jeff is a physical education instructor.

With their coaching success comes built-in stress, something their father still experiences. “People say to me, ‘You’ve got two sons, so you’ve got two chances to win every week,’ ” Cipp said. “I think of it as having two chances to lose. It’s hard on me.”

It was hard on all three Cipps last November when Longwood and Bellport were upset in the county semifinals the same weekend. Still, the elder Cipp enjoys sharing the coaching journey with both boys.

“How many people have two sons that are head football coaches?” Joe Cipp said. “It doesn’t happen too often. I guess I didn’t scare them away from the profession.”

Credit: BOB HERZOG [email protected]

Clark, Lions get last word

OWEN O’BRIEN oweno’. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 04 Oct 2015:

Longwood and Northport’s Suffolk I game was a highly discussed topic on social media throughout the week. The banter continued on the field and in the stands, but ultimately, Longwood – Newsday’s No. 2- ranked team – was the lone team with anything to say as the Lions defeated Northport, 34-0, on a chilly day yesterday at Northport High School.

“There was a lot of chatter on the social media about how they were going to run it down our throats,” said Longwood coach Jeff Cipp.

Instead, it was the Lions’ ground attack and big offensive line that controlled game and extended their record to 4-0.

Northport (3-1) opened the game with a 47-yard drive to the Longwood 35 before quarterback Andrew Smith rolled left and threw incomplete on fourth down.

That’s when the Longwood offensive line took over.

Tahj Clark’s 26-yard touchdown run along the left sideline capped an eight-play, 65- yard drive. Clark lowered his shoulder and delivered a big hit to break a tackle at the 20 on his way to paydirt.

“The line was blocking hard to open the holes,” said Clark, who ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. “I’m thankful for them because they get the job done.”

Longwood scored on its next two drives. Clark scored again after a 10-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard run, and on the following possession halfback Khalil Owens spun out of a tackle at the line of scrimmage and scampered down the right sideline for a 67-yard score.

“I just didn’t give up,” said Owens, who ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. “I really wanted to score so I just kept my feet moving.”

The common theme throughout the drives was Longwood’s dominance up front. Of Longwood’s 25 first-half running plays, 21 went for at least three yards.

The unit – consisting of tackles Nick Castrova and Matt Weiss, guards Tyler Herrmann and Anthony Lavio and center Vincent Feliciano – continued to get the job done in the second half. For the 14 plays (all runs) the first team offense was on the field in the second half, 13 went for at least three yards, highlighted by Clark’s 41-yard touchdown – his third score of the game on the second play of the half. The Lions scored their final touchdown on Owens’ 7-yard run that capped a nine-play, 52-yard series.

The methodical ball control offense also served a greater purpose by giving the defense time to rest. The Lions earned their shutout with a swarming attack led by linebackers Latrell Horton and Antonio Scala.

Weiss – last season’s Zellner Award winner as Suffolk’s top lineman – said simply, the offensive line and entire team “played really well together.”

SUFFOLK I

LONGWOOD 34

NORTHPORT 0

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Oct 2015:

Longwood‘s two-way star Matt Weiss tries not to think about the way his football season ended last year. He chooses to look forward.

“We were undefeated and basically we thought we were untouchable,” said Weiss, who earned the Zellner Award as Suffolk’s top lineman as a junior. “We had the best back on Long Island with Isaiah White and a real good team.”

Longwood had won nine games in a row, including seven by 29 points or more, and the shot at a perfect season was derailed in a shocking 36-22 home playoff loss to Patchogue-Medford.

“The loss was numbing,” Weiss said. “Guys were walking around in disbelief. We beat them by five touchdowns during the season. So this year we take nothing for granted.”

Longwood will meet Lindenhurst, the defending Suffolk Division I champion, tonight at 6 in a battle of unbeatens. The two are the top-ranked teams in Suffolk, have 4-0 records, and haven’t played each other since 2011.

Longwood has run roughshod over four straight opponents with an outstanding offensive line that includes tackles Weiss and Nick Castrova, guards Tyler Herrmann and Anthony Lavio and center Vincent Feliciano. Halfbacks Tahj Clark and Khalil Owens share in the glory of running behind such a dynamic front line.

Lindenhurst wins with a more balanced approach behind quarterback Ryan Hofmann, who has thrown for 11 touchdowns. Hofmann has three big targets in wide receivers Joe Palmeri, Jeremy Ruckert and Steven Ramirez.

Ryan Hofmann throws for 4 TDs as Lindenhurst stops Longwood

By GREGG SARRA, October 10, 2015

Ryan Hofmann took less than a minute to serve notice on the Longwood football team that he was unstoppable. The Lindenhurst quarterback dissected the Lions secondary on a four-play, 73-yard opening drive that ended with a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver River Zotto. The drive lasted 53 seconds and issued an emphatic statement — “you can’t stop us.”

Hofmann added three more touchdown strikes in the first half as Lindenhurst opened a 26-0 lead on its way to a convincing 26-7 victory over Longwood on Saturday night in a battle of unbeatens in Suffolk Division I.

Hofmann completed 22 of 33 passes for four touchdowns and one interception as the defending Suffolk I champions dominated in the first half.

“River was wide open on that first touchdown,” Hofmann said. “My receivers make it easy. They run the right routes and we have excellent timing.”

Hofmann’s second scoring toss came on a well-timed fade to wide receiver Joe Palmeri, who beat the defender to the corner, and made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 13-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter. 

“They executed our game plan,” Lindenhurst coach Nick Lomabrdo said. “I thought our lines gave them all they could handle.”

Lindenhurst (5-0) added two more scores before halftime. Hofman found Palmeri for another scoring pass, this one for 26 yards. The senior signal caller never saw the catch as he was hit hard as he released the pass.

“He stood in there and took some big hits,” Lombardo said.

On the ensuing kickoff, Longwood fumbled and Lindenhurst took over at the Lions’ 30. Hofmann, who suffered a sprained ankle midway through the second quarter but never came out, fired a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Jeremy Ruckert to the 2. And then he punctuated a brilliant half with a 2-yard scoring pass to Ruckert, who made a spectacular one-handed grab.

“His confidence is unbelievable this year,” said Ruckert, who had nine receptions for 96 yards. “We worked all summer on our offense and he’s got so many weapons. People don’t even know about Zotto and he’s the best athlete on our team.”

The hard hitting continued throughout the second half. Longwood (4-1) used 8:15 of the third quarter and drove to the Bulldogs’ 7-yard line but failed to score. Linebackers Bob Bove and Gino Bonagura led the charge as the Bulldogs’ defense stiffened.

The defense was asked to rise again when the Lions’ Mike Linbrunner intercepted a deflected Hofmann pass at the 36. This time it was a sack by senior defensive tackle Kyle Wilner that helped stop the Lions. 

“We felt we were getting off the ball quickly,” Wilner said. “We played smart football and followed the coaches’ plan.”

It worked to perfection.

Clark runs for 4 TDs in Longwood’s win

Cacciatore, Sal. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Nov 2015: A.27. 

On Friday the 13th, Longwood’s backfield of Tahj Clark, Khalil Owens and Latrell Horton was so good, it was scary.

Clark ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 2 Longwood over visiting No. 3 Northport, 48-21, in a Suffolk I semifinal last night. Horton added 111 yards and a touchdown and Owens had 104 yards and a TD. 

“I feel like we have the best backfield on the Island, to be honest,” Clark said. “And we have the best linemen on the Island, also.”

“Give them a little bit of a hole, and those backs are going places,” coach Jeff Cipp said.

Longwood (9-1) – which will face No. 1 Lindenhurst for the county title at noon Nov. 22 at Stony Brook – got off to a hot start on a chilly night, taking a 14-0 lead after three plays.

Horton ran for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, taking a handoff up the middle and breaking free.

On the second play of Northport’s ensuing drive, Longwood’s Sean Rausch deflected a pass that was intercepted by Michael Linbrunner and returned for a 24-yard touchdown.

Northport (6-4) stayed in the game thanks to timely plays on defense, recovering a fumble in the red zone to set up Dan Preston’s 7-yard touchdown and recording a safety that made it 21-9 with 4:41 left in the first half.

Andrew Smith threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to John Tabert with 1:42 left in the half, cutting Northport’s deficit to 21-15, but Longwood answered with 28 seconds left when Clark capped a 50-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run. Horton’s two-point conversion run gave Longwood a 14-point lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Longwood’s running game proved to be too much to handle. The Lions iced the game with a 5-yard touchdown run by Owens in the third quarter and two 45-yard touchdown runs by Clark.

“They’re the best running backs you can block for,” lineman Matt Weiss said of Clark, Owens and Horton. “No one can take them down.”

SUFFOLK I SEMI

LONGWOOD 48

NORTHPORT 21

OWENS, ‘D’ HELP CROWN LONGWOOD: RB gets 3 TD; Rausch, Scala turn in pick-6s

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Nov 2015: A.48. 

This year, Longwood vowed it would be different.

The Lions haven’t won a county title since 2004. That’s just too long a wait for a proud football program.

A dominant offensive line and a relentless defense were keys to Longwood’s 44-14 victory over previously unbeaten Lindenhurst yesterday in the Suffolk I championship game at LaValle Stadium.

A crowd of 4,400 watched the Longwood front push Lindenhurst all over the field. Quarterback Will Condron engineered four time-consuming touchdown drives and halfback Khalil Owens rushed for 158 yards on 20 carries, scoring three touchdowns.

The victory helped erase the bad memory of the Lions’ crushing playoff loss to Patchogue-Medford in a Suffolk I semifinal last year and a 26-7 loss to Lindenhurst on Oct. 9.

“We were undefeated and lost in heartbreaking fashion in last year’s playoffs, and no one wanted to go through that again,” Longwood tackle Matt Weiss said. “Somehow that loss to Lindenhurst earlier this year really woke us up. Today, we avenged that loss in a big way against a very good team.”

Longwood (10-1), which has won six straight games, will meet Farmingdale (11-0) for the Long Island Class I title at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at LaValle Stadium. 

“I thought we dominated both sides of the line,” Longwood tackle Anthony Lavio said. “And our defense came up big. The front put tremendous pressure on the quarterback and forced a lot of mistakes.”

The Longwood secondary allowed four first-half touchdown strikes by Lindenhurst in October. Yesterday, that unit turned in a spectacular effort against Ryan Hofmann, one of Long Island’s top quarterbacks. The Lions picked him off four times and returned two for scores.

“We mixed our coverage and gave them a different look on every play,” Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “We disguised our blitzes very well and our guys up front forced him out of the pocket and out of his comfort zone.”

Lindenhurst (10-1) opened the scoring with a seven-play, 64-yard drive capped by Hofmann’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Joe Palmeri. Longwood responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive, with halfback Tahj Clark following a huge block by fullback Mike Scalice for a 13-yard touchdown run that made it 7-6. The key play was a fake punt on fourth-and-2. Punter Marquis Simpson scrambled around right end for a 24-yard gain, and a late hit on the play tacked on 15 yards and moved the ball to the Bulldogs’ 22.

“Scalice and [Latrell] Horton have blocked like that all season,” Cipp said. “Our line was incredible. And this is such a satisfying win.”

Longwood extended the lead by marching 80 yards in six plays. A 51-yard pass from Condron to Sean Rausch to the 20 set up Owens’ 4-yard TD run. Horton followed Scalice into the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 14-7 lead.

On the ensuing play from scrimmage, Rausch returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

On Lindenhurst’s first possession of the third quarter, Longwood middle linebacker Antonio Scala buried halfback Joe Barber on fourth-and-1 at the Longwood 25 for a loss of 2. From there, the Lions drove 75 yards in 11 plays, punctuated by Owens’ 1-yard touchdown run for a 27-7 lead.

Scala added a 41-yard pick-6 in the fourth. “This was personal and it was physical,” he said. “The way we like it.”

Farmingdale likes it that way, too – which sets up a beauty of a Long Island final.

Longwood, Farmingdale Class I final features two very similar teams

By BOB HERZOG, November 28, 2015

Once it became apparent in the press box at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium last Sunday that Longwood was going to win its Suffolk I title game and face Farmingdale for the Long Island championship, one observer wisecracked, “That game will be over in an hour.”

An exaggeration to be sure, but one based on this unarguable truth: Farmingdale and Longwood, which will play for the Long Island Class I title at 4 p.m. Sunday at Stony Brook, are mirror images of each other.

“I think that press box comment could be right on the money,” Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker said. “We both want to run the football and believe in clock management as a means to an end.”

This is the ninth time the Dalers are playing in the Long Island Championships, but their only victory was in 2001. “It would be nice to have a different outcome this time,” said Krumenacker, who has 239 career victories and is part of this year’s inaugural class of the Nassau County High School Sports Hall of Fame.

The Dalers (11-0) pulled away from unbeaten Oceanside to win their Nassau I showdown, 34-23, last week. The Sailors did a decent job on Farmingdale star running back Jordan McLune. The 5-8, 180-pound junior cashed in with three touchdowns and 118 yards, but it took 31 carries.

In McLune’s breakout season, he has rushed for 1,747 yards and 31 touchdowns. That has helped the Dalers average 38.5 points per game. 

“We are extremely proud of our offense, which has matured nicely over the season,” Krumenacker said. “We replaced 10 of 11 starters. The offensive line has been the backbone of our success. Line play wins championships.”

The Dalers’ O-line is led by center Steven Dentato, tackles Chris Demers and Javier Hernandez and tight end Charlie Tomassetti, who also is one of the top edge rushers at defensive end and leads a unit that allows only 14 points per game.

“Big linemen. They run the ball a lot. They look like us,” Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “They are undefeated for a reason.”

Longwood won in two of its three previous LIC appearances but was upset in the second round of last year’s playoffs as a No. 1 seed.

The Lions are 10-1 this season, but they emphatically reversed their only loss by knocking out previously unbeaten Lindenhurst, 44-14.

As usual, it was the combination of a relentless defense, which pressured Lindy quarterback Ryan Hofmann into four interceptions, including two pick-6s, and an offensive line that paved the way for Khalil Owens to run for 158 yards on 20 carries with three TDs.

“We grade out our O-line after every game, and they’ve been blocking really well for two years now,” Cipp said. “Run blocks, combo blocks. Everybody knows what we’re going to do, but they can’t stop us. This late in the season, the competition is tougher. This is the culmination.”

Owens has run behind a fierce line led by Matt Weiss and Anthony Lavio that has allowed him to pile up 1,440 yards and 16 touchdowns. Owens is the speedster in the backfield. Tahj Clark is more powerful and also has scored 16 touchdowns and gained 989 tough yards. Latrell Horton (250 pounds) is a force as the blocking fullback and also a hard-hitting linebacker on a unit that allows only 10 points per game.

“Khalil is a small kid [5-8, 166] with a lot of heart. He’s always breaking tackles,” Cipp said. “Tahj has speed and power and his blocking is unbelievable. And when Latrell gets moving at you, it’s a sight.”

A sight Farmingdale will embrace. 

The Dalers are every bit as physical as the Lions. Krumenacker, speaking of Longwood but no doubt thinking of his own team, said, “What I see is a very physical football team both offensive and defensively.”

On Sunday, one mirror will crack.

OWENS, LIONS DIAL 555: Longwood roars to title, sets mark for rushing yards

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday,  30 Nov 2015

Longwood is old-school football. The Lions line up and run you over. That smash-mouth style produced 555 yards rushing last night, a Long Island Championships record.

Halfback Khalil Owens ran for 271 yards and three touchdowns as Longwood erased a 14-point deficit and scored 47 consecutive points in a 47-28 win over Farmingdale in the Long Island Class I final before nearly 6,000 fans at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium.

It was the third Class I title and the eighth win in a row for the Lions (11-1), who denied the Dalers (11-1) a perfect season.

“We are a ground-and-pound team,” tackle Matt Weiss said. “We line up and smack people in the mouth. This was a determined group of guys.”

Who needs to throw when you can run like the Lions? They averaged 13.2 yards a carry, pushing around an athletic Farmingdale line. Fullbacks Latrell Horton and Mike Scalice hammered the Dalers’ front and gave running room to Owens and Tahj Clark, who rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries and three scores.

“What I love most about our team is the unselfishness,” offensive coordinator John Murphy said. “They play for each other. The line is incredibly strong, the fullbacks give it up on every play and our receivers block on the perimeter and downfield. When everyone does their part, these are the results.”

Farmingdale opened the scoring after Christian Hernandez recovered a fumble at the Lions’ 22. Five plays later, quarterback Anthony Burriesci scored on a 1-yard run and Briant DeFelice kicked the PAT. The Dalers made it 14-0 when Hakeem Cesar hauled in a perfect 57-yard pass from Burriesci with 3:36 left in the first quarter.

“We turned it over and let up a short-field score and then allowed a deep throw for a score,” Longwood coach Jeff Cipp said. “But the key was we didn’t panic and we didn’t lose our composure. We went back to work and executed our offense.”

The 14-point deficit lasted 57 seconds. Owens burst off right tackle behind a big block from Weiss and ran for a 76-yard touchdown. “The line gave me a lane and I was gone,” Owens said. “We needed a big play to get the momentum.”

Longwood reeled off 20 second-quarter points for a 27-14 halftime lead. Clark’s two 8-yard scoring runs made it 21-14. His second one came after Horton broke three tackles on a 63-yard run to set up the go-ahead TD with 1:23 left in the half.

Longwood got the ball right back when Josh Rivers intercepted at the 37 to set up the backbreaking score. Scalice, one of Murphy’s unselfish contributors, got his only carry – and ripped off a 60-yard run up the middle. Only Ahmad Johnson’s diving stop at the 3 prevented the touchdown.

“He’ll have the best yards-per- carry in LIC history,” Murphy said, laughing. “What a run.”

Horton slammed it in from the 3 for the 27-14 halftime lead.

If the outcome still was in question, it took one play and 12 seconds of the third quarter to change that. Owens followed the blocks of guard Anthony Lavio and Weiss and raced untouched for 80 yards to make it 33-14.

“These games are won in the weight room in the offseason,” said Horton, who had 118 yards on seven carries. “There is such a commitment in this program, and it shows when we push teams around. That Farmingdale team was real good, and look what happened.”

Owens and Clark added TD runs for a 47-14 lead with 8:26 left in the fourth.

In the era of the spread offense, Longwood attempted two passes and achieved a dubious distinction: an LIC-record minus-4 yards. But it didn’t matter, because Longwood took Farmingdale to school.

LI CLASS I FINAL

LONGWOOD 47

FARMINGDALE 28

LONG ISLAND CLASS I CHAMPIONSHIP 

At Stony Brook University

Longwood 7 20 13 7 – 47 

Farmingdale 14 0 0 14 – 28 

FARM – Burriesci 1 run (DeFelice kick)

FARM – Cesar 57 pass from Burriesci (DeFelice kick)

LONG – Owens 76 run (Linbrunner kick)

LONG – T. Clark 8 run (Linbrunner kick)

LONG – T. Clark 8 run (Linbrunner kick)

LONG – Horton 3 run (run failed)

LONG – Owens 80 run (run failed)

LONG – Owens 16 run (Linbrunner kick)

LONG – Clark 41 run (Linbrunner kick)

FARM – McLune 45 run (DeFelice kick)

FARM – Smikle Jr 7 pass from Burriesci (DeFelice kick)

Long Island Football Championships

Longwood steamrolled its way to the Class I football crown: Lions rushed for record 7 TDs in title game. Horton, Clark helped lead a total team effort.

Sarra, Gregg. Newsday,  06 Dec 2015

The commitment was to run the football. And run Longwood did. The Lions ran straight to the Long Island Class I championship.

“We pushed the weight training in the offseason and they all bought in,” said Longwood coach Jeff Cipp. “This group was committed to winning a Long Island title.”

And the Lions did so in impressive fashion. Longwood rushed for a Long Island-record 555 yards and scored seven touchdowns on the ground in a 47-28 win over Farmingdale to claim the Long Island Class I crown last Sunday at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium.

On the way to the title, Longwood (11-1) ended the perfect season and championship hopes of consecutive opponents from Lindenhurst and Farmingdale. The 44-14 win over Lindenhurst in the Suffolk championship game avenged the Lions’ only loss this season.

“We turned the ball over in the first loss against Lindy and we learned from it,” said Matt Weiss, Longwood‘s two-way lineman. “We controlled our own destiny by running the ball and taking care of it.”

Longwood‘s offensive philosophy was anything but conventional. In the era of the spread offense, where passing often dominates, the Lions opt to run, run and run. And they scored 48 touchdowns by run this season.

It really wasn’t much of a surprise that Longwood shattered the LIC record of 446 yards rushing set by North Babylon in 1999.

“There was no secret to our success,” said Longwood fullback Latrell Horton. “We line up and knock you down. We come right at people, man-to-man and we bring it. If you’re not in the weight room all year, you can’t play against us.”

Horton steamrolled his opponents all season. In the Long Island title game, his 63-yard run late in the second quarter featured a few collisions and broken tackles.

“I like those kinds of runs,” he said. “I like when the defensive backs come up and try and put it on me. I play for the hard contact, and for the big hits.”

Horton’s run set up a Tahj Clark 8-yard touchdown run on the next play for a 21-14 lead, part of a 47-0 run for Longwood.

“We grabbed the momentum and never gave it up,” said Longwood‘s two-way lineman Anthony Lavio. “We take so much pride in our blocking assignments and wen work well together.”

On Farmingdale’s next possession, Longwood defensive back Josh Rivers intercepted a pass at his own 37 and set up the Lions’ second touchdown in the final 1:23 of the half.

On the next play, fullback Mike Scalice burst up the middle for a 60-yard run to the Dalers 3. Horton punched it in for the score and the Lions led 27-14. The second quarter of the LIC was a microcosm of Longwood‘s season. The Lions offense rolled over opponents to average 37 points per game.

They did it with little diversity. How many teams do you think could win a Long Island title, only throwing four touchdown passes in 12 games? Longwood did.

And the Lions scored more touchdowns on defense than through the air. They scored on five interceptions, blocked a field goal, a punt return and two fumble recoveries – a total of nine.

Athletic linebackers Antonio Scala and Horton and defensive back Sean Rausch were quick to the ball in run support and tough as nails.

“We were a complete team,” Cipp said. “We fell short of a title a year ago and that was a huge motivator for them. This was a great season.”

LIONS’ road to the championship

Suffolk playoffs

Floyd, 34-0

Northport, 48-21

Suffolk championship

Lindenhurst, 44-14

Long Island championship

Farmingdale, 47-28

LONGWOOD ‘O’ LAYS IT ON THE LINE

Herzog, Bob. Newsday,  30 Nov 2015

There’s no secret to Longwood‘s success. The Lions’ offensive linemen tell their opponents what’s coming. “Literally,” right tackle Matt Weiss said. “We come up to the line of scrimmage and point at the guy across from us and say, ‘We’re blocking that guy.’ We tell them what we’re doing.”

Doesn’t help.

Longwood‘s offensive line, led by its dynamic senior right-side duo of tackle Weiss and guard Anthony Lavio, opened so many holes for its running backs yesterday in a 47-28 Long Island Class I victory over Farmingdale that the Lions accumulated 555 yards on the ground, an LIC record.

“Our motto since July is ‘to the last whistle,’ and when you’re blocking for backs like that, they make it easy,” Lavio said. 

The guys who made the dirty work look easy were Khalil Owens (271 yards), Latrell Horton (118), Tahj Clark (97) and Mike Scalice (60).

“Teams know we’ll be running behind our offensive line or behind our fullbacks,” Lavio said of Horton and Scalice. “We’ll keep doing it until it stops working.”

It never stopped working against previously unbeaten Farmingdale. “I trust every single one of those runners,” Weiss said. “Some of those runs today were ridiculous.”

It was Weiss who coined the “to the last whistle” slogan after a summer session. “We brainstormed,” he said, “and I came up with that.”

It was a summer of reflection as well as hard work for Longwood, which was stung by its loss to Patchogue-Medford in last year’s Suffolk I semifinal as an undefeated No. 1 seed.

“Every day in summer sprints and every day in the weight room, I thought about that loss,” Lavio said. “Every day it was on my mind.”

Added Weiss, “We fed off last year’s loss.”

The Lions led 27-14 at the half, and on the first play in the third quarter, Owens burst through a gaping hole and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Said Lavio, “Coming out after halftime, after that play, we knew if we didn’t turn it over and just pounded the ball that we’d win.”

For the first time, Longwood‘s players wore black jerseys with the word “HEART,” “SPIRIT” or “PRIDE” – instead of their names – on their backs above the numbers.

For Weiss and Lavio, close friends who lined up side by side for two years, it was “HEART.” That suited them perfectly. They were the heart and soul of the champion Lions.

Matt Weiss doesn’t speak much. Longwood’s two-way senior tackle really doesn’t need to do much talking. He lets his play make a statement.

When teammates were getting hyped on game day, Weiss preferred a different motivation for his pregame. While teammates listened to rap, he allowed himself a few moments to reflect on family, specifically his aunt Kristy Weiss, who died of ovarian cancer on Nov. 29, 2013.

“I listen to her song before every game outside the locker room,” Weiss said. “The guys get into their own thing and I take nothing away from them, that’s their enjoyment. But I go to a different place to get fired up.”

Weiss sits and listens to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by the late Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole.

“He finds great motivation in her battle against cancer,” his father, Fred Weiss, said. “And everyone respects his privacy. It’s fairly intimidating that such a soft, emotional song can set off the beast in him.”

Weiss became the first two-time winner of the Bob Zellner Award as Suffolk’s most outstanding lineman Monday night at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner in Hauppauge.

“He just dominated our opponents,” coach Jeff Cipp said. “He’s a quiet, well-liked kid, but he turns that switch when he’s on the field. We ran most of our offense right behind him.”

The 6-1, 272-pound Weiss led the way as Longwood’s offensive line paved the way to a Long Island Class I title. The Lions set the record for yards rushing in a championship game with 555 in a 47-28 win over previously undefeated Farmingdale.

“We take a lot of pride in running the ball,” Weiss said. “And I love it when we knock people down and our guys run for a score. It’s a great feeling.”

It was not uncommon for Weiss to level the defender in front of him and go out and get after the linebackers. “He was relentless,” Cipp said.

Weiss was a fierce competitor, opening huge holes for speedy halfbacks Khalil Owens and Tajh Clark to run into the secondary. In power packages, Weiss and Anthony Lavio would help fullbacks Latrell Horton and Mike Scalice get into the second level and run opponents over.

“When we all followed our assignments it was game over,” Weiss said. “And we played with a big chip on our shoulders after losing in last year’s playoffs.”

Now Weiss waits for the right college offer.

“I’m sure opportunities will open up for him,” said Hans Weiderkehr, the president of the Suffolk Football Coaches Association. “He’s one of the very best.”

Way to Go! Matthew Weiss, Longwood High

By Michael R. Ebert, March 28, 2016

Longwood High School senior Matthew Weiss is New York’s sole recipient of an award that recognizes youth leadership, diligence to school and good moral character.

Weiss received the Burlsworth Character Award, which is given to students who exemplify the character of Brandon Burlsworth, a walk-on football player at the University of Arkansas who was killed in a car accident shortly after being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999.

Weiss was told of his selection by Longwood football coach Jeff Cipp during a team meeting in early March.

“I had no clue about it — I was very surprised,” said Weiss, 17. “It’s a really great honor and I’m very grateful.”

At Longwood, Weiss’ achievements include being captain and MVP this season of the school’s football team, which was Class 1 Long Island champions. He was named to the All-Metro, All-American and first-team All-State teams, and won this year’s Zellner Award for being the “most outstanding” lineman in Suffolk County.

“Matt is not just a great football player — his character, personality and humility also make him a great person both on and off the field,” Cipp said.

Weiss, Cipp and the Longwood School District are slated to be listed in the credits of an upcoming movie, “Greater,” based on Burlsworth’s life.