National Signing Day is fast approaching, and East Meadow tackle John Elliott is still mulling his options. Anyone who has seen the pancake artist play knows he’s special. Rise Magazine recently unveiled its top 100 football recruits. Guess who is rated 37th nationally? That’s right, Elliott. Where will he land? Find out Feb. 7.
Nassau's Gridiron Banquet is always an event I look forward too -- if only because it marks the end of the fall season. It also gives me a chance to mingle and talk once more with the many storylines of the 2006 football season.
Here are my highlights:
+ Wantagh senior Anthony Polo pulled me aside early in the evening to playfully call me out. He heard me make a comment to the effect that Wantagh didn't make a single tackle in its season-opening loss to Bethpage. Not true he said -- Polo alone accounted for 27.
I knew how good Polo, a three-year starter, was. He was a key figure as a sophomore as Wantagh won the Nassau Conference III crown. And he has a solid Division I-AA future. Guess what? Polo walked away with the Bill Piner Award as Nassau's top linebacker by the end of the night. So now he'll always be remembered as one of Nassau's great linebackers.
+ When it came time for Lawrence junior P.J. Preziosa to speak, he was left nearly dumbfounded. Preziosa earned a trip to the dais as the winner of the Don Snyder Award as Nassau's top quarterback. It was probably the first situation all season that Preziosa, the hero of the Long Island Class II title game, didn't have an answer for.
Everyone in the audience could relate -- talk about being put on the spot -- since he was the first athlete of the night given the mike.
+ East Meadow coach Vinny Mascia received a healthy applause for winning the Bruce Gehrke Memorial Coach of the Year Award. Yes, that was me clapping too. Well done.
+ Lawrence coach Lou Andre, rumored to be stepping down to watch his son play football in college, confirmed to me that he'll be back in 2007. The Golden Tornado, with Preziosa among several key returning starters, figures to repeat.
+ How special is East Meadow senior tackle John Elliott? He's the first repeat winner of the Al Martone Award in its the 32-year history. The Martone goes to Nassau's top lineman and some recent winners include Lawrence's Shane Olivea in 1999 and Freeport's D'Brickashaw Ferguson in 2001. Olivea is opening holes in San Diego for LaDainian Tomlinson and Ferguson, the fourth overall pick in the last NFL Draft, has wrestled the Jets into playoff contention.
But back to Elliott. Winning the Martone was nice, but he got all dressed up in hopes of seeing East Meadow bring home the Rutgers Cup. There's no doubt the Jets were Nassau's best team all year long. But thanks to Lawrence's classic upset of Bellport for the Class II title, it was Lawrence that walked away with its fifth Cup and first since 1961. Like the team player he is, that left Elliott upset at the end of the night.
Hey John, you've done everything you can do for East Meadow. Now it's time to focus on your future. And as one of the nation's most coveted linemen, that means making the right collegiate choice. Elliott said that he's down to four schools after dropping West Virginia from the mix -- Boston College, Michigan, Rutgers and Virginia. That's a strong final four.
+ My personal highlight of the night was the sight of D'Brickashaw Ferguson at the Crest Hollow. Fresh off the Jets' 38-10 throttling of Green Bay, Ferguson enjoyed an off day on Monday. He spent it at the Freeport table with his former coaches. How many multi-millionaires would do that? No entourage either.
As the presenter of Newsday's Tom Thorp Award, given to Nassau's best player and one of the highlights of the night, I didn't hesitate to ask Brick if he would hand out the award with fellow writer Joe Manniello and me.
In the end, how symbolic was it that Ferguson, the 2001 Thorp Award winner, handed the massive trophy to Freeport's Chris Edmond? It was one of the cooler things I've ever witnessed in 11 years on the beat. Thanks Brick.
I ran into the bulk of the Roosevelt football team accross the street from Hofstra's Shuart Stadium on Friday between Long Island championship games. They were quietly chowing down at McDonald's. If the Rough Riders didn't have a lot on their plate then -- come on, these are football players, right? -- they sure did after watching Bethpage get beat up in the Class III final. (THAT'S SAYVILLE PICTURED.)
That's right, Roosevelt. You are Nassau's only hope in avoiding a Suffolk sweep. Sorry, Lawrence. I simply can't see you beating Bellport. If you hung with the Clippers for three quarters I'd be impressed -- and that's no knock. Bellport is the defending Class II champ and one of the best teams in the state. Period.
Heck, East Meadow has been the class of Nassau all season. Yet the Jets were overwhelmed in the end. Defending Class I champ Floyd was too dynamic and that defense didn't mind knocking heads.
It was an amazing first day of LIC action. It was a great day for the fan -- particularly if you lived east of Route 110.
Suffolk won three of four LIC games a year ago and a repeat of that seems likely. Great for Suffolk, right? I say no. All the talk about Long Island staying out of the state playoffs is based on a competitive LIC. A Suffolk sweep this year and more domination the next will throw the fragile balance of it all off.
How can coaches and administrators claim that the Long Island championships are the greatest thing going if one county can't keep up with the other?
Now back to you, Roosevelt. Now you know what's at stake guys. An entire county is watching you. You are playing for Nassau pride. The truth is everyone -- outside of Mount Sinai -- should be in your corner for the nightcap on Saturday at Stony Brook.
If you are a believer in the current football system, then you realize the need for competitive balance. That's why a Roosevelt win is important. That's why everyone should root for the Rough Riders on Saturday.
East Meadow senior John Elliott is big time. He just doesn’t act it.
The 6-5, 295-pound right tackle is one of the nation’s top linemen. And while every coach in college football would offer up a kidney – or an assistant’s -- to land him, Elliott is focused on the Nassau Conference I playoffs instead of the BCS Standings.
“I’m putting my high school season ahead of my own future,’’ Elliott said late Thursday after helping the Jets beat Massapequa 34-13 in the Conference I semifinals. “I owe that to my teammates.’’
When was the last time you heard that? Thank you for that dose humility Mr. Elliott.
Elliott also revealed to Newsday the seven teams in the running for his services, although he won’t truly begin the recruiting process until East Meadow’s run is done. In no particular order: Michigan, Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Boston College.
The rumor mill gives Boston College the edge, but that can definitely change. Elliott has yet to take an official visit.
Here’s more fun with numbers, courtesy of stat man Andy Slawson. The Nassau football semifinals kick off Thursday with Conference I games at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
Ever wonder about the man calling the shots on the sidelines? Here are the career won-loss records of the coaches still fighting for championships. If there’s a common thread, most of these guys are very, very accomplished. It’s little wonder they are still coaching into November.
Check out these semifinal matchups:
Conference I
Vinny Mascia, ninth year at East Meadow, 44-31-1 vs. Pat Nolan, fifth year at Massapequa, 28-16.
Russ Cellan, 21st year at Freeport and 24th overall, 139-73-3 vs. Buddy Krumenacker, 14th year at Farmingdale and 25th overall, 165-59-11.
Conference II
Lou Andre, seventh year at Lawrence and 18th overall, 114-50-2 vs. Jay Hegi, fifth year at Elmont, 24-17-1.
Tom Flatley, 22nd year at Garden City, 186-30-7 vs. Bob Fehrenbach, eighth year at MacArthur, 44-25-2.
Conference III
Howie Vogts, 53rd year at Bethpage, 340-113-10* vs. John Boyle, 20th year at Clarke, 104-66-2.
Steve LoCicero, second year at Lynbrook, 10-6+ vs. Rob Shaver, 11th year at Plainedge, 50-43-1.
Conference IV
Joe Vito, 13th year at Roosevelt, 89-33-2 vs. Lance Griffin, 24th year at Valley Stream South, 92-101-6.
Dan Agovino, fifth year at North Shore, 21-22 vs. Rob Perpall, seventh year at Seaford, 38-22.
*State record.
+Co-coach last season.
With all the hype surrounding the polls I thought it would be fun to throw it out there and have a Long Island High School football tournament. Take the top eight schools in the Large Schools and the top eight schools in the Small Schools and make a fantasy tournament.
Too bad we couldn't get the sectional directors to just have a charity doubleheader and have St. Anthony's play either Floyd or Bellport in the first game and Freeport or East Meadow or Garden City play against either Chaminade or Holy Trinity in the second game. Imagine how much money could be raised for charity. There'd be 10,000 people at Stony Brook for a Bellport-St. Anthony's game. At $5 a head that's 50 grand for a great cause.
But until the powers that be smarten up and reach out let's have some fun. Take your best eight teams and put them in a Division I tournament and play it out. Do the same thing with Division II and the small schools.
Give us the final score and the scoring summary and a five line highlight on each game. That would be four quarterfinal games, two semifinals and a championship. I'll post my tournament results next week. We may print your best bracket with the most interesting story lines just before the playoffs. Good luck and have fun.
With the Nassau football playoffs starting Week 8 with quarterfinals, it’s fair to say the midpoint of the season is here. Over the next four days, I’ll break down the year to date in each conference -- the highlights and lowlights. Here are my mid-season observations for Conference I.
Coach of the Year: Hicksville coach Craig Stueber has the Comets, a preseason No. 13 seed, off to a 3-1 start. They’ve already bettered last season’s 2-6 record. And they’ve done it with shutout wins over Plainview JFK, Long Beach and Valley Stream Central. A win over 3-1 Oceanside this week all but locks up a playoff spot.
MVP: Where would Oceanside be without QB Chris Logan? He’s thrown for 10 TDs and run for three more to help the Sailors, a No. 11 seed, to a 3-1 start.
Unsung Hero: East Meadow OT John Elliott has the Jets off to a perfect start. Got syrup? This guy has been serving up pancakes all season.
Biggest Surprise: Freeport (4-0), one year removed from a 4-4 season, has come out of the gate on fire. The No. 5 seed has played like a team on a mission. The defense, led by MLB Chris Edmond, is fast. The offense, energized by QB Shannon Robinson, is dynamic.
Biggest Disappointment: Sure, Baldwin (1-3) didn’t return a single starter and the Bruins’ first-half schedule was brutal. But even coach Steve Carroll must have expected more. After all, Baldwin is coming off a 10-1 conference-championship season.
First Half Game of the Year: Massapequa salvaged its season with a 34-31 triple overtime win over Baldwin on Oct. 7. Baldwin rallied twice to tie it. But Chiefs running back Jon Pesce scored three times, including on a 6-yard run for the winner.
Second Half Game of the Year: Freeport at East Meadow, Oct. 28, 2 p.m. is a clash of titans. Simply put, the two best teams in Nassau. There may even be scalpers at this one, so get there early or bring extra cash.
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl, an all-star football game featuring the nation’s top seniors, just released its list of 400 top nominees. They include four Long Island standouts. That number will eventually be pared to 80.
Former North Babylon running back Jason Gwaltney earned the honor two seasons ago. Can one of these locals make the cut? Recruiting expert Tom Lemming breaks down each. Here is a look at each nominee and Lemming’s comments:
Ronnie Cameron, DE from Holy Trinity: “Ronnie Cameron is a powerhouse who can dominate at the point of attack and gets good leverage. He has a quick first step, bends his knees well, and shows good field awareness.”
Mario Dattilo, OL from Centereach: “Mario Dattilo dominates as a run blocker and has good initial quickness off the ball. At 290lbs, he is very agile and plays the game with a lot of intensity.”
John Elliott, OL from East Meadow: “John Elliott has the quick feet needed to play left tackle at the next level. He gets off the ball quickly and does a good job of sealing off defenders when pass blocking. He sets a solid base, and shows good mobility and lateral quickness.”
Michael Pepe, QB from Bellport: “Michael Pepe has the arm strength and mobility to be an impact at the major college level. He's got great size, a nice loose arm, smarts and confidence. He can move around the pocket and does a good job of avoiding pass rushers.”