His contributions didn’t get much attention, mainly because Plainedge lost to Lynbrook, 20-13, in the Nassau Conference III football semifinals on Friday. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a cornerback who played bigger in the playoffs this season.

Plainedge junior John Dick recorded two fumble recoveries, broke up a pass and led the team with 13 tackles, including 12 solo against Lynbrook. Had the Red Devils won, he’d be the hero. Instead he’s merely a footnote.

Nice game for sure. But consider what he did six days earlier in a quarterfinal against Wantagh. The 5-10, 155-pound Dick intercepted a pair of passes and knocked down the ball as Wantagh went for two and the win in the final minute of regulation. Plainedge held on to win, 14-13, thanks to Dick.

If there were an all-playoff team, Dick would get my vote.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

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.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It’s mid-season football awards time. Today a look at Nassau Conference III:

Coach of the Year: No team is playing better than 4-0 Bethpage, and that’s a reflection of iconic coach Howie Vogts and his hands-on coaching staff. Not only does Vogts, 76, keep piling up the wins (337 and counting), but he still has the love of an entire community. Top assistant Erwin Dill has been on the job for 21 seasons. You can’t buy that kind of experience. The Golden Eagles are flying high as a result.

MVP: Bethpage struggled at times a year ago. That’s because the big-play athlete the coaching staff expected to run the show was lost to injury before the season even started. Well, senior Kyle Crotty is back. And now he’s the one putting a hurting on teams. The option quarterback has run for four touchdowns, thrown for two scores and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Unsung Hero: Imagine the burden of repeating that every defending champion carries. Plainedge lost several key players from last season’s 10-1 dream team, so the pressure to perform fell on several fresh faces. No one has answered the bell better than junior running back John Makastchian. He broke a 66-yard scoring run against Bethpage and combined for 406 yards and four touchdowns the last two weeks in key wins over Wantagh and Westbury.

Biggest Surprise: At 3-1, Lynbrook has already equaled last season’s win total. Not bad for a No. 8 seed. What really stands out is a 6-0 OT win over Floral Park, last season’s conference finalist. First-year coach Steve LoCicero has the Owls headed in the right direction – the playoffs.

Biggest Disappointment: West Hempstead, a darkhorse to win the conference and a preseason No. 2 seed, is 0-4. The Rams haven’t played badly, taking leads into halftime on three occasions. But second-half lapses have been killer.

First Half Game of the Year: In a possible preview of the conference title game, Bethpage held off Plainedge, 21-20, Week 2. Kyle Crotty returned an interception for a 24-yard fourth-quarter score and 21-14 Bethpage edge. But Plainedge back Graig Lauricella punched in a 1-yard touchdown in the final two minutes to close the gap. Coach Rob Shaver opted to go for two and the win. The ensuing running play was stuffed by Crotty (see MVP). Game over.

Second Half Game of the Year: Floral Park at Plainedge, Oct. 27, 2 p.m. Rematch of last season’s conference title game. The winner gets momentum heading into the playoffs and emerges as the top threat to Bethpage.

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