2002 Sponsors

2002 Game Results

Fowler - Melvin Fowler returns for a visit. He played in the game and was an NFL draft pick this year.

NFL program - The NFL High School program in NYC produced 28 players for this year�s game.

Patriotism - A small �color� article about teamwork and patriotism. Quotes from coaches.

In many ways, the Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge is a family event. It�s a chance for the parents, siblings, and relatives of the metropolitan area�s greatest players to see them on the football field one more time. Little brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, yell to their favorites throughout the game, and then join the players on the field afterwards for the fireworks display.

For two players in the 2002 Empire Challenge, the game was truly a family affair. New York City�s Antonio Colon (Cardinal Hayes) and Long Island�s Kevin Moodt (Bellport) played in this year�s game, just a year after their older brothers participated in the 2001 Empire Challenge.

�I watched my brother William in the game last year, and I knew I wanted to play in it this year,� said Antonio Colon, a 6�3�, 290-lb. defensive lineman. �When I got that invitation letter, I called him up. He said, �I told you that you�d be in the game.��

As one of the best defensive players on the field last year, William set a high standard for Antonio to meet this year. �My brother played a great game last year,� said Antonio, who then went out and contributed a dominant performance. A force on the interior of the New York defensive line all evening, Antonio made the tackle on the first play of the game and was credited with three tackles, three assists, 1.5 sacks, and a blocked field goal attempt.

For Moodt, the appearance in the Empire Challenge capped a dream season that far exceeded anything he even imagined when he watched his brother Kyle in 2001. �I didn�t think I�d get invited to this game. I didn�t think I�d get half the things I got this year,� said the all-state defensive line selection. �Our team went 11-0 and had the number one ranking in the state. We have four players from Bellport in this game. It�s just been an unbelievable year.�

Both older brothers returned to watch the game this year, and they stayed in touch during the week of practice to provide some tips. Colon has been working out this summer with his brother and soon-to-be teammate at Hofstra. �He�s passed along some stuff to me, some things he learned last year on Hofstra�s team,� said Colon. �He showed me this type of spin move-I don�t have it perfect yet-but I�ll try to work it in.�

Moodt, a 6�6� defensive tackle, doesn�t play the same position as his brother, who�s expecting to play on the offensive line at C.W. Post this fall. But another Empire Challenge alumnus from the 2001 Bellport High School team, Kurt Bazerewski, has been helping Moodt with technique. �In this [Empire Challenge] game, we�re using a three-point stance, but I used a four-point stance in high school,� said Moodt, who recorded two tackles in the 2002 Empire Challenge. �Kurt has been helping me get out of the three-point stance quicker.�

What Moodt remembers about the 2001 game is how his brother and his teammates were upset about losing a game that they controlled in many respects. �The kickoff return [for a touchdown by Stephen Gregory of Curtis High School] was pretty much the difference last year,� said Moodt. �Coach Sachs has been telling us how New York never really answered back after that play. We didn�t want that to happen again.�

Instead it was Long Island that turned in the big play-Jeff Dena�s (Commack) 69-yard interception return for a touchdown-that won the game this year.