| By Kevin Adler
There�s a first time for everything, and Commack
defensive back Jeff Dena could not have picked a better
time for the first interception return for a touchdown in
his high school career. Midway through the third quarter
of the seventh annual Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge,
Dena stepped in front of a pass by New York City
quarterback Kasey Nunez, and raced down the sideline for
the touchdown that broke a 14-14 tie. Long Island�s
defense made Dena�s touchdown stand up, and Long Island
beat New York City 21-14 in front of 9,782 fans on a day
of stifling heat and stifling defensive play.
�I was just reading the quarterback�s eyes,� said Dena.
�I guess he thought he could get it in there, but he was
late.�
�I�ve had interceptions before, but I�ve never taken
one for a touchdown. What a way to end my high school
career,� said Dena, who capped the evening by being named
the recipient of the Timothy M. O�Brien Most Valuable
Player Award. The award is newly renamed this year in
memory of one of the Empire Challenge�s greatest
supporters, who died September 11 in the World Trade
Center.
�A great game, as always,� said Boomer Esiason, who is
enjoying watching the game that he started join the top
echelon of national high school football all-star games.
�And yes, it does mean something a little more special
this year, after what so many of us in the New York area
have been through.�
Major sponsors for this year�s game were the National
Football League, Cannon U.S.A., J.P Morgan Chase, the New
York Jets, and Outback Steakhouse.
Hot Times on Field
As has been the case in previous Empire Challenge
contests, two things were ever-present all evening: heat
and defense. Game-time temperatures were setting records
throughout the metropolitan area, and on-field
temperatures were well above 100 degrees. �We always seem
to pick the hottest day of the year,� Esiason laughed.
The heat didn�t seem to slow down the defensive players
for either team, as they forced nine fumbles, three
interceptions, and two blocked kicks. �It�s very hard to
put in an offense in just nine practices,� said NYC head
coach Fred Snyder. �And the defensive guys are so
talented, they can just dominate.�
�There are restrictions on what the defense can do with
blitzes and stunts,� said NYC offensive coordinator Al
Paturzo. �But you can�t restrict size and talent. There
are defensive players out there who weigh 280 lbs. and can
run. What are you gonna do-tell them they�ve got to play
with one hand behind their back?�
Since the Empire Challenge has not embraced the
innovation of shackling the defensive players, both
coaches had to come up with a legal game plan to move the
ball. They both decided that a passing attack was the way
to go, and in the early going they were fairly successful.
Long Island Strikes First
Long Island got possession first, and quarterback Brian
Rath (Wantagh) tried to pass on the first play. But he was
smothered by Antonio Colon (Cardinal Hayes) and Leslie
Bartholomew (Lehman). Colon and Bartholomew teamed up to
stop Bryant Daniels (South Side) after a one-yard gain on
the second play, before Rath connected on a 16-yard screen
pass to Josh Johnston (Harborfields) for a first down.
�Against that pass rush, you have to use screens and
draws,� said LI coach Keith Sachs.
Rath found Johnston on the right side for a 13-yard
later on the same drive to move the ball to the NYC
22-yard line, but a sack on third down by Chris Zambrano
(St. Francis Prep) basically ended the drive. LI lost the
ball on downs.
NYC�s first possession ended when running back Ramon
Guzman (Clinton) fumbled after running up the middle for
15 yards. Cornerback Patrick Walsh (Wantagh) made the
recovery.
Starting with good field position at his own 41, Long
Island quarterback Jason Cappadoro (MacArthur) moved the
team 59 yards in 6 plays for the game�s first score.
Cappadoro�s passes to Johnston for 19 yards and to Chris
Martocchia (Wantagh) for 23 yards on a beautiful crossing
pattern were the big plays. On first and goal from the
six, Cappadoro hit Martocchia�s Wantagh teammate Joe
Holden in the back of the end zone for the touchdown.
�All of our receivers catch the ball very well, and
they run excellent routes,� said Sachs. �That makes us
very dangerous when we�re using three or four receivers in
a play.�
After Long Island�s first touchdown, New York City
fumbled the kickoff return. Owen Messner�s (East Islip)
recovery put Long Island on the NYC 14-yard line. In four
plays, the last three of them runs by Daniels, Long Island
was in the end zone again and had a 14-0 lead.
New York City Comes Back
Football is a game of emotion, and NYC�s players could
have given up after being down 14-0 late in the first
quarter. But they didn�t, as they scored on their next two
possessions to tie the game.
Woody Aime (Holy Cross) put New York City in good
position after Long Island�s second touchdown with a
kickoff return to the 34-yard line. On the first play,
quarterback Desmond Maxwell (Lehman) tried a screen to the
right, but free safety Stephon Sair (Huntington) made a
great tackle to stop it for a short gain. However, a late
hit penalty was called on LI�s Randy Earle (Farmingdale),
one of the most heralded players in the game. New York
City picked up 20 yards on the play and moved into Long
Island territory.
�We want to set up our offense for the big play and
then to capitalize on it,� said NYC coach Snyder prior to
the game. Sure enough, on the first play after the
penalty, Maxwell lofted the ball deep down the left side,
and Harrison Tindall (Wagner) came up with it for a
37-yard gain. Tindall, one of the smallest players in the
game at 5�8� and 160 lbs., outfought Long Island�s Messner
for the ball. On first and goal from the seven, Guzman ran
up the middle for the score.
Long Island got the ball back on its own 12-yard line,
and it appeared as if Cappadoro was going to again lead
the team on a scoring drive. He moved the team 64 yards in
15 plays, but NYC�s Colon blocked a field goal attempt.
Colon�s block was actually the second by NYC in the
series, as John Combs (Poly Prep) blocked a punt, but Long
Island�s Johnston picked up the loose ball and ran 10
yards for a first down to keep the drive alive.
When NYC regained possession after the blocked field
goal, it was Maxwell�s turn to lead a long drive. The
drive started poorly, as Maxwell�s first-down completion
for 20 yards was called back on a penalty. A huge pass
rush by LI�s Damien Gilyard (Elmont), Charles McCullough
(Glen Cove), and Chris King (Longwood) forced Maxwell to
scramble on each pass attempt. But he connected on just
enough short-range passes to Matthew King (Lehman) and
Shaine Smith (August Martin) to keep the drive going. Two
personal fouls also helped NYC move downfield as the clock
ticked towards halftime.
With 33 seconds left in the half, Maxwell lobbed a ball
down the right side, and wide receiver Tindall again
outjumped the Long Island defensive backs to complete a
big play. The reception went for 36 yards and put NYC
inside the one. For the day, Tindall led all receivers
with five catches for 84 yards.
On the next play after the long completion, Maxwell
dove in for the touchdown. He then completed a two-point
conversion to Doug Anderwkavich, and the score was 14-14
at the half.
Second-Half Defensive Battle
At the half, each team had moved the ball reasonably
well through the air, but neither had showed much of a
running game. �We know that Boomer wants us to open up the
offense and try to score,� said Long Island coach Sachs.
�We have great athletes on offense, and the idea is to get
them with the ball in one-on-one situations. Our team had
three backs with more than 2,000 rushing yards, so we were
trying to get them the ball too on screens and draws.�
Coaches from both teams also were substituting players
even more regularly than in years past, as they sought to
keep players fresh for four quarters. �The heat was
stifling. We had them drink water all day, and we watched
them real carefully,� said Joe Killeen, one of Long
Island�s trainers. �Some players, like the heavier
linemen, were limited to being in for three consecutive
plays before getting a breather.�
Players from both teams seemed able to withstand the
heat, and Long Island coach Sachs had one explanation.
�The one advantage is that these guys were the stars of
their teams and so they usually were two-way players
[i.e., on offense and defense]. Some were on special teams
too. They are used to playing 150 of 160 plays in a game.
But here we�re asking them to play about 40,� he said.
Whether it was the heat or the challenges of creating
an offense in little more than a week, in the second half
it was the defenses that made the big plays. NYC started
out with possession, and John Harvey (Canarsie) came out
firing. He hit Devale Ellis (Madison) over the middle for
a 31-yard gain, but on fourth and five inside LI
territory, Harvey threw behind Ellis, and LI�s Powell
picked it off.
Long Island took over and kept throwing, but Rath went
three plays and out. Pressure by John Combs (Poly Prep),
Nick Scirripa (Wagner), and Chris Zambrano (St. Francis
Prep) continually forced Rath to throw too early or to
dump short passes to a running back. Zambrano was
especially disruptive, and he was voted NYC�s player of
the game for his two sacks and consistent pressure from
his defensive end position.
After a punt, New York City got the ball back near
midfield, and at first it seemed ready to take the lead.
Adegboyega Akinga (Sheepshead Bay) ran twice up the middle
for a first down, and then a penalty gave New York City
first and five on the Long Island 26. But a sack by
Gilyard and McCullough slowed the drive, and on second
down, Kasey Nunez (Wagner) tried a pass to the left
sideline. Dena saw it all the way, picked it off, and
outraced NYC�s players to the end zone. With 8:39 left in
the third quarter, Long Island�s defense had recorded what
would be the game�s final score, and the team led 21-14.
NYC�s best opportunity to re-tie the game came on its
next possession when Matthew King ran the ball four
consecutive times for 19 yards and carried the team near
midfield. But on a fake to King, McCullough and linebacker
Chris Bretton (Bethpage) sandwiched quarterback John
Harvey for a loss. Then Gilyard and Earle forced Harvey to
throw the ball away on third and long.
Long Island�s offense didn�t contribute another score,
but Rath and running Bryant Daniels (South Side)
spearheaded the team on an 11-play drive that ate up more
than six minutes of the fourth quarter and helped to keep
the ball deep in NYC�s territory for the rest of the game.
NYC�s last three possessions started at its 21, 19, and 3,
respectively. Daniels finished the game with 18 carries
for 116 yards and a touchdown.
�I told our defensive players to fly to the ball and
never give up on a play,� said LI head coach Sachs. �We
knew we had to defend the whole field. In the regular
season, if you cover your turf, that usually shuts down
the play. But here, these guys can find that one cutback
lane, and that�s it-big play.�
In the end, the 2002 Empire Challenge was decided by a
big play, the first-ever interception return for a
touchdown in the game�s history. But this year, it was the
defense that delivered and gave Long Island a 3-2 series
lead.
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