2002 Outback Empire Challenge Results

Jeff Dena will never forget last night. He should look back on his experience in the Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge and be very proud. The Commack cornerback left an indelible mark on this chapter of the all-star football extravaganza that pits the best players from New York against the finest of Long Island.

Dena made this event unforgettable when he stepped in front of a pass intended for Akeen Watson in the flat and took an interception 69 yards for a touchdown with 6:39 left in the third quarter to break a tie at 14 and send Long Island to a 21-14 victory before 9,782 at Hofstra Stadium.

It was the first time in this series that a defensive touchdown proved decisive.

"We've had winning kicks and game-winning passes," said Boomer Esiason, the game's founder. "But man, that interception was something exciting. He grabbed it and he was gone."

One of the smallest Long Island players made the biggest play. Dena (5-9, 170) nabbed the 5-yard spiral from Wagner quarterback Kasey Nunez about shoulder high and streaked past the Long Island bench, eluding the final tackler, New York's 6-4, 250-pound Mike Sabatini, at the 5-yard line before dancing into the end zone.

"I'm just speechless," Dena said. "I was on the bubble for this game. And then I got the phone call that I was in and I just wanted to make the most of the chance. And it's just pretty unbelievable the way things worked out."

Dena was presented the Timothy M. O'Brien MVP award by Esiason and O'Brien family members. O'Brien worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and was killed Sept. 11 in the World Trade Center and was also a founding board member in the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which had its corporate offices on the 101st floor of the North Tower.

"We didn't want to play man-to-man coming into the game," said Roosevelt coach Joe Vito, who worked with the Long Island secondary. "But our defensive scheme changed to just allow our athletes to just be athletes. And look at what Dena did."

Nunez said he saw Dena but thought he could get the pass to Watson. "I tried to throw it so that he wouldn't get it," Nunez said. "But he jumped on it so fast and made his move."

That move gave Long Island a 3-2 series lead. And it helped take away the momentum New York built through the second and third quarters. New York erased a 14-0 first-quarter deficit with a 7-yard run by Ramon Guzman of Clinton (Bronx) and a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Desmond Maxwell of Lehman (Bronx) with 31 seconds left in the half. Maxwell hit Doug Anderwkavich (Holy Cross) with the two-point conversion pass to tie it.

"We opened it up in the first half and I thought we moved the ball well," Long Island coach Keith Sachs said. "They caught some lucky breaks and came back."

Long Island maintained control through the second half behind South Side halfback Bryant Daniels, who gained 116 yards on 18 carries. Daniels scored on a 2-yard run with 1:46 left in the first quarter to give LI a 14-0 lead. His scoring run came 1:56 after Wantagh wideout Joe Holden caught a 6-yard scoring pass from MacArthur's Jason Cappadoro.

"I like the way we came at them," Sachs said. "I like the way we pulled together."

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE EMPIRE CHALLENGE

At Hofstra Stadium

NEW YORK CITY 01400-14

LONG ISLAND 14070-21

LI - Holden 6 pass from Cappadoro (Mahaffy kick)

LI - Daniels 2 run (Mahaffy kick)

NYC - Guzman 7 run (run failed)

NYC - Maxwell 1 run (Anderwkavich pass from Maxwell)

LI - Dena 69 interception return (Mahaffy kick)

Outback Steakhouse

Empire Challenge Results

1996: Suffolk 27, Nassau 18

1997: Nassau 12, Suffolk 0

1998: Long Island 28, NYC 14

1999: NYC 13, Long Island 12

2000: Long Island 23, NYC 18

2001: NYC 17, Long Island 10

2002: Long Island 21, NYC 14

LONG ISLAND 21

NEW YORK 14