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G'DAY FANS!
Welcome To The Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge Web Site
Presented By Newsday
New York City vs Long Island All-Star High School Football Game
(Proceeds to benefit cystic fibrosis research and youth football in the New York metro area)
 Long Island 23
New York City 18
Long Island Wins By Fingertips
By Kevin Adler
For the second year in a row, the Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge 2000 came down to the wire. Only a pass from New York City's Keron Henry (Brooklyn Tech) that was just out of teammate Ike Roberts's (Tottenville) reach near the goal line with 20 seconds to play enabled Long Island to hold onto a 23-18 lead and avenge its last-second loss in 1999.
The game, which pits Long Island's best senior football players against the top seniors from New York City, drew a record crowd for an exciting game, fan-friendly pregame activites, and fireworks afterwards. A night of perfect, 70-degree weather contributed to the festive atmosphere. Fans who skipped the other Long Island entertainment that evening -- John Rocker at Shea Stadium and Britney Spears at the Jones Beach Theater - got more than their money's worth.
"Great game. Great effort by the kids on both teams," said Long Island head coach Joe Vito, who coaches at Roosevelt High School.
"Two years in a row it's come down to the last couple of plays. What could be better?" said Boomer Esiason, who initiated the game five years ago help youth football on Long Island and also support the Boomer Esiason Foundation's work to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment.
Although ultimately the game was a defensive battle, the night started started out looking like the offenses might dominate. Long opening drives by each team resulted in touchdowns before turnovers and penalties began to slow each team.
After New York's first kickoff went out of bounds for a penalty (foreshadowing kicking-game problems all night long), Long Island's Chris Porter (Brentwood) took the second kickoff 23 yards and gave his team great field position at its 38. Eleven plays later, Anthon Marasco (Carle Place) bulled up the middle for a touchdown. Key on the drive was the ability of Baldwin High quarterback Matt Sheils to evade a strong pass rush and find regular-season teammate and tight end Tom Casal for three catches on the drive. "We wanted to move the ball early," said Sheils. "I had to adjust to a really strong rush."
New York came right back on its first possession with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that started with a series of runs by Curtis High backfield mates running back Mike Goodman and QB George Hassell. Hassell in particular showed the footspeed and evasiveness that made him the New York City Player of the Year. On third and 12 from the Long Island 42, Hassell lofted a pass down the right side to Ike Roberts, who raced down the sideline and broke a tackle at the goal line. However, New York's extra point kick was blocked, and Long Island led 7-6.
The blocked kick by Douglas Goodwin (Holy Trinity) was the first of several critical plays turned in by the 6' 3", 280-lb. defensive lineman. Goodwin was named the game's most valuable player on the strength knocking down an extra point, a field goal, and a punt, as well as recording two sacks in the fourth quarter. "He was a menace in practice all week," said Long Island line coach Len Mattera (Amityville) of the 6' 3", 280-lb. lineman.
"When I play against players my size or bigger, I just keep going after them," said Goodwin, who will be playing football at Boston College next year.
After the New York touchdown, Long Island got the ball back and appeared ready to continue the scoring surge after a pair of runs brought a first down. But a huge rush on third down by Artie Curcuru (Xavier) and Dakeen Mayes (Lehman) forced Shiels to roll to his left, underthrow his pass, and have it intercepted by Luis Valmon, Jr. (Sheepshead Bay).
Suddenly, New York had the momentum and possession starting at its 46. But New York suffered the same fate as Long Island, as a third down pass by Hassell was bobbled by Roberts and intercepted by Edy Lobo (Brentwood), who returned it 20 yards.
Starting from the New York 39, Long Island moved downfield behind running back Omar Palmer (North Babylon), who picked up 19 yards on two carries and a reception. But Long Island's drive stalled, and Chris Onorato (Sachem) kicked a 42 yard field goal with just over a minute left in the period to give Long Island a 10-6 lead.
New York got the ball back on its 29, and new quarterback Keron Henry picked up right where his teammate left off. A quick out to Roberts brought a first down, and a keeper and then an option to Russell Jessamy added 19 yards and another first. Jessamy bulled up the middle for 19 yards on two more carries, and New York had stomped to the Long Island 21. But Jessamy was stacked up twice on runs up the middle, with Shawn Rush (West Islip) in on both plays. Henry was sacked on third down, and then Goodwin blocked the field goal, a 34-yard attempt.
On Long Island's next possession, New York's defense forced the game's first punt, and it again moved the ball effectively on offense. However, a fumble by Henry at midfield and a wild scramble moved the ball 25 yards into New York territory before Long Island linebacker Kevin Gribbin (Harborfields) recovered. "This was a big play for us," said coach Vito. "We hadn't really stopped them yet."
It took Long Island five plays to go 24 yards for the score on a one yard-run by QB Frank Ingoglia (Kings Park) around the right side on fourth and goal from the one. Although the kick went wide left, Long Island led 16-6 with 5:26 left in the half.
A big return by Jason Grant (Bayside) got New York right back in business at its 40. Hassell returned as QB, and he and Jessamy almost singlehandedly took New York 60 yards for a score in 3:26. On the drive, Jessamy carried six times for 47 yards, and he broke tackles on every play. "We couldn't get him down," said linebacker Sean Perrotta (St. Anthony), who had a game-high two tackles and five assists.
Jessamy ended the first half with 12 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, a performance that earned him Player of the Game honors. "We did alright in the first half, but not in the second," said Jessamy, who will attend C.W. Post this fall. Part of New York's struggles in the second half may have been a decision by the coaches not to give Jessamy the ball - he carried only once in the third quarter for three yards, and only four times overall in the second half.
Although trailing at the half 16-12, New York received the ball to start the third period, and it seemed like it was going to move down the field again and take the lead. Runs by Henry and Mike Alexander (Sheepshead Bay) netted a first down, and New York quickly neared midfield. But on third down, Perrotta sacked Henry, and New York had to make its first punt of the game.
The low kick by linebacker/kicker Gus Tyson (August Martin) took a great bounce and was downed at the Long Island six. Not intimidated by the poor field position, Shiels rolled right on first down and again found his teammate Casal for 15 yards. "We know each other pretty well," said Shiels. With New York on its heels a bit, wide receiver Shawn Hatcher (Copiague) got a lot of daylight on an end-around and picked up 17 yards and moved Long Island into New York territory. Shiels then Tahir Hinds (Freeport) with a pass that should have taken Long Island inside the 10, but Hinds dropped it. The drop seemed to take the wind out of Long Island, as a clipping penalty on the next play and a ball thrown into traffic stopped its drive.
Getting the ball back at its own 22, New York tried Jessamy again up the middle and Hassell on an option play. When both were stuffed, and the team committed a holding penalty, Coach Fred Olivieri (Curtis) tried his first trick play of the game. Jessamy took a pitch right, but then stopped and threw a perfect pass to a wide open Juan Santos (Curtis). But Santos bobbled the pass at his 43, and it was intercepted by Long Island's Chris Porter (Brentwood). "We did everything right - almost everything," said one New York coach about the crucial play.
With the ball on the New York 32, Long Island went for the quick kill, as Shiels tried to pass on three straight downs. The first pass, intended for Dan Doherty (Garden City) was incomplete, and Shiels was sacked on a busted play on second down. On third, however, Shiels backpedaled to midfield to avoid a huge rush by Aki Jones (Christ the King) and launched a spiral into the left corner for Doherty. The play, officially 35 yards, gave Long Island a 23-12 lead after a successful extra point kick. "I guess I threw that about 55 yards," said Shiels. "I can throw it about 70."
New York took over at its 20, and immediately ran into trouble. Hassell was hit hard by Jonelle Jones (North Babylon) on a second-down pass attempt, and he left the game. New York's only other quarterback, Henry, re-entered the game and first pulled his team out of trouble with an 18-yard scramble. But a strong pass rush on every play - led by Jones, Goodwin, and West Islip's Shawn Rush - kept forcing Henry to scramble or throw the ball up for grabs. New York's drive stalled, and another kicking game mistake -- a 12-yard punt -- gave Long Island the ball back on the New York 44 with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter, and a chance to put the game away.
However, on this crucial series, Long Island committed two illegal procedure penalties, and New York's pass rush pushed Shiels out of the pocket. On third down, Frankie Saunders (Beach Channel) shadowed Shiels's favorite receiver Casal and picked off a pass over the middle. "He'd been looking for him all day, and I just waited and jumped," said Saunders.
With a reprieve, New York again began moving the ball behind runs by Henry and Lance Bennett (Poly Prep). But again, the team turned the ball over, this time on an interception Marvin Toney (North Babylon) who outjumped several players on a long downfield pass. Toney's 32-yard return gave Long Island great possession near midfield, but New York again forced a Long Island punt. Getting the ball back on its 20, New York went back to the Hassell-Jessamy combination in the backfield, but on fourth down and one at his 49, Jessamy was stopped by NaShaun Carter (Lawrence) as he tried to slip around the right side. "Huge play, especially for a defensive back to come up an hit like that," said Vito.
With less than 10 minutes to play and down by two scores, New York's defense had to hold. It did. Two runs and a pass left Long Island right where it started at midfield, and Onorato came out for his fourth punt of the day. His kick bounced out at the New York 22 with 7:40 remaining.
From that spot, it was the Keron Henry show for a few minutes. On a nine-play, 78-yard touchdown drive, Henry was hounded every play by Goodwin and Toney, who sacked him three times on the drive. But Henry still managed to complete a 34-yard pass to Jason Grant (Bayside) and avoided losing a lot of yards on the sacks. With Long Island ready to chase Henry every play, Olivieri crossed them up with a draw to Bennett that gained 28 yards to the Long Island 11. From there, Bennett ran it in on two sweeps to the left. Another missed two-point conversion left New York trailing 23-18 with 2:35 to go.
Once more, New York's defense had to make a stand, and once more it did in convincing fashion. Two runs and a sack left Long Island with fourth and six, and Onorato punted again. His 40-yarder was returned 8 yards by Bennett, and New York had a final chance with 1:26 remaining and the ball on its 30.
At first, it looked like Henry might be able to weave a bit more magic, as he scrambled for 15 yards on the first play and then hit Ryan Bennett (Susan Wagner) for nine yards on the next play. But an incompletion and a sack left New York with fourth and nine from its 46, with just 27 seconds to go. On that play, Henry launched a perfect spiral into the right corner towards Roberts, who had blown by the defensive backs. But the ball was just out of Roberts's reach, and the game was over - Long Island avenging last year's 13-12 loss.
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Cystic Fibrosis Research Winner of Game
By Greg Sara, Newsday
In the End, Game Brings Friendship
Showcase for Players But Also Education
Final Statistics
| New York City | Long Island | | First Downs | 22 | 10 | | Rushes-Yards (Net) | 50-215 | 30-71 | | Passes Yds (Net) | 149 | 134 | | Total Offense | 75-364 | 54-205 | | Passes Att-Comp-Int | 25-9-3 | 24-11-2 | | Punts (Number-Avg) | 2-33.0 | 5-39.4 | | Fumbles-Lost | 4-1 | 3-0 | | Penalties-Yards | 8-63 | 8-54 | | Possession Time | 31:20 | 28:40 |
Long Island Statistics
New York City Statistics
Scoring
Long Island
New York City | 1st Quarter
10
6 | 2nd Quarter
6
6 | 3rd Quarter
7
0 | 4th Quarter
0
6 | Final
23
18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Long Island Sidelines 2000 Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge
New York City Sidelines-2000 Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge
 | | Douglas Goodwin - DT 6'3"/280lb - Holy Trinity Diocesan High School/Boston College
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 | | Russell Jessamy - RB 6'1"/185lbs - Canarsie High School - C.W. Post College
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 | | Jim DiBennedetto, New York City Game Coordinator, Head Coach - Brooklyn Tech High School
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OEC UPDATE:
Iomega to Sponsor 2001 Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge
The Boomer Esiason Foundation is pleased to announce that Iomega has just signed a two year agreement to become a sponsor for the Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge.
Iomega
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