Challenge Grows Bigger Each Year
By Kevin Adler
As
the Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge football game has grown in its
nine years, it has become a prominent part of the metropolitan area�s
football landscape. In fact, in some ways it�s the most important game
of the year for high school football players in the region.
For
its first two years, the all-star football game featured Nassau County
vs. Suffolk County, which is an obvious rivalry, but didn�t have the
impact of the more inclusive game today. New York City�s Head
Coach Jim Munson has seen the evolution of the Empire Challenge, as he
was the City�s coach in 1998, the first year that Long Island played
the City�s all-stars. �This game has grown in popularity and
attendance every year,� said Munson. �Kids are more aware of the game,
and they look forward to it, just like the coaches do.�
Long
Island�s Head Coach Russ Cellan, who has coached in the game five
times, agrees. �All the players are so good and so competitive, the
hardest thing is that you can�t have them all on the field every
down,� he said. �They�re used to playing both ways for their teams,
and now they�re only on offense or defense, and even then they get
rotated in and out.�
Some
of the Long Island players have been attending Empire Challenge games
since as early as the ninth grade, according to Cellan. �They saw how
great it was, and said, �I want to play in it when I�m a senior.� And
here they are,� he said.
Cellan takes advantage of his players� desire by telling them �go out
there and make something happen...get yourself on the back cover of
Newsday.�
Seeing the number of former Empire Challenge players starring in
college football or playing in the NFL certainly holds the high
schoolers� attention, too.
For the
players, lining up against other high school all-stars generates a mix
of respect and bravado. "The Long Island players are great � they have
so much talent,� said Naheem Harris, a defensive lineman who was named
New York City�s MVP, and who plans to play football next year at the
University of Pennsylvania. �Also, they must have learned some new
techniques in their practice week, because I've never been held so much
in my life. It's good preparation for college ball."
�During
warmups they looked huge, all steroided-up,� said Diego Oquendo, a
defensive back for New York City, and at 5' 9", 175 lbs., one of the
smallest (but fastest) players in the game. �But once it started, I knew
they had heart just like we did. It knew it was gonna be a game.�
�They [the defense] are just
so fast,� said Eddie Wansor, one of Long Island�s quarterbacks, who
spent most of his time on the field running from a fierce pass rush.
�You just got to hang in there, and do the best you can.�
Copyright � 1996 Revised:
July 07, 2026
Empire Challenge. All rights reserved.
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