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WINNERS NOT DEFINED SOLEY BY SCORE
By Kevin Adler
Long Island’s big
victory in the 10th annual Outback Steakhouse Empire
Challenge game is apparent from a quick glance at the score, but
what’s less obvious is that in more important ways, every
participant in the game is a winner. Being selected to the team is
an achievement for all of the players - and the achievement is
magnified with what they learn in their week of practice with the
region’s top coaches and players. The lessons imparted by experience
will be with players for the rest of their lives.
New York City
offensive lineman Dan Angelastro told his buddies from St. Francis
Prep that it was the toughest week he’d ever had, but also the most
rewarding. “Dan said it was like a dream come true. The coaches were
great, the players are so good, and they were treated like kings [by
Hofstra University and the New York Jets],” said one of Angelstro’s
friends, marveling at the concept of unlimited cold towels for
post-practice cool down.
Six of Angelastro’s
teammates from St. Francis made it a memorable evening by deciding
to come to the game bare-chested with “BIG DAN” spelled out, one
letter per man. Mike Garaufis, Rocco Giambrone, Joe Hennigan, Andy
Vecchione, Frank Vozas, and Jim Wrynn paraded around the bleachers
during the game and left no doubt about who they were backing.
Long Island lineman
Jim Mignone had an even larger cheering section - approximately 35
friends and family, by his count. Concentrating while having nearly
three dozen people cheering for him by name might seem to be
difficult, he acknowledged, but he said that the game came first.
“You’ve got to block it out and focus on the game, on the coaches,”
he said. “The coaches tried all week to get us on the same page, and
it worked.”
For some players, the
game is a final chance to showcase their skills for college
recruiters. James Romain, a wide receiver, made that clear when he
was given his award as New York City’s player of the game. Without a
college scholarship offer at this point Romain noted that he hoped
to “impress the college scouts out there tonight” - to which Boomer
Esiason responded that he was sure that Romain’s wish had been
achieved.
The coaches concur
that the Empire Challenge is a special time. “Compared to the grind
of the regular season, this week is fun and easy,” said Walter
Denton (South Side), the administrative coach for Long Island in
2005 and a former coach of the Long Island All-Stars. “When you work
with the best coaches and players from Nassau and Suffolk, it’s
really a pleasure and an honor to be associated with the game.”
Copyright � 1996
Revised:
August 01, 2026 Empire Challenge. All rights reserved.
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