Sachem Is Home For Crossan Family

The pass was crisp. It was a slide-and-go that sent the ball from Michael Crossan's fingertips into s palms. The result: a 50-yard touchdown in the final minutes of a regular season game against Walt Whitman High School in 1982.

Fast forward to 2010. Big plays between Falco and Crossan are still prevalent, only Falco is the mastermind as the head coach of the Flaming Arrows and the Crossan on the football field is Dalton and Trent, Michael's boys.

This year marks a homecoming for Michael, a 1983 Sachem graduate, and his wife, the former Susan Lasiewski, who graduated in 1984. They moved from Shoreham-Wading River back to their roots and situated in Lake Ronkonkoma, presently the home of one the top football teams in the tri-state area.

While the Flaming Arrows were headed towards a season of riches before the Crossans settled in Sachem over the summer, the addition of Dalton and Trent to the roster is equivalent to the greatest Christmas gift anyone could get.

"They are definitely exciting kids," Falco said. "They work hard, they're great students, good role models for our younger kids. We're excited they're here. I think they understand they're just pieces of the puzzle. I think they fit into that role great."

Already established as talented threats at Shoreham, a Division IV school in Suffolk County, the boys both wanted to expand their opportunity to play college football in the future. Playing for Sachem, against some of the top talent in Suffolk's largest division, was the logical decision for the family.

It helps that the district is known for solid academics and harbors a positive community with strong support for everything from cheerleading – Susan was on the cheer team and ran track – to lacrosse, which the boys also play in the spring.

Even with training camp completed, bonding having taken place with Dalton and Trent and the rest of the team, nothing could prepare the family for the emotional awakening of running through the headdress onto Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium for the first time.

Just strapping on the Black & Gold and playing in the game would have been fine considering they were all curious how playing in Division IV would vary from Division I. That, plus the brothers hadn't played on the same team since their Pee-Wee days when Trent was 4 and Dalton was 6.

All questions were answered when Dalton opened the game for Sachem with a 68-yard punt return against Patchogue-Medford, which ultimately resulted in a . He finished with 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns and Trent had 42 yards rushing on four carries.

"Never in a million years did I think they'd do what they did in that game," said Michael, who ranks third all-time in Sachem history in passing attempts and fifth in completions. "It was surreal. All of our friends from Sachem were at the game. We were looking at each other saying, 'did that just happen?'"

It did and it's continued to be a regular occurrence each week. Both boys dazzle with their cuts and jukes across the field. On offense, Dalton, a junior, sees more playing time and is part of what many call the three-headed monster in the backfield, including Hansen Award hopeful Jesse Scanna and Michael Andreassi. Trent has an occasional carry, which he almost always turns into a highlight run, especially his 84-yard touchdown blast down center of the field in the against Northport.

Both line up next to each other on kickoffs, making for a poetic touch considering the familiarity of the entire situation.

"It's always interesting how the older brother leads the way for the younger one," said Falco, also mentioning Andreassi, whose brother Tyler plays on the team as well. "They both have high football IQs and are very athletic."

For years, Michael and Susan would talk about Sachem with their children, but merely because they were proud of their past. Susan still holds a track record in the district. She was part of a 4x400-meter relay team from 1984 that ran the race in 3:56.4 along with Crystal Jones, Yadiera Mendez and Toni Thomas. Michael, who played college football at Southern Connecticut, then East Carolina, played basketball, also with Falco, and ran track.

"We always brought up Sachem," Michael said. "Everything about the school, it was the best times. We kept talking about it and once we looked at the facilities and academics, we said maybe it's time to do it. We left it up to them though. Football was part of it, but it wasn't the driving factor."

Trent, who participated as a seventh and eighth grader in the Youth All-American Games, admits he was skeptical at first, coming from a small school, but the summer workouts helped.

"When the first day game around it was fine because we knew everyone," he said. "It's a completely different mindset coming from Shoreham. It's like playing at a college here and it will get us ready for the next level."

Dalton has another year before he takes the next step, and Trent, who is only the third freshman to start at Sachem in the history of the program behind Jesse Brush and Jesse Scanna, could potentially break many records by the time his high school days are over in four years.

Dalton is narrowing in on 1,000 rushing yards this season and is a lock for All-Long Island honors by season's end. For him, he's able to grasp the perspective of walking the same halls his parents did almost 30 years ago.

"It's special," he said. "It's funny to think about it though. It was an influence in our decision. People from Shoreham actually questioned our decision, but once they saw us in the paper and live on TV, after seeing how good the team is, now they really understand that we made the right decision."

The Crossan Hightlights

-Week 1: Dalton rushes for 122 yards, three touchdowns, including one punt return. Trent rushes for 42 yards on four carries.

-Week 2: Dalton rushes for 70 yards on 11 carries.

-Week 3: Brothers combine for 109 rushing yards, three interceptions and Dalton, who scored three rushing touchdowns, was named the MVP of the game which honors former Sachem announcer Spider Westervelt.

-Week 4: Dalton rushes for 65 yards on eight carries and scores one touchdown.

-Week 5: Dalton rushed 10 times for 90 yards and one touchdown.

-Week 6: Against Floyd, Dalton scored on the third play of the game, a 70-yard scramble. He also ran back an 85-yard kick return.

-Week 7: Dalton caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Angelo Armine and later returned an interception 60 yards. Trent blocked a punt in the win.

-Week 8: Dalton quietly gains 77 yards.

-Suffolk Quarterfinals: Dalton had four carries for 27 yards and one rushing touchdown. He made history, though, returning an interception 100 yards, which is the longest play of its kind in Sachem history.

-Suffolk Semifinals: Dalton rushes for a season-high four touchdowns and a personal best 170 yards. Trent scores on an 84-yard touchdown, his only carry of the game.

-Suffolk Championship: History yet to be made.

-Long Island Championship: History yet to be made.

Did you know? Michael Crossan played for Sachem during the 1981 and 1982 seasons. During those two years Sachem went a combined 11-5-2, meaning Dalton and Trent are only one win away from tying the same amount of victories Michael was a part of during his varsity career.