Inside the Huddle: Sachem For Life

Well it’s been a week now since football has ended. I could not be more upset, with the fact that it’s all over. Everyone knows what happened to us last week, but that doesn’t matter. The loss, the score, all of that should not matter at all, the only thing I’m upset about is that I will never be able to put the pads on and take the field with my brothers again.

After the game last week while I was crying my eyes out, all the younger guys came up to me and told me how much I meant to them, and how I have inspired them. A lot of them shared personal stories they had with me, and that just meant so much to me. That was more rewarding than winning any game, it made me feel like I meant something to this program and made me feel like I have touched and inspired another kid in the same positive way that some alumni have touched me. That truly is the reason why I play this game. That is the ultimate reward for me, I wish I could still be out there with these guys next year, but I’m still going to be lifting with them and working with them through the off-season, preparing them to have another great season next year.

I’ve been around this program for three years now and it has become a huge part of my life, if not my entire life. The people whom I have met here are my best friends. Tom and Joe Ryan, Steve Casali, Bill Papaemanuel, all of the guys who I have played with over these years, have become like family to me. They are more than just people I see at practice or on game day, I would do anything for these guys. When we're not at practice, we have always been at someone’s house hanging out, or at Buffalo Wild Wings watching UFC, and I truly feel it is this bond that led to all the success we have had this season.

Speaking of this season, it has been the most amazing season of my life. The best season the school has ever seen, and do not let the last game take away from what we have accomplished. What we did here was truly something special that will go down in Sachem football history. We started a whole new culture, and atmosphere, and changed the way Sachem East football is played. We taught our youth, and our younger players the value of hard work, determination and a positive attitude, and we showed them what can happen when you buy into the philosophy of your coaching staff.

Now I know what we got coming up, and if you have been to the past few games, you may have an idea of what is to come, but it is something very special. The underclassmen are very hard working, and they all have great attitudes, but on top of all that they have a lot of talent. Danny Corbett, Zach Geer, K.J. Hill, and Danny Wolf are all sophomores, and they have all proven themselves, that they can get it done on the varsity level.

Connor Farrell has been starting since homecoming and he’s only a freshman, his interception in the West Islip game was huge, and he’s got a lot of talent to go along with a lot of heart. The junior class has a lot of great players, and great leaders such as Casali, Mike Marchello, and Brian Balsamo, and I know that these guys are going to lead this program right back to where it left off, and hopefully carry us all the way.

Every year our dream and goal is to get to the Long Island championship, and every year it has been kind of a joke, but not this year. The senior class has been saying were going to the LIC since we were freshmen, and the fact that we got this close to it and came up short is heart breaking. That doesn’t mean that we won’t win one eventually. How is this possible? Aren’t we graduating this year? Yes we are but our motto here is "Sachem For Life." It never ends. The legacy will always lives on, and we will always be involved here.

I wish we could still go out there and play but unfortunately that part of our lives has come to an end, but I trust and believe in everyone that we have here, and I know that Sachem East will be on top eventually. When we are on top, you can look back at us as the class that changed the losing culture into a success. And we all take a lot of pride in that, and are just blessed to be a part of such an amazing program.

My career here has been amazing, not because of the wins, not because of the losses, but because of the memories I made that will last a lifetime and the friends and role models I have met along the way. I would like to thank every coach that I have ever had here, from coach Dee, to coach Woj, you guys truly made me the man that I am today, and have made the best years of my life possible. I will remember you forever.

I would like to thank every parent that has ever helped out with the program in any way, and a special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Murray, you guys are the best, and everything that you do for the program is amazing, and very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone that has read and recommended my blog. I have had a lot of fun writing these and it means a lot to me.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank our parents for all the support and love over the years, and I would like to thank all of our fans that followed us and cheered us on the whole way on this journey to the final four.

Thank you, everyone, very much. I am going to miss this program, and the people around it very, very much. Even though on paper it’s over and my time is technically over, it’s never over. SACHEM FOR LIFE.