Dave Falco at Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium to Support Doug Marrone, Syracuse

Nineteen years ago Sachem North head football coach was an assistant at Cortland when Doug Marrone was hired as a tight ends coach.

The two were introduced and soon after formed a friendship that had Falco rooting for his buddy Thursday as he led Syracuse to a victory in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

"We stayed up late that first night, actually all night talking X's and O's and he basically learned the entire offense in a few short hours," Falco recalled from their initial meeting. "The next morning at practice he was coaching like he had been in the offense his whole life. It was amazing. We became very close friends during that year and spent many hours talking X's & O's ... we just hit it off."

There were times during Syracuse's 36-34 win over Kansas State when Falco, accompanied by friends and family, erupted over bad calls, and clapped loudly for the numerous exuberant plays – two of which were long passes that captured the essence of the crowd for a stadium which sits 10 blocks from where Marrone grew up in the Bronx.

Falco and Marrone were in each others wedding parties and have kept in touch, so much so that he offered Falco the wide receivers coaching position at Syracuse when he took over in 2009. He turned the position down because he was living his dream as Sachem's head football coach, something Marrone is now doing in Orange country.

"I always knew he would be the coach at Syracuse, it was always his dream," said Falco of Marrone, who played for the Orange in the '80s. "He had the same passion that I had for Sachem. I could hear it in his voice as he talked about coach McPherson and his days playing in the dome. What I admire about Doug is his singleness of purpose. He knew what he wanted and he followed his dream until it became a reality.

"I was very happy for him as I watched him lift that trophy above his head in Yankee stadium. I know he has only started the rebuilding process at Syracuse but the train is moving in the right direction and they have the right man at the controls."

Both also share the common bond of Cortland football, a place where Falco spent nearly 10 years, as a player and coach.

"I learned how to appreciate what you get as you build up in the profession," Marrone told the Syracuse Daily Orange in 2009. "What I learned from the coaching staff at Cortland was it's not about  money. It's about doing the right thing. Coaching these players like they're your sons. The way the players were treated there, the way they were taught, that was a big thing I learned when I started there."

Marrone, who has coached in the NFL with the Saints and Jets, and had a six-year pro career, captured his most thrilling victory yet on Thursday.

"Here I am born and raised in the Bronx, I grew up a Yankees fan," he said during the post-game press conference. "There was a moment there tonight I truly almost did break down and go to my knees because it truly is a dream come true for me. We challenged our players and that's what life's about."

Fourth and long

On a side note, Sachem alum and Syracuse grad Rich Cimini, who has the Jets beat for ESPN New York, ironically sat two rows behind Falco. Northport head coach Kip Lukralle sat directly behind Falco, and William Floyd running back Stacey Bedell was nearby also.