PREVIEW: Suffolk County Division I Semifinals

It's been dubbed Nor'Easter 2011, a battle of Sachem East vs. Sachem North on the gridiron. It doesn't get any better than this, unless it was the actual county final (maybe next year?). 

Both Sachem teams are coming into this game on opposite ends of the spectrum. Sachem North has expected excellence all season and a chance to win a county title after two consecutive years of losing in the Division I final. Sachem East has resurrected its program from the bottom to a contender.

"I’ve been involved in a lot of big time games and this is as big as it gets," said Sachem North coach Dave Falco. "Our kids are excited, our fan base is excited. It’s a great opportunity for the Sachem community to come together and show Suffolk County and Long Island what kind of football Sachem has to offer. I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity."

For East coach Mark Wojciechowski, this is a dream. It's a storybook season coming to a head on the turf at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium where he played and coached many times. In fact, when he was a player the home sideline was now where the visitor sideline is.

"It's home," said Wojciechowski, who is also a dean at Sachem North. "At the end of the day Sachem is going to be in the county final again and that’s a great thing." 

North (8-1) is led by Dalton Crossan, the best football player on Long Island, if not New York state at this point. He has charged up the Sachem rushing and scoring record lists this year and has begun to knock on the door of Long Island history as well.

East (6-3), however, has its own workhorse in Steven Casali, who has literally carried the team on his back. The good news for East is that he's only a junior.

"I’m impressed with his film, his toughness, his leadership," Falco said. "The fact that he is only a junior is very scary."

East is riding on pure emotion. Their win over West Islip, clearly the most spectacular in program history to this point, was an eye-opener that any team and win on any given day.

"These 15 seniors, from the moment I took over, have bought in," said Wojciechowski. "Anything I’ve asked them to do they’ve done with their heart and soul. I’m always going to remember what they gave me."

How they got here? Sachem North beat Patchogue-Medford, 35-7, in the quarterfinals. Sachem East upset West Islip, 21-14, in the other quarterfinal.

Things to know:

Match up: No. 1 Sachem North (8-1) vs. No. 6 Sachem East (6-3)

Location/time/venue: Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium at Sachem High School North on Friday, November 11 at 3 p.m.

Next up: The winner will play in the Suffolk County Division I championship next week at Stony Brook University against the winner of the No. 2 Longwood-No. 4 William Floyd semifinal also taking place on Friday afternoon.