Tag Archives: featured

Laube, Ruckert Take Home Top Honors

The top football players, coaches and team were honored at the annual Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner on Monday, December 4 at the Hyatt Regency.

Here is a run down of all the honors:

  • Rutger’s Trophy: Lindenhurst High School
  • Carl A. Hansen Award: Dylan Laube, Westhampton Beach and Jeremy Ruckert, Lindenhurst
  • Rob Burnett Defensive Player of the Year Award: Dan Carroll, Sachem East
  • Bob Zellner Lineman Award: Carroll
  • Bob Collotta Linebacker Award: Ernesto Mitchell, Half Hollow Hills East
  • Joe Cipp Jr. Running Back Award: Laube
  • Boomer Esiason Quarterback Award: Ryan Walsh, Northport
  • Tom Cassese Defensive Back Award: George Wichelns, Connetquot
  • Fred Fusaro Coach of the Year Award: Bill Parry, Westhampton Beach
  • 12th Man Award: Jack Donahue, Center Moriches and Teddy McLoughlin, Islip
  • Thomas Cutinella Award: Cole Cipp, Bellport
  • National Football Foundation Receiver: Ruckert
  • National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete: Sam Gozelski, Northport

IMAGES: Click the link to see images of each winner!

Westhampton Beach, Lindenhurst Win LIC

Suffolk and Nassau split the football Long Island championship bouts this past weekend.

Lindenhurst and Westhampton Beach rang supreme on Sunday, while Garden City beat North Babylon and Seaford narrowly edged Miller Place on Saturday.

Fans who attended Sunday’s games at Stony Brook were treated to some incredible football.

Westhampton’s Dylan Laube rushed for six touchdowns and netted 47 total touchdowns for the season, breaking a record held for 13 seasons by North Babylon’s Jason Gwaltney.  The Hurricanes beat Lawrence 54-26.

Laubed finished the game with 25 carries and 229 yards. He also finished his career with 2,682 yards, the third highest rushing total in Long Island history.

In Class I, Lindenhurst captured glory after bearing Oceanside, 40-23.

Jeremy Ruckert, who will play his next football game as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes, was in prime form dominating in all areas of the game. He was a threat on offense, blocked a field goal and kicked a 30-yard field goal of his own as well.

The Hansen Winner – the honor given to the top football player in Suffolk County – will be crowned on Monday, December 4. Ruckert and Laube are the favorites, of course.

This was the first Long Island championship for both Suffolk schools.

Suffolk Alumni News: East Islip’s Melia Named MLS Goalie of the Year

East Islip native and  Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia has been named the 2017 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

“Winning an award like this is one of the best compliments you can get as a goalkeeper,” Melia said in a statement. “It’s a huge individual accolade, and it’s one that is only possible because of the efforts of my teammates and my coaches. To gain this recognition is an incredible honor.”

CLICK to read more!

Class I Football LIC: Lindenhurst (11-0) vs. Oceanside (11-0)

One of these teams is walking away with their first Long Island championship. Suffolk County’s Lindenhurst will play Nassau County’s Oceanside in a battle of the unbeaten Class I juggernauts.

The game will take place at Stony Brook on Sunday, November 26 at 4:30 p.m.

Things you should know:

  • Not to be taken lightly, this is the last game for Lindenhurst star and Ohio State recruit Jeremy Ruckert.
  • This is Lindenhurst’s second appearance in a Long Island championship game. They lost to Syosset in 2014.
  • The best thing for Jeremy Ruckert has been teammates Nick Anzalone and Ricky Conway who create a potent three-headed monster. It does not matter if Ruckert is double and triple covered because they have weapons across the entire field.
  • In the Nassau final, Oceanside limited Freeport, a normally potent offense, to just 70 offensive yards.
  • This is Oceanside’s first Long Island championship appearance after knocking off Freeport, 17-0, in the Conference I Nassau final.
  • Oceanside has scored more than 40 points in six of 11 games this season, and the Sailors have allowed less than 10 points in five of 11 games.
  • Oceanside’s Thomas Heuer is two touchdowns shy of the Nassau County touchdown passing record of 38 set by Lawrence’s Joe Capobiano in 2012; he also has thrown for 2,661 yards.
  • Quotable: “It’s the best defense in the county and on Long Island,” Oceanside defensive lineman Mike Scibelli told Newsday after their county championship win. “We’re fast. We get after it. You can’t underestimate us. I think we’ve been underestimated a lot this year, but we showed today we an keep up with our own offense.”
  • Quotable: “I have so much confidence in my guys, and when they double- and triple-teamed me, I knew we’d get the job done,” Ruckert told Newsday after their county final win. “We’re loaded with talent and we play as a team.”

How they got here?

  • Lindenhurst beat Commack, 38-0, Connetquot, 35-14, and William Floyd, 35-12.
  • Oceanside beat Baldwin, 14-7, Farmingdale, 42-6, and Freeport, 17-0.

Catch updates and follow the action via Section XI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, @SectXISuffolk, and SectionXI.org.

Class III Football LIC: Westhampton (11-0) vs. Lawrence (10-1)

Nassau’s Lawrence is a perennial contender in the Long Island championships, while Suffolk’s Westhampton Beach is making its first trip to the dance. Let the games begin! 

The game will take place at Stony Brook on Sunday, November 26 at Noon.

Things you should know:

  • Like Lindenhurst fans with Jeremy Ruckert, you’ll want to earmark the Class III championship as a must-watch so you can get one last glimpse of Westhampton star, Dylan Laube. The All-Long Island running back and New Hampshire-bound recruit will go down as one of Long Island’s all-time greats.
  • This year the Hurricanes won their first Suffolk County championship since 1989. The Long Island championships originated in 1992.
  • The Hurricanes have not scored less than 23 points this season in a game, and have scored more than 35 in eight of 11 games.
  • This is the ninth county championship and appearance for Lawrence in the Long Island championships since 1992. Their last LIC victory was against Sayville in 2014, a 40-35 win.
  • The Golden Tornadoes are balanced and have threats on both sides. From cornerback Jordan Alexander to running back Chris Collier – 30 carries, 217 yards, 2 touchdowns in semifinals – to two-way threat Chris Duran to Christian Fredericks, they bring a heavy punch.
  • Quotable: Westhampton guard, Kurt Mion on Laube in a Newsday article: “He gets through the tightest gaps in the defense and makes big plays. He finds holes that aren’t there and creates opportunities.”
  • Quotable: Westhampton linebacker/full back Liam McIntyre on their defense: “We have a bend-don’t-break mentality on our defense. We seem to dig deep when teams get near our end zone.”

How they got here?

  • Westhampton beat Rocky Point, 56-21, West Babylon, 61-21, and Hills West, 28-14.
  • Lawrence beat Hewlett, 41-7, Bethpage, 35-13, and Wantagh, 21-10.

Catch updates and follow the action via Section XI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, @SectXISuffolk, and SectionXI.org.