East Meadow football wins big

Andrle wins Thorp; Carvalho earns Martone

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In a best-case scenario, a defender would peel himself off of a crushing block by East Meadow’s senior offensive lineman Giancarlo Carvalho in an effort to catch a glimpse of junior running back Billy Andrle coming up the middle or off the edge. We deem that the best case, because the worst-case would be getting pancaked by the 6-2, 280-pound Carvalho or perhaps worse, bulldozed by the 5-10, 205-pound Andrle in a Jets’ triple-option offensive attack that repeated the same nightmare for defenders game after game.

“It was an incredible luxury to know you can call something [with them] running it,” East Meadow head coach Vin Mascia said. “We went for it on fourth down an awful lot, and [they’re] kind of the reason.”

“He was a great blocker and made some big holes for me,” Andrle said of Carvalho.

Andrle and Carvalho were a potent one-two punch on the football field in 2012, helping lead the Jets to a 6-3 mark and a return to the postseason where they hoped to defend their ’11 crown. Though the team ultimately fell short, losing in the first round of the Conference I playoffs to Massapequa, the centerpieces of the attack were honored for their outstanding individual performances last week.

Andrle, who racked up 1,307 regular season rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in just eight games, earned the Thorp Award as Nassau County’s most outstanding player. Just the second junior to the take home the Thorp in the award’s 70-year history, Andrle is also the third East Meadow player since 2007 to earn the honor and second in a row. Former teammate Robbie Healy took home last season’s trophy, and Alex Rivas was the honoree in 2007. The only other junior to capture the award was Mepham’s Amos Zereoue, who went on to play in the NFL.

“It’s been extra special with what’s happened here,” Mascia said of the program’s growth over the last 15 years that has included the 2011 Nassau title, four Thorp Award winners and four Martone Award winners. “It all comes from the kids completely buying in to the program.”

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