VSC unable to overcome turnovers

Valley Stream Central’s football team has faced plenty of adversity already this season. The Eagles fell, 27-18, to Herricks in the school’s Homecoming game at Firemen’s Field last Saturday, and dropped to 0-3. The team also saw its starting quarterback, Stephen Sanchez, exit in the first quarter of the contest with a concussion.

Things will not get any easier for Central this weekend, when it takes on an undefeated Oceanside squad on Saturday at 3 p.m.. But Eagles head coach Bryan Goldman knows the players on his roster well, and believes he has a group capable of turning things around, despite the difficult circumstances facing them.

“I coached at the junior high level with these guys, and then moved up to JV and varsity, so I’ve been with them for a long time,” Goldman said. “They’re good kids that come out and work hard every practice. They want to get better and they really care about each other.”

Even though his team came up short, Goldman was still encouraged by many of the things he saw. 

One of those things was backup quarterback Anthony Thomas stepping in for the injured Sanchez and putting together a strong day. While the offense went through some growing pains under the senior, Thomas was still able to deliver a 30-yard touchdown pass and rush for over 100 yards.

Central’s defense was able to step up in a big way against Herricks, forcing three interceptions.  Senior Tom Logan also added 10 tackles for the Eagles.

Goldman was overall pleased with the effort Central put forth in the game, but admitted the Eagles made too many costly errors. “The kids battled, but we came up a little short,” he said. “We had a lot of opportunities, but we turned the ball over a little too much on offense.”

Even though the Eagles were unable to come away with the Homecoming victory, it did not put much of a damper on the day’s festivities.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Goldman said. “It was awesome seeing the school’s community come together and we’ve got some great loyal fans. There was a nice parade before the game. It was a really great day, and we really appreciated the support from the community.”

Now Central is preparing for their battle against the Sailors, knowing that a difficult challenge lies ahead of them. 

“They’re a good team, with a lot of special kids on offense and defense,” Goldman said of Oceanside. “We need to keep on pounding the ball, and having a great running game. And we need to be mistake free, and capitalize when we have our opportunities to score.”

Goldman added his team has worked hard over these past few months, and hopes now is the time it can turn that effort and preparation into wins.

“I really want them to experience some success, because they deserve it,” he said. “We’re just gonna keep on chipping away, and hopefully they’ll see the fruits of their labor.”