63.0°,
A Few Clouds V.S. South blanks South Side
Falcons' defense sets tone early
The last strands of The National Anthem had barely faded into the September sky before Valley Stream South was in trouble in last Saturday’s Nassau Conference III football opener against visiting South Side.
After their offense received the opening kickoff and went three and out, the young Falcons defense was being carved up quickly and efficiently by the South Side attack. Senior receiver Tim Zaremba caught a pass from junior quarterback Cole Considine and weaved his way 43 yards to the 4-yard line, and just like that the hosts had their heels planted in their own end zone.
On the South Side sideline, first-year head coach Phil Onesto could taste an early lead. Once a captain and a receiver/strong safety for the 2001 county championship team, Onesto takes over a program that has fallen upon hard times. In going 1-7 last fall, the Cyclones were shut out three times.
Across the field, longtime Valley Stream South head coach Lance Griffin knew he needed a momentum changer. The Falcons also finished 1-7 a year ago, including a defeat at the hands of South Side, and this year’s squad has only five seniors. Yielding a touchdown on the opponents’ first possession certainly would have been an ominous sign.
“We needed to get some confidence, and I think that first drive was a growing up phase,” Griffin said. “We needed to get adjusted.”
The Falcons did adjust, stopping the next four plays cold and keeping the Cyclones off the scoreboard.
“That really gave us the momentum we needed,” said Griffin, who saw his defense harass Considine for the remainder of the contest as the Falcons went on to win 21-0 at J. James Memorial Field.
Junior running back Phil Crisci opened the scoring, fighting his way into the end zone from 11 yards out midway through the second quarter. Senior quarterback Tom Meaney added a pair of second-half touchdowns and the Falcons thwarted South Side’s last meaningful drive late in the final quarter to seal the victory.
“It was not the outcome we wanted,” Onesto said. “We have to polish a couple of things up.”
