Valley Stream Central eyes .500, playoffs

Valley Stream Central’s football season came a bit unhinged before it began, but the Eagles never put their heads down, first-year head coach Tom Schiavo said, and enter the Nassau Conference I finale against Plainview with a chance to finish .500 and sneak into the playoffs.

“Some people don’t celebrate 4-4, but if we win our last game and give ourselves a shot at the playoffs that’s good enough for me,” Schiavo said after last Friday night’s 28-0 setback at Oceanside. “Considering how much adversity we’ve battled through and a tough schedule, it would be a nice accomplishment,” he added.

Oceanside upped its winning streak to three straight with the win over the Eagles, who dropped to 3-4. The Sailors got a pair of touchdown runs from Cole Parker in the first quarter and were off to the races. They added a second-quarter touchdown and a pair of field goals in the second half.

“They’re a very good team that came out fast,” Schiavo said. “You can’t make mistakes against a team of their caliber and we had two major turnovers, including a fumble right on the goal line in the second quarter when we were looking to cut their lead in half.

“We had some series where we really looked good and moved the ball,” he added. “Other times they either stopped us or we shot ourselves in the foot.”

The outcome was the second shutout suffered this season by Central, which averaged 8.9 points over its first seven games while using a revolving door at quarterback. Projected starter Kyle McCord, a junior, suffered a broken leg in its Sept. 2 scrimmage game against Half Hollow Hills East and was immediately ruled out for the season.

“Kyle’s a great kid and we hope to see him back on the field next year,” Schiavo said. “It was a big loss and the guys filling in are working hard and doing the best they can.”

The Eagles were coming off back-to-back victories over Westbury (14-0 on Oct. 7) and Uniondale (21-8 on Oct. 15.) Senior two-way leader Joshua Rogers and sophomore Jaden Fox scored touchdowns in both games, while the defense strung together eight solid quarters.

Rogers, a tailback/linebacker who leads Central in rushing yards and tackles, had a 2-yard rushing score against Westbury and a 1-yard touchdown plunge against Uniondale. He also scored both touchdowns in the team’s victory over Hicksville in September. “There’s been a lot of weeks Josh has been the best player on the field,” Schiavo said.

Fox caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jarell Leitzsey in the win over Westbury and followed with an 18-yard scoring run against Uniondale. Senior Isaiah Arthur recovered a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown in the Uniondale game after a strip by senior Jadon Scott.

The offensive and defensive fronts are being led by seniors Showayne Lumsden Jr. and Jerome Nembhard, Schiavo noted.

The Eagles host Plainview (1-6) this Saturday on the turf at Memorial Junior High at 2 p.m.