Floyd's Tavarone hunting for a different trophy

The ground blind offered little protection against the biting wind and sub-freezing temperature. But Anthony Tavarone lay there ignoring the elements and waiting for an opportunity.

This was Saskatchewan in the dead of winter. Tavarone was 14 years old. It wasn't his first hunt, but it would be his most memorable.

On the final day of the hunt, Tavarone shot his first buck - an eight-pointer. His perseverance through brutal conditions helped him land his trophy.

That was three years ago. Now Tavarone, who plays defensive tackle and tight end for Suffolk Division I champion Floyd, has his sights set on a different kind of trophy. He wants to win a Long Island Class I championship.

"It's all about patience," Tavarone said. "And when you get your shot, you can't blow it. You have to make the most of your opportunities. On the field, in the classroom or out in the hunt - they only come so often."

Tavarone, a 5-11, 290-pound two-way starter, said he believes football is very similar to hunting. "There's a trophy involved, isn't there?" he said with a laugh. "You just don't stuff the one you win in football."

Well, the hunt for the Long Island Class I title continues at noon Friday when Floyd meets Freeport at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium. The teams have met twice previously in the title game, with Freeport winning in 2003 and 2009. The rematch offers Floyd - which won the Class I title in 2005-07 - an opportunity to avenge last year's 38-14 loss.

For Tavarone, the LIC offers unfinished business. The four-year varsity player wants his own piece of history.

"Freeport beat us real good last year and we remember it well," Tavarone said. "This is the last shot for the seniors, so we have to lead."

Floyd (9-2) is a young team with only six senior starters. The infectious leadership of Tavarone is contagious. Whether he's in the weight room benching 405 pounds or working on a dead lift of 575, this kid is serious.

"He's not one to mess with at all," Floyd coach Paul Longo said. "He's overcome a bad shoulder injury. But he is an absolute leader on the field. He's the strongest kid I've ever coached."

Tavarone has 81 tackles, including eight for a loss, and six sacks. He has returned to top form after labrum surgery in December, putting his chronic shoulder dislocations in the past.

"I dislocated my shoulder against Bellport as a sophomore and Whitman as a junior," Tavarone said. "It was time to get it fixed and play healthy as a senior."

Senior captain James Walsh is 6-2, 270 pounds - and he calls Tavarone a beast.

"He's a typical Floyd player who leaves it all on the field," Walsh said. "Off the field, he's the greatest guy. But on it, beware, he wants to crush people."

Longo said there were times when he had to tell Tavarone to tone it down in practice for fear of hurting teammates.

"He knows only one way," Longo said. "I'm not surprised that he's an avid hunter. He has the killer instinct and the attitude."

Tavarone said he catches a lot of flak for his love of hunting.

"Yeah, some people don't understand that you have to hunt to keep the deer population under control," he said. "They find it cruel. But you can't let the herd grow out of control."

Tavarone said he was 14 during his first hunt with his dad in Alabama when they shot a deer. But his big moment came later that year in Saskatchewan when he landed the eight-pointer.

The day after Floyd beat Longwood in the Division I semifinals, Tavarone took his battered body to Southampton and scored an 11-point buck. He unleashed an arrow that traveled more than 100 yards and pierced the unsuspecting buck's lung. The kill was most satisfying.

"You can feel your heart pounding and the adrenaline pumping when you get set for the kill," Tavarone said. "It's not much different than when you stand across the line and stare into the opponent's backfield. Or when I lock on to the guy I'm responsible to block. Life is all about opportunity and making things happen."

There is opportunity before him. Will he and the Colonials be on target?