Carey's offensive line meshes well on, off field
Carey's Anthony Catapano (66) celebrates a sack of East Islip quarterback Jack Hannigan (2) in the second half of the Class II Long Island Championship on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014 at Stony Brook University. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Gabe Alejo calls them his brothers.
They are the Carey offensive line, and their off-the-field brotherhood has yielded tremendous results on the field.
"We go to parties together. We hang out together. We watch film together,'' said Alejo, a senior lineman. "Everything we do, we do together. And we don't let each other get down.''
The O-line's play in Carey's 41-7 win over East Islip on Sunday in the Long Island Class II championship game at Stony Brook University typified how dominant the group has been for the past 24 games.
Running lanes were open and quarterback Mike Catanese had time to throw. In a game with seven sacks, Carey (12-0) surrendered none.
"Whether or not we get the credit, we don't care about that,'' lineman Anthony Catapano said. "We just care about winning and putting W's on the board and getting our offense to the next level.''
Said Catanese: "Their play was amazing today, but they've been amazing all year. The holes were huge and it showed on the scoreboard.''
Seniors Rob Kelly, Jorge Cerquera and Alejo and junior Catapano have been here before. The four were the unsung heroes behind Carey's 12-0 season a year ago that also culminated in a Long Island title.
"Our motto is 'dominate, dominate, dominate,' '' Cerquera said. "Our offensive line, every game, we say if we dominate, we'll win the game, and that's what we've done.''
Sophomore Joseph Randazzo was the newcomer this season, and he seamlessly made the transition.
"We have a lot of team chemistry,'' Kelly said, "so the new guy, Randazzo, he had no problem jumping right into that. He did great for us all year. He adapted really quick. We just work really good as a unit.''
"I fit in perfectly,'' Randazzo said. "There's a lot of experience on the line, and they welcomed me. They brought me in and I've become great friends with them.''
Cohesion has been the key. When each player knows the tendencies of his neighbor on the line, the results are, well, back-to-back perfect seasons.
"We have the greatest team chemistry on Long Island,'' Randazzo said. "All of us on the offensive line know how each of us is going to react to a play, and that's what makes us great.''
