Sachem North football victorious in 3rd annual National Football Foundation Suffolk Lineman Challenge
In the summer, 7-on-7 tournaments are common in football, but at Northport High School on Thursday, the big guys got their chance to shine.
Sixteen schools from Long Island competed in the third annual National Football Foundation Suffolk Chapter’s Lineman Challenge, with Sachem North capturing the title.
“It gives the linemen a chance to compete and run around,” event organizer and Smithtown West coach Craig Perrino said. “We do so much for 7-on-7s in the summer and quarterback challenges. I don’t think the end result matters that much. I think it’s good the linemen get to run around and get some work in.”
The field featured 15 Suffolk schools — Amityville, Center Moriches, Centereach, Connetquot, Kings Park, Lindenhurst, Longwood, Miller Place, Newfield, Northport, Rocky Point, Smithtown West, Floyd and two teams each from Sachem North and Smithtown East — along with Nassau representative Wantagh.
“I’m very excited,” Floyd defensive end Jake Rivera said. “We’ve been preparing for this event for a long time. We want to prove we’ve got the best group and the best guys. We want to compete, not just here, but the regular season, too.”
The competition featured 10 events designed to test strength, power, agility and teamwork, including the farmer’s carry, bench press, pyramid build, medicine ball toss, tire flip, sled push, three-cone drill, obstacle course and hand shield course.
The day concluded with a tug of war worth 25 points to the winner, which was Longwood.
Depending on the event, teams were scored by time, reps or distance. First place in an event was 19 points, second was 18 and so on until the final-place team earned two points.
“The tire flip was a great one because it tested my conditioning,” Longwood lineman Edward Princivil said. “The three-cone drill let me show my speed and agility. I couldn’t be more excited. I wouldn’t want to be at any other school. The people at Longwood are great.”
Sachem North consistently dominated and finished with 175 points. Longwood placed second with 153 and Miller Place was third with 147.
“It’s awesome competing against all these guys in our division, like Floyd and Longwood, two of the top teams in our league,” Sachem North lineman James Chirichella said. “We compete against these guys every year. We’ve been preparing for this all week with our teammates and coaches. It’s awesome to come out here on a beautiful night and get this win.”
Sachem North’s seven-player team finished first in the farmer’s carry, pyramid build, obstacle course and hand shield course.
The group featured Chirichella, Dwayne Dumpson, Donald Carman, Niko Valenza, Brayden Sigler, Jack Lentz and Logan Karavias.
Sachem North placed in the top three in nine of the 10 events, leading to the announcement of its overall victory.
“I was really happy,” Dumpson said. “I’m proud of my brothers. We all jumped up when we heard we won. We were very happy.”
The event continues to grow. Last summer, 10 schools participated, according to Perrino. This year, 16 schools entered, with Sachem North and Smithtown East each fielding two teams, bringing the total number of competing teams to 18.
“I think it’s really a byproduct of everything we’ve done as a chapter,” NFF Suffolk Chapter president Len Genova said. “The feedback we’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, and when coaches give us constructive feedback, we make those changes the following year. I think well-run events are why coaches want to participate.”
As 7-on-7 tournaments continue in the summer, Thursday served as a reminder that games are won in the trenches.
“The linemen do everything,” Newfield tight end/defensive end Stephen Carney said. “If it wasn’t for the linemen, I couldn’t catch the ball and the quarterback wouldn’t have time to throw.”
