Pat-Med's Jensen is NFF's top scholar athlete
Suffolk County Top Scholar Athlete Ryan Jensen holds his trophy at the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's Scholar Athlete Brunch. (Dec. 12, 2010) Credit: Ed Betz
There were moments when Ryan Jensen wondered what life would be like without football. The knee injuries started when he was only a sophomore. By the time his junior year ended he had suffered patella dislocations in both knees.
After three surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation, Jensen was fitted with bilateral braces and came back to captain the Patchogue-Medford football team his senior season.
"He was such a tough kid and refused to give up," said Dr. Frank Segreto of Elite Sports. "A lot of players would have walked away from the game with his injuries."
The 6-2, 305-pound Jensen returned to the playing field with a vengeance. He played center and defensive tackle and earned All-County honors and was named the 16th recipient of the National Football Foundation's Top Scholar Athlete Award in Suffolk County Sunday at a brunch at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
"He's the classic leader," coach James Chiarello said. "He's a great role model for the younger players."
Jensen, an honor student, ranked 63rd in a graduating class of 650. He was a member of the Spanish and History Honor Societies and volunteered his time with Relay for Life and the Patchogue Medford Youth football camps.
"I can't believe I'm standing here and getting this award after all I've been through," Jensen said. "My teammates pushed me to work hard and stay in the weight room. My coaches and family were always behind me and helped me reach my goals on and off the field. And without Dr. Segreto and his staff, I probably wouldn't have played. They got me back on the field."
Said Segreto, "He rehabbed as hard as anyone we've ever seen."
The Suffolk "Golden Eleven" consisted of Lucas Brum of Sachem East; Stephen Skon of Lindenhurst; Drew Federico of West Islip; Steven Bahns of East Hampton; Colin Flaherty of Eastport-South Manor; Danny Finta of Miller Place;, Alex Gaviria of Islip; Cory Schulz of Westhampton; Frank Abbondanza of Mount Sinai; Ryan Rielly of Glenn and Stephen Loudon of Babylon. The NFF also recognized the top scholar athletes from the Catholic High School Football League.
The CHSFL top scholar athlete was Sean Foley, a 6-2, 290-pound lineman from Chaminade. The CHSFL honorees were Matthew Sweeney of Kellenberg; James Mercurio of St. Anthony's; Wray Fucci of Holy Trinity and Daniel Ryan of St. John the Baptist.
Among the other award nominees were two special college football players. Quarterback Michael Coulter of Stony Brook University and defensive back Marcus Broeder of the United States Military Academy, earned the NFF Outstanding College Scholar Athlete Awards. Ron Chamberlain of Holbrook was presented the Lou Bonnanzio Contribution to Youth Football Award for his work in the Sachem Youth Athletic Club and the Police Athletic League. Rich Freund of Ronkonkoma was the Norm D. Carter Official of the Year.
They also inducted three new members into the Suffolk chapter of the NFF's Hall of Fame. Long time Comsewogue coach Tom Cassese, who had 209 victories in 34 years; his son Kevin Cassese, the first Newsday three-time All-Long Island selection from Comsewogue from 1996-1998 and former Amityville standout Bernie Wyatt in 1957.
