Three cheers for the Striano triplets of CSH
Peter Striano #59 of Cold Spring Harbor, left, gets a congratulatory shoulder bump by brother Dom Striano #58 after making a tackle in their team's 27-7 win over Seaford in the Nassau County football Conference IV final at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. Credit: James Escher
When the Striano triplets were younger, they used to dream of a moment like this.
The Cold Spring Harbor football standouts, Richie, Dom and Peter, have spent their lives playing pickup football in the backyard, but on Friday night that game moved under the lights at Hofstra as all three left their mark on the Seahawks’ 27-7 victory over Seaford in the Nassau Conference IV championship.
“It’s beautiful because everyone gave it their all and it was so much fun,” Richie Striano said. “And when you’re playing with your brothers, you can’t ask for anything better than that.”
While their oldest brother, Daniel, led the charge on the offensive side of the ball, the triplets set the tone on defense. Richie finished with a team-high seven tackles, while Dom added four, including a tackle for a loss, and Peter chipped in two tackles.
All three brothers often found themselves on the field at the same time and although they got support from the Cold Spring Harbor faithful, their biggest fans are each other.
“If I don’t get the tackle, I can turn around and I see Richie with a big hit or I see Pete with a sack or a tackle for a loss, that's the absolute best,” Dom said. “I’m like ‘That’s my brother out there!’”
The Strianos have spent all season together, watching film and fine-tuning their tackling technique. They also have a pregame tradition that may be a little unexpected; they drink Pedialyte. It’s a habit they formed years ago, but one that’s stuck with them and, according to Richie, a must if the triplets are going to play to their potential.
They did just that in the championship, jumpstarting a Cold Spring Harbor defense that shut Seaford out in the first three quarters and held the Vikings to 277 total yards.
“Our defensive line got great penetration,” Richie said. “We had a little fire in our bellies and I think that put us over the edge.”
After helping Cold Spring Harbor capture its first county title since 2005, the Strianos are anxious to get back on the field, cheering each other on and tackling as hard and often as possible.
“We’re just thinking about LICs,” Peter said. “We put our work in during the offseason and now it’s paying off.”
