Sachem has always been known as a district that honors its tradition and history. For years a majority of the trophy cases in the gymnasium lobby at Sachem High School North have gone largely touched. That was until the last month.
If you stroll through the area outside the gym at North now, you’ll be pleasantly surprised as the football portion of the trophy case has undergone a major facelift thanks to donations from the Sachem North Touchdown Club.
From new plaques honoring Fred Fusaro, Jumbo Elliott and all major award winners from the program’s past, to a 32-inch flatscreen television that shows a 30-minute highlight reel film, to more intricate award designs for the Black Helmet and other honors, the trophy case is a perfect compliment to a program drenched in tradition and honor.
“The showcase was in need of a redesign,” said Sachem football coach Dave Falco. “It hadn’t been updated in about 10 years.”
With help from Coach Dave Caputo and Coach Ron Chirachella and members of the building’s maintenance department, all Sachem alums, they were able to update everything throughout the early stages of 2013. During the off-season, maintaining a historical presence for program and brand building is sometimes equally as important as strength and conditioning.
“It has gotten a lot of attention from our kids,” Falco said. “The foundation of our program is the history and tradition and the showcase is where those memories are on display.”
Front and center are Sachem’s two Rutger’s Trophies from 1977 and 1986, and a new championship poster that honors the six teams in program history to win Suffolk County titles (1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1986 and 1995). There are also individual 8×10 images of all major award winners, older All-American certificates from some alums, and the most important game balls from championships and record breaking performances.
The hope now is to be forced to update all plaques, photos and awards with new championships and honors. It’s expected. On to victory.
-Words and photos by Chris R. Vaccaro