Sachem senior set on making difference in medical world, will play football at RPI.
During his junior season, Matt Chirichella tore an ACL in a first-round playoff game against Lindenhurst. He didn’t wince, or scream. He simply walked off the field, sat on the trainer’s table and accepted his fate.
If anything, Chirichella was more upset about not being able to finish the playoff game than worrying about any pain in his knee.
“That was the first time in 12 years he got hurt playing football so that was difficult to watch,” said his father, Ron Chirichella, a former Sachem football player and current Sachem teacher and coach, “but after the first game this year against Connetquot he was driving defensive linemen ten or fifteen yards down field and I knew he would be fine. My wife and I have always tried to demonstrate that hard work both on and off the field pays off, and when your back is against the wall you gotta keep fighting.”
To understand Matt, you must first know Ron. They share a story of Sachem passion and pride. Matt has been roaming the sidelines of Sachem football games since he was a baby and the moment he strapped on the black and gold at Sachem North to play varsity games at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium was a dream come true for the entire Chirichella family.
Ron graduated in 1989 and is a disciple of Fred Fusaro, the legendary football coach at Sachem for more than 30 years. He cares about Sachem’s past, present and future and brings that intensity in his coaching and mentorship of today’s players.
“The program shaped my Dad so heavily that all he could ever envision was his children going to Sachem, just for the transformative experience,” said Matt.
Aside from a love of Sachem, they also shared No. 74.
“My father is probably one of the most honorable people I know, often selfless and will put others before himself at his own expense,” said Matt, “so naturally I had to wear his number for my experience.”
“It was awesome watching Matthew play football at Sachem these past four years,” added Ron. “I was most proud that he played just about every position on the offensive line demonstrating his versatility.”
And now it’s on to the next chapter for Chirichella, which may be his most impressive feat yet. He will play football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., one of the top engineering schools in the country.
Intending to major in biomedical engineering, Chirichella has an ultimate career goal, “to cure a disease, make a new advancement in the medical community, and ultimately make a product that will change the world and save lives.”
He also may minor in astrophysics.
Among the schools he was considering were Union, Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It helped that RPI is also coached by Sachem alum Ralph Isernia and that Sachem North alum Steve Mills, one of the top lineman in Sachem’s recent history, just finished a successful career at the school.
That gut feeling crept in once he was on campus. Then they sold him on the prospects of landing a strong job upon graduation, the longstanding history both within the overall school and football program, and an incredible rivalry against Union College.
If that wasn’t enough, Chirichella was also intrigued by, “the beautiful architecture of the area, and left awestruck in their academic facilities.”
Chirichella, who was a senior captain and named one of the top 100 players to watch this season by Newsday, credits Sachem football for the person he is today.
“After watching the long lineage of players who have shaped the program, I was grateful enough to be a part of it,” he said. “It was never easy, but it’s given me the life-skills necessary to thrive in life.”
Players like Anthony DiMatteo, a lineman at Division I Bryant University, played a role in mentoring Chirichella.
“He wasn’t just phenomenal at the sport, he was an exemplary human being all around,” said Chirichella. “Intelligent, kind, pensive, and humble, these were all traits I viewed in him and what I wanted to be like. We still talk every now and then to this day, and I can wholeheartedly say he was the player I most aspired to be.”
And now younger players are saying that about Matt Chirichella.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro