Sachem North packs a heavy punch. We know that much. When healthy they’re as good as anyone. We know the big names, we know the storied history and we know this season comes with great expectations for the Flaming Arrows. Sounds familiar. It’s always like that in Sachem, no matter the year, no matter the team.
Here are three things you should know about the Flaming Arrows this season:
3. Win the Day: That’s the motto this year. It’s about living in the moment and focusing on the tasks at hand one day at a time, according to Sachem coach Dave Falco.
“We took grasp of it this summer,” he said. “We really wanted to get better every day. We really wanted to take care of one day at a time. If we look too far ahead of ourselves it could be a problem.”
The motto originally comes from the University of Oregon’s football program.
2. Depth on defense and special teams: There’s so much news and information about the offense, that too many people take defensive and special teams success for granted. In high school many of the players perform on both sides of the ball as it is, so the names overlap, but the tasks and plays are equally rewarding.
Defensively, Sachem North’s secondary will be difficult to beat. Combine the speed and agility of Trent Crossan, Anthony Ross, Malik Pierre and Kevin Bragaglia and it’s a quarterback’s nightmare. No matter what team in Division I tries to pass, when healthy, Sachem’s secondary can do damage and give the Flaming Arrows solid field position many times.
The same can be said for special teams. We already know what Bryan Morris is capable of regarding the kicking game. But don’t forget about Pierre and Bragaglia running back kicks. Speed kills.
1. Line dancing: It’s all about the offensive and defensive lines. These young men are the unsung heroes of every successful football team. You can not win without a strong line, on either side of the ball.
“People forget that,” Falco said. “This team is going to go as far as our offensive and defensive lines. All those guys do an outstanding job in the off-season. They’re had a really good camp. They’re very healthy. We’re only going to go as far as those guys go. The expectations are for them to do a great job, so our skill guys can have big days.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro