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Heartbreak for NYC stars


Off-balance after being…

By Anthony Bosco

Peter Mazzurco had done just about everything he could, dodging would-be tacklers with every ounce of energy he could muster in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. But the quarterback from Douglaston came up just short.

Off-balance after being nudged by North Babylon’s Rob Wilcox, the St. Francis Prep grad and Boston College-bound signal caller fell with open field and blockers in front of him, six yards short of the first down.

The offense turned the ball over on downs, closing the book on the sixth annual Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge. The Long Island All-Stars edged out their rivals from New York City, 7-6, July 3 at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium, taking a 4-2 lead in the overall series.

“I bumped off an offensive lineman,” Mazzurco said after the game. “I had open field, but I couldn’t get my feet under me.”

In all, eight players and two coaches from Queens high schools participated in this year’s edition of the high school all-star game, dubbed “The Boomer Bowl” for founder and former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason. The game benefits the Boomer Esiason Foundation, The Gunnar H. Esiason Scholarship Fund at Hofstra University and New York area youth football.

The loss was taken particularly hard by New York City’s other quarterback, Bayside grad Zanu Simpson, a St. Albans resident who will attend Morrisville in the fall.

Simpson, who alternated with Mazzurco throughout the game, was on the sideline for most of the fourth quarter. Still, the significance of playing in the most prestigious high school football game for New York City players was not lost on the star.

“It was a good experience for me,” he said. “I’m really happy I got a chance to play in this game.”

Simpson’s teammate on Bayside, Kenneth Johnson, who had one sack, was equally disheartened by the loss.

“We played pretty good, but it’s hard losing by one point,” he said.

As disappointing as the loss may have been, luck seemed to be on the side of the New York City team early in the game. After holding Long Island to a three-and-out first series, New York fumbled the ensuing punt when up back Shawn Casadiego, of Holy Cross High School, failed to pull in the short kick, giving the ball back to Long Island at the NYC 48.

But Long Island could do little. An offensive pass interference call followed by illegal motion set up Fort Hamilton’s Thomas Larsen to intercept St. Anthony’s Alex Conlon’s errant pass and return it to the Long Island 36.

Simpson then handed the ball to South Shore’s Anthony Self, who fumbled, but a fortuitous bounce and the ball landed right back in his hands. Once he had control, he turned around the seal made by the offensive line on the left side and rumbled 36 yards for the score.

Mazzurco’s extra point was wide right, but NYC had a 6-0 lead with 11:46 left in the first.

With less than two weeks for both teams to prepare, it was no surprise that defense dominated the game. Long Island fumbled away its next possession near midfield, but NYC failed to capitalize, going three-and-out.

New York did get good field possession after L.I.’s ensuing drive and short punt gave the city the ball at its opponent’s 36. Mazzurco guided the team to the 13 before a personal foul pushed NYC back to the 28. Two plays later, Mazzurco’s 38-yard field goal attempt just missed with 1:05 left in the first.

Long Island’s best drive of the game to that point resulted in a 28-yard field goal miss.

The next opportunity by either team came when, with Simpson under center, NYC moved the ball 40 yards to the Long Island 1-yard line. The key play of the drive was a well-executed shovel pass from Simpson to Sha-ron Gutter for 21 yards. But with time ticking away, two quarterback sneaks by Simpson came up just short of the goal line, and the half ended with NYC facing third-and-goal from the one.

“There was a hole there, but it closed up fast,” Simpson said. “The hole just closed up on me. I thought I was in for sure.”

Defense continued to be the story of the game in the second half, as neither team managed much of anything offensively, not until Long Island finally got going midway through the fourth.

“Defensively, we played very well,” Casadiego said. “We were holding them down for three quarters. It happens. It was a good game.”

Taking over at their own 46, the Long Island All-Stars, led by quarterback Frank Wolfe of North Babylon, engineered a drive of nothing but runs. Using Wolfe, Matt Albanese and Alan D’Meza, Long Island pounded its way to the NYC 20, when Wolfe called his own number on third-and-2 and scampered through the NYC defense to the end zone for a 20-yard score. Ryan Korn added the extra point to put L.I. ahead by one, 7-6, with 6:51 to play.

NYC got the ball back twice more, both times with Mazzurco calling the plays, but the team just could not pull it off. The game essentially ended when Mazzurco was tripped up on fourth down at the Long Island 38. All that was left was for the victors to sit on the ball until time expired.

“It was a great experience to play in this game,” said offensive lineman Mike Fladell, of John Adams High School. “I always wanted to play in games like this.”

Perhaps the venerable coach Vince O’Connor, a 51-year veteran at St. Francis Prep, put it best when he said, “All of us are richer for the experience.”

The game will be televised on MSG 7 p.m. Friday and on Monday, July 28, also at 7 p.m.

Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.