Ready for Action It was a very Happy Halloween for the Nine Year Old White Thunder football team. After three consecutive wins against Inwood, Long Beach and Hicksville, the boys did not want to lose momentum when they faced East Rockaway. It was one year ago that their opponents tied the Thunder in the final seconds of the game denying them a well deserved win, but that was last year! Weather-wise, It was the quintessential perfect day. But for the leaves falling from the trees, it could have been mid-June and opening day at the Garden City Pool. Once again, the boys were hungry to keep the winning streak alive and soar for consecutive victory number four.

Group Tackle On their very first offensive play, a desire to play their best and win yet another game was obvious. Christian Capozzi handed the ball off to Scott D'Antonio. As a result of spectacular blocking by the entire squad and especially Tim Eschmann, Matt Haeffner, Patrick Finneran, Greg Bolte, Jack O'Malley and Jack O'Brien, Scotty D made it all the way down the field for the touchdown. The Thunder defense including Robert Welsh, Chris Donahue, Evan Mitchell, Nick Diglio and Tyler Biscone shut down East Rockaway's offense. This provided for another Thunder possession leading to a scoring opportunity for Second Thunder touchdown of the game.

Contemplating Five Straight Wins The East Rockaway offense knew that desperate times called for desperate measures and turned to a passing game. They did not anticipate that lineman Spencer Bais, linebacker Tyler Biscone and Safety Greg Vouzianis would all take to the air for an interception that went over Bais' head, through Biscone's outstretched arms and into the hands of a diving Vouzianis for the interception. Once the Thunder forced the turnover, the first offensive play was a handoff by Capozzi to Kyle Skramko that led to an incredible sixty yard run.

First Down Keith Danks was a pounding machine blasting through the offense and repeatedly gaining valuable yardage. Spencer Bais and Justin Guterding were consistent and dependable for the offense and played with incredible confidence and style. Danny Jones and Matt Haeffner each made huge contributions to defensive and offensive efforts. That bruised heed did not slow Kyle Skramko down as he had carries of up to sixty yards! Jack O'Malley showed his team how tough he was after he came out of the game after being winded and within minutes was back in giving his all to the team effort. All in all, it was a convincing 26-6 win against a team that stole a victory from the boys last year, a feat that the Thunder denied East Rockaway this year.

Skramco (left) and Biscone (under ball) and Vouzianas (right) on Interception Mission Last Sunday was the Drive for Five at Floral Park. It was another perfect fall day and the final game of the season. These kids were clearly on a mission to give everything they had and play their best against a tough and evenly matched opponents. Suffice it to say, the entire squad played brilliantly under the top notch coaching staff. Justin Guterding was clearly the star of the game but he would be the first to tell you that it was a team effort. The close game was broken wide open late in the fourth quarter when the Thunder scored again for a 20-7 finish.

Coach Gets Soaked by the Team The record of 5-2-1 is something to be proud of, but it does not begin to tell the story of how a bunch of relative strangers (and their families) evolved into a football family. Everyone including players, coaches and moms and dads rose to meet the commitment that Thunder Football entails. They proved Joe Guterding's mantra that "Hard Work Pays Off!" GO THUNDER!

Coach Bais in Action Authors Note: If those who cannot do teach and those who cannot teach coach (neither of which I believe), then those who cannot coach football write the articles! Once again, I had the distinct pleasure of preparing the articles for this incredibly spirited Thunder Squad this year. Last season, my challenge was to accentuate the positive and leave the reader without a clue that the boys has suffered a more than occasional loss. This year was quite different as things just seemed to come together. Last years standout players continued to get stronger and the less noticed players developed and emerged. They did it together, they did it with style and they did it under the guidance of a superior coaching staff. Coach Joe Guterding and assistant coaches Fred Capozzi, Mike Jones, Jim Bais and Pete Haeffner gave of themselves in exemplary fashion. These gentlemen taught the players football skill and sportsmanship. More than that, they taught them how to believe in themselves. They were encouraged to hang their heads high on the rare occasions when they lost a game. They taught them how to win gracefully. Guterding had a vision for the team that was realized thanks to his efforts both on and off the field. Bais was a hands on coach that lead by example and had that perfect balance of toughness and kindness. Jones and Capozzi were specialists with one-on-one instruction making essential corrections at practice that translated into game-day success. Haeffner was an incredible addition to the coaching staff as a great motivator that really seemed to communicate with the players and effectively use some untapped resources. It was my distinct privilege to cover their games each week. A sincere thanks goes to the coaches for their selflessness and dedication, to the Garden City News for providing us with a vehicle for our children to see themselves in print each week, to John Skramko for providing game stats from time to time (since I do not take notes!) and to Dean Miller for sharing digital photos when Yours Truly did not bring his camera. Most importantly, thank you to each and every one of the great kids on the team that practiced hard, gave it their all. It looks like hard work did pay off!

-Craig G. Biscone (Tyler's incredibly proud Dad)