Excitement Continues For Knowle's Thunder 10's!

Touchdown! Sam Lucchesi pushes it over the line with help from teammates McDougal, Halka, and Leggett.

After a tough first game loss against Bellmore, one of the top teams in their division, Knowles' Thunder 10 Maroon team was determined to turn their fate around against the formidable and favored Baldwin opponent. In the end, heart, motivation, and great teamwork made the difference; one play and one yard at a time.

The offense, led by quarterback Matt Chmil, was persistent, consistent, and successful - with touchdowns by Sam Lucchesi, John Wotczak and Kevin McDougal. A surprise fourth quarter pass to McDougal, which he ran to the end zone, was a defining moment in the game. Excellent offensive blocking was provided by Brendan Dolan, Max Webster, Chris Halka, Sean Knowles, Brian Leggett and Peter McCarthy. The defense, led by Jack Capetola, Max Sutherland and James Atkinson, was key. It was quite possibly the best game the TEAM had ever played - resulting in an 18-13 win for Garden City.

Last week, Sam Lucchesi debuted as quarterback and stepped up - big time - to the task. Although the game started out in Mineola's favor, Thunder "clicked" just before the half, staying competitive at 13-6. More importantly, the momentum was changing. The defense was challenged but not overcome, as the opponent muscled their way down the field. Defensive players Dominick Avitabile, Dan DeSimpliciis, Ian Guarino, James Murphy, Esteban Ortiz, James Ostrowski and Phil Puccio gave it their all. The defense held and the O took over where they left off, taking an 18-13 lead with touchdowns by John Wotczak (two) and Jack Capetola. Thunder D was bending but not breaking for almost a whole quarter, until Mineola finally pushed into the endzone assuming a 20-18 lead with less than a minute left. As fans raced up and down the sidelines, Thunder gathered themselves up for a last rush at taking the game. After the kickoff, the O chewed up good yardage but the clock kept moving forward too. The final whistle blew as Thunder scrambled at the 10 yard line to get one more play in. One more play...

Players are all smiles as they are received by their cheering fans!

So...here's the thing. When people ask, "did you win or lose your game today" - it just seems like the wrong question. "Did you leave anything on the table... and did you play with all your heart?" seems more appropriate given the past two weeks of Thunder football. Coaches Knowles, Lucchesi, Wotczak, Atkinson and Guarino couldn't be prouder of the team. Go Thunder!

Phil Puccio, John Wotczak and Sean Knowles go for the tackle, as Brian Leggett and Jack Capetola back them up

Kevin McDougal completes the pass from QB Sam Lucchesi, as Peter McCarthy races in to lend support Ian Guarino, Dan DeSimpliciis, Brian Leggett and Max Webster provide excellent D Now THAT's what we're talking about!