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Empire Challenge New York City team unit breakdown
By Marc Raimondi June 23, 2009
Chemistry seems to be the word bandied about in practices as to why New York City might have the edge over Long Island in the annual Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge, which will take place Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium.
But the city team has a boatload of talent and blue-chip players, great athletes and polished tacticians, size and strength. Here’s a look at New York City, breaking the squad down by unit:
QUARTERBACK
Normally this spot is reserved for a guy who is better running the ball than throwing it. At least that’s the New York City quarterback stereotype. But that has been busted this year. NYC has not one, but two legitimate, pass-first, strong-armed passers on the roster.
Xaverian’s Najee Tyler, who will play at Purdue next year, figures to get the starting nod. He’s 6-feet-6 with mobility and an absolute cannon for an arm. Don’t be surprised if he hooks up with his favorite target – Xaverian teammate Gerald Mistretta – for a touchdown Tuesday.
Backing up Tyler will be two very different signal callers. Bayside’s Damir Dukanovic is a prototype. He’s 6-feet-5 with a very strong arm. He can make all the throws. Port Richmond’s Jeremy Ramos, on the other hand, is mobile and cerebral. At 5-feet-9, he’s dwarfed by the other QBs, but the word everyone throws around for him is “winner.” That’s a no-brainer after he helped lead the Red Raiders to their first PSAL city title this year.
RUNNING BACK
Xavier’s Seamus Kelly put up absurd numbers this season, but there were two knocks against him: lack of competition and that he was the product of a system. Well, in practice this week, he just about proved to every coach on the New York City staff that those criticisms were unfounded. Kelly will be playing rugby next year at the University of California after being passed up by countless Division I-AA programs. On Tuesday, he’ll be very motivated.
He’ll be joined by St. Francis Prep’s Tristan Akong and Naykwan Johnson of Curtis. Akong is a speed back – he’s one of the city’s best sprinters and he’ll head to Albany on a track scholarship next year. Johnson is a downhill, power back who is hard to take down once he gets going. Syracuse-bound wideout Torian Phillips can also lineup in the backfield, making this unit even more dangerous.
WIDE RECEIVER
New York City picked a good year to have strong passing quarterbacks. The wide receiver corps is deep and extremely talented, starting with Phillips, who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Tariq Tongue of Holy Cross, who will walk on in the fall at Penn State, should be the other starter.
But the strength of this unit is its depth. There’s no drop off whatsoever. Gerald Mistretta, who is headed to the College of the Holy Cross, runs great routes and has terrific hands. Fort Hamilton’s Levon Williams has size and is a gamebreaker and Port Richmond’s Zamel Johnson, heading to Hofstra, is a speed demon.
Three guys who will also play special teams round it out. Campus Magnet’s Jonathan (Panama) Achab Syms, Bayside’s Onur Gurbuz and Fordham Prep’s Connor Brown will all see time at receiver.
TIGHT END
Rutgers-bound Robert Joseph of Poly Prep will probably get the start and he has all the tools to be a threat in the passing attack. Same goes for American International-bound Sean Johnson of Port Richmond, a big physical kid who loves contact and also has surprising speed. Holy Cross’ Travis Quarless adds to a very solid tight end corps.
OFFENSIVE LINE
NYC’s offensive line is certainly not lacking in size or athleticism. But chemistry is key when it comes to blocking schemes and Canarsie’s Danilo Beaubrun, Sheldon Wells and Phede Celestin already have that. And all three figure to get starting nods Tuesday night. Giant John F. Kennedy left tackle Kevin Douglas will also likely start.
Kennedy’s Omari Bridges, Poly Prep’s David Frederickson, New Dorp’s Tom Lociano, Christ the King’s Mauritius Vogel and Port Richmond’s Collin Ukeje will also see time.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Sheepshead Bay’s Andre Civil and Xaverian’s Oday Aboushi would certainly be starters if they were in the game, but there’s still plenty of talent in this unit. Sheepshead’s Jared Andrews and Port Richmond’s Antoine McGriff will start at the ends and Mount St. Michael’s Caraun Reid, headed to Princeton, and Fordham Prep’s Charles Argast will get the nod inside, according to defensive line coach Alex Vega.
Vega said his line goes two deep. St. Francis Prep’s Freddy Dugard, Campus Magnet’s Leston Simpson, John Melfi of St. Peter’s, Kennedy’s Omar Rivera, Bishop Ford’s Winston Hill and St. Francis Prep’s Richard Volini round out the impressive personnel.
LINEBACKER
Brooklyn dominates this unit. Xaverian’s Ethan Ostermeyer, Canarsie’s Eric Smith, Fort Hamilton’s Gardner Robinson and Grady’s Jasper Kelly all call the borough home. Only Ozzie Garcia of Kennedy and St. Joseph by the Sea’s Teddy Clohessy aren’t from Brooklyn.
Clohessy and Garcia are excellent playmakers and Ostermeyer excels at making tackles, sideline to sideline. Smith, Robinson and Kelly are all excellent athletes who pack a serious punch.
SECONDARY
Long Island is going to have a tough time beating these safeties. Kennedy’s Stephen Obeng Agyapong and Sheepshead Bay’s Joel Bowen are both ballhawks and they pack a punch. For a relatively small guy, Obeng can really lay into guys.
Holy Cross defensive back Terrence Coon wreaked havoc on the CHSFL this season – he had a knack for making key interceptions and taking them back for a touchdown. Susan Wagner’s Kobie Hamm was like that in the PSAL, leading the league in interceptions.
Fort Hamilton’s Taurel Price, Kennedy’s Tyheen Taylor, Tottenville’s Tramaine Wilson and Carl Williams of Boys & Girls all could make an impact.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Brown will handle placekicking duties and he was one of the best kickers in the city this season at Fordham Prep. But New York City always pales in comparison to Long Island in that category. This year, LI boasts Maryland-bound Nick Ferrara of St. Anthony’s. Achab Syms could also see time at kicker for NYC.
Gurbuz, one of the most versatile players in the game, will be the starting punter and he let fly a few good ones in practice Monday. Phillips will be one of the city team’s main returners, but a lot of guys could rotate in and out over the course of the game.
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com
But the city team has a boatload of talent and blue-chip players, great athletes and polished tacticians, size and strength. Here’s a look at New York City, breaking the squad down by unit:
QUARTERBACK
Normally this spot is reserved for a guy who is better running the ball than throwing it. At least that’s the New York City quarterback stereotype. But that has been busted this year. NYC has not one, but two legitimate, pass-first, strong-armed passers on the roster.
Xaverian’s Najee Tyler, who will play at Purdue next year, figures to get the starting nod. He’s 6-feet-6 with mobility and an absolute cannon for an arm. Don’t be surprised if he hooks up with his favorite target – Xaverian teammate Gerald Mistretta – for a touchdown Tuesday.
Backing up Tyler will be two very different signal callers. Bayside’s Damir Dukanovic is a prototype. He’s 6-feet-5 with a very strong arm. He can make all the throws. Port Richmond’s Jeremy Ramos, on the other hand, is mobile and cerebral. At 5-feet-9, he’s dwarfed by the other QBs, but the word everyone throws around for him is “winner.” That’s a no-brainer after he helped lead the Red Raiders to their first PSAL city title this year.
RUNNING BACK
Xavier’s Seamus Kelly put up absurd numbers this season, but there were two knocks against him: lack of competition and that he was the product of a system. Well, in practice this week, he just about proved to every coach on the New York City staff that those criticisms were unfounded. Kelly will be playing rugby next year at the University of California after being passed up by countless Division I-AA programs. On Tuesday, he’ll be very motivated.
He’ll be joined by St. Francis Prep’s Tristan Akong and Naykwan Johnson of Curtis. Akong is a speed back – he’s one of the city’s best sprinters and he’ll head to Albany on a track scholarship next year. Johnson is a downhill, power back who is hard to take down once he gets going. Syracuse-bound wideout Torian Phillips can also lineup in the backfield, making this unit even more dangerous.
WIDE RECEIVER
New York City picked a good year to have strong passing quarterbacks. The wide receiver corps is deep and extremely talented, starting with Phillips, who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Tariq Tongue of Holy Cross, who will walk on in the fall at Penn State, should be the other starter.
But the strength of this unit is its depth. There’s no drop off whatsoever. Gerald Mistretta, who is headed to the College of the Holy Cross, runs great routes and has terrific hands. Fort Hamilton’s Levon Williams has size and is a gamebreaker and Port Richmond’s Zamel Johnson, heading to Hofstra, is a speed demon.
Three guys who will also play special teams round it out. Campus Magnet’s Jonathan (Panama) Achab Syms, Bayside’s Onur Gurbuz and Fordham Prep’s Connor Brown will all see time at receiver.
TIGHT END
Rutgers-bound Robert Joseph of Poly Prep will probably get the start and he has all the tools to be a threat in the passing attack. Same goes for American International-bound Sean Johnson of Port Richmond, a big physical kid who loves contact and also has surprising speed. Holy Cross’ Travis Quarless adds to a very solid tight end corps.
OFFENSIVE LINE
NYC’s offensive line is certainly not lacking in size or athleticism. But chemistry is key when it comes to blocking schemes and Canarsie’s Danilo Beaubrun, Sheldon Wells and Phede Celestin already have that. And all three figure to get starting nods Tuesday night. Giant John F. Kennedy left tackle Kevin Douglas will also likely start.
Kennedy’s Omari Bridges, Poly Prep’s David Frederickson, New Dorp’s Tom Lociano, Christ the King’s Mauritius Vogel and Port Richmond’s Collin Ukeje will also see time.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Sheepshead Bay’s Andre Civil and Xaverian’s Oday Aboushi would certainly be starters if they were in the game, but there’s still plenty of talent in this unit. Sheepshead’s Jared Andrews and Port Richmond’s Antoine McGriff will start at the ends and Mount St. Michael’s Caraun Reid, headed to Princeton, and Fordham Prep’s Charles Argast will get the nod inside, according to defensive line coach Alex Vega.
Vega said his line goes two deep. St. Francis Prep’s Freddy Dugard, Campus Magnet’s Leston Simpson, John Melfi of St. Peter’s, Kennedy’s Omar Rivera, Bishop Ford’s Winston Hill and St. Francis Prep’s Richard Volini round out the impressive personnel.
LINEBACKER
Brooklyn dominates this unit. Xaverian’s Ethan Ostermeyer, Canarsie’s Eric Smith, Fort Hamilton’s Gardner Robinson and Grady’s Jasper Kelly all call the borough home. Only Ozzie Garcia of Kennedy and St. Joseph by the Sea’s Teddy Clohessy aren’t from Brooklyn.
Clohessy and Garcia are excellent playmakers and Ostermeyer excels at making tackles, sideline to sideline. Smith, Robinson and Kelly are all excellent athletes who pack a serious punch.
SECONDARY
Long Island is going to have a tough time beating these safeties. Kennedy’s Stephen Obeng Agyapong and Sheepshead Bay’s Joel Bowen are both ballhawks and they pack a punch. For a relatively small guy, Obeng can really lay into guys.
Holy Cross defensive back Terrence Coon wreaked havoc on the CHSFL this season – he had a knack for making key interceptions and taking them back for a touchdown. Susan Wagner’s Kobie Hamm was like that in the PSAL, leading the league in interceptions.
Fort Hamilton’s Taurel Price, Kennedy’s Tyheen Taylor, Tottenville’s Tramaine Wilson and Carl Williams of Boys & Girls all could make an impact.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Brown will handle placekicking duties and he was one of the best kickers in the city this season at Fordham Prep. But New York City always pales in comparison to Long Island in that category. This year, LI boasts Maryland-bound Nick Ferrara of St. Anthony’s. Achab Syms could also see time at kicker for NYC.
Gurbuz, one of the most versatile players in the game, will be the starting punter and he let fly a few good ones in practice Monday. Phillips will be one of the city team’s main returners, but a lot of guys could rotate in and out over the course of the game.
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com