As the season came to a conclusion, the Farmingdale Dalers Varsity Football Team had a winning season with a record of 5-3. The season didn’t go as planned, but they were still able to get the job done, finding their way to Hofstra for yet another successful year.

The start of the season was a breeze for the Dalers, who won two straight games against Herricks and Hempstead, with a combined score of 70 points. For sophomore Kevin Wilson, however, the beginning was a struggle. “Learning the new plays and formations wasn’t easy, along with fitting into a new team,” says Wilson. Kevin Wilson was one of two sophomores pulled up at the start of the season, along with Neil Levantni,  and Kevin was told to step in as the Dalers varsity starting running back and defensive end. The Dalers encountered a challenge when they had to take on the Sailors of Oceanside, knowing it would be a dogfight. Like the Dalers, the Sailors were undefeated,  but all of Long Island knew of the talent that Oceanside’s quarterback Tommy Heuer had, along with the solid Oceanside line and skilled positions. The Dalers went into the game with a great attitude, ready to play. Senior quarterback Kevin McCormick went into the game confident. “We had a great practice week and added some new offensive schemes to have a chance to out play this powerful Sailors team,” says McCormick. The Dalers wineded up falling to Oceanside 34-24, but were the closest to beating them out of every other team this the season. As the season went on, the Dalers started a little bit of another win streak. “We all got along during the season; not only did we laugh at practice, but we would get together on weekends and have fun as a team as well,” says senior kicker Bryant DeFelice. The Dalers’ love for their teammates helped them play as one cohesive unit.   

Unfortunutely, throughout the year, the Dalers suffered many injuries. Starting two-year center Brody Agres went down with a torn ACL in the middle of the year. “When I went down, I knew it wasn’t going to turn out good. But I believed in my team to keep on going and accomplishing the great season,” say Agres. Brody getting hurt had a huge impact on the season for the team, but luckily senior Matt Collins stepped in and held down the center position for the rest of the year. During the middle of the season, the varsity coaching staff made a huge decision by pulling up the future quarterback for the Dalers, sophomore Nicholas Lundin. “Getting pulled up wasn’t what I thought was going to happen, I just tried my best and learned what I could learn from Kevin,” says Lundin. As the season went on, the Dalers had a final record of 5-3 and made their way to Hofstra from their first playoff win against Uniondale. After the Uniondale win, the Dalers knew exactly what was coming. The team had to face the undefeated Sailors of Oceanside yet again led by quarterback Tommy Heuer. During the practice week, they had a lot of energy and couldn’t wait to put the season on the line. The captains were the biggest motivators walking off the bus when arriving at Hofstra. “We were always there for the team in a time they needed help or just a time to hype everyone up,” said captain Briant DeFelice. However, the game ended with a devastating blowout 42-6.

Even though the season came to an end, all the players had their favorite times of the season. “The best part of the season was having a successful homecoming for the start of my varsity career,” says Wilson. Although it ended in a loss at Hofstra, the Dalers still had a strong season. Next year it will be no surprise when they bounce back and show that they are stronger than ever.

* Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography