All you could hear was “Let’s Go Dalers” chants in a packed Farmingdale high school gym. It was homecoming and the community showed their support for the Dalers football team. As the players were announced during the pep rally, the gym was shaking with excitement. It was nothing new, as the Farmingdale community always shows their support. But this year was just a little different. Many were saying that the crowd was record breaking, and that it was the most fans ever. 

As it got closer to gametime the Dalers headed back into the locker room like always. But the packed crowd didn’t stop their chants and cheering. The players were in shock at the amount of energized fans as they walked back out for the coin toss. “It was an incredible crowd, I have never played in front of a crowd like this in all my years of playing here, I’m just happy for all the Farmingdale support,” said Captain senior running back Kevin Wilson. It’s just amazing how the community comes together like this to show support to these players who work their tails off every single day. 

As the coin toss came to a conclusion, it was now gametime. The Dalers started off with the ball. The opening drive was a success for the Dalers, as they marched right down the field with great runs by Kevin Wilson, and then a touchdown pass by Nick Lundin to Jordan Smikle to top it off. Farmingdale was off to a 7-0 lead. But after that, the Farmingdale offense was shut down for the rest of the half. The Uniondale defense came ready to play as they forced two turnovers and held the Dalers out of the endzone after the first drive, even though the Dalers were moving the ball on their offensive possessions. 

The Dalers came out of the locker room for the second half steamrolling. Kevin Wilson went off as he helped push the Dalers to a 35-7 win over a tough Uniondale team. Wilson was the star of the game as he finished with 193 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in the second half. He also was a huge factor for the Dalers at middle linebacker, as he contributed with 11 tackles. Quarterback Nick Lundin finished with 103 yards and a touchdown. Dom Ciaccio was a big part of the passing game, with three receptions for 41 yards; he also was dominant on defense as he had a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Daler defensive ends Nick Franco and Neil Levenati dominated as well, combining for 14 tackles in the victory. 

Even though the Dalers came out slow, they showed what kind of team they truly are. “Our guys have a lot of heart and work hard day in and day out. I knew the second half was going to be ours. We just had to stick to the plan and play Dalers football,” said Wilson.    

* Photo courtesy of Lifetouch