April 26, 2008

Staten Island, NY - While the defense got the better of the offense, there were enough big plays turned in on both sides of the ball to leave head coach Walt Hameline smiling at the end of the annual Green & White Scrimmage held today at Wagner Stadium.

Using a scoring system that rewarded the defense with points for forced turnovers and three-and-outs, the White (defense) team out-scored the Green (offense) by a final margin of 33-18 on this cool, blustery day.

"I think we got out of it what we wanted. Certainly the defense was sharper today but the big thing is everyone played and now we have a chance to evaluate all of our returning players on tape," said Hameline. "We got out of it mostly injury-free and I was impressed with intensity that I saw on both sides. It was a very productive spring and I think we got better as a team."

Junior quarterback Matt Abbey (La Canada, CA/ St. Francis) made a number of nice throws, with his favorite targets being speedy wideouts Tyrone Collins (Geneva, NY/ Geneva) and Lon Woods (St. Petersburg, FL/ J.P. Taravella). Kyle Trueblood (Edison, NJ/ JP Stevens) made several nice grabs while both Greg DiLorenzo (Manalapan, NJ/ Manalapan) and converted QB Sean O'Reilly (Howell, NJ/ Howell) also showed excellent hands.

Seahawk fans also got their first glimpse at highly-touted junior QB Adam Farnsworth (Snow CC/ Ogden, UT), 6-3, 205-pound transfer from the University of Iowa. Farnsworth showed excellent arm strength, pocket presence and accuracy throughout the afternoon.

Bruising junior RB Shane Smith (Honsedale HS/ Honsedale, PA) is another transfer from an FBS school, the University of Central Florida, who showed flashes of brilliance. The 6-2, 230-pounder showed why he was such a coveted prospect coming out of high school, showing great burst along with soft hands catching passes out of the backfield.

A potential complement to Smith in the backfield is freshman RB Prince Young (Neptune, NJ/ Brick), a stout, shifty 5-10, 210-pound blend of balance and power who prepped a year at powerful Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. Also expected to be in the mix at halfback in place of NEC Offensive Player of the Year Jason Butler, is junior Rodney Davis (Bristol, PA/ Neshaminy) who did not take part in any contact drills this spring following knee surgery late in the 2007 campaign. Davis is expected to join the RB competition in preseason camp.

The defensive front, led by tackles Adrian Adderly (Carver Ranches, FL/ MSGR Pace) and Joe Harkins (Washington, DC/ St. John's HS)and promising freshman Anthony Maurillo (Nutley, NJ/ Nutley) along with ends Robert Brown (Rome, NY/ Rome) and Patrick Abdul (Brooklyn, NY/ Bay Shore) bottled up the run game for the most part while also applying consistent pressure on the quarterbacks. The linebacking corps, led by Jason Haskins (Jackson, NJ/ Matawan), Chris Jaeger (Streling, VA/ Potomac Falls) and Jeremy Spinks (Tampa, FL/ Chamberlain), were active throughout.

Athletic outside LB Frantz Placide (Miami, FlL/ Archbishop Curley) returned an interception for a TD while DB Chazz Legette (Syracuse, NY/ Nottoingham) also had an INT. Unfortunately, Legette suffered a knee injury during the interception return and did not return. DBs Jorel Joseph (Fairfax Station, VA/ Bishop Ireton), Tavaras Lee (Miami, FL/ St. Thomas Aquinas), Dario Charlton (Lauderhill, FL, South Plantation) and Aliga Betts (Pembroke Pines, FL/ Cooper City) all made their shares of plays.

In the search for a replacement for All-American kicker Piotr Czech, several candidates took turns at field goals and extra points, including juniors Eric Ortiz (Oceanside, CA/Vista) and Adam Ziegler (West Trenton, NJ/ Ewing) among others. Sophomore Brad Hyde (Minoa, NY. E. Syracuse Minoa) and freshman Rory Creegan (Woodside, NY/ St. Francis Prep) handled the bulk of the punting chores.

The Seahawks open the 2008 campaign on Sat., Sept. 6 at Stonehill before hosting Iona in the home opener on Homecoming Day, Sat., Sept. 13.