Rocks roll by V.S. North, 26-0

The only thing East Rockaway’s Michael Castellano didn’t do was drive the team bus.

Evoking vivid memories of NFL Hall of Famer Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsh, Castellano carried the ball five times for 144 yards and a touchdown, caught a pass for another score, and had an interception to lead visiting East Rockaway to a 26-0 win over Valley Stream North on Sept. 16. Juniors Anthony Tesoriero and Luke Fahrenkrug added touchdown runs.

With the victory, East Rockaway improved to 2-0 in Nassau Conference IV. Head coach Russ Pajer was happy with his team’s improvement from Week 1. “I thought the pass coverage was a lot better that it was a week ago,” Pajer said. “We still have to get more aggressive and stronger against the run, but there were definitely signs of improvement. The offensive line did a real nice job.”

The game was all East Rockaway from the start. With the offensive line dominating in the trenches, the Rocks amassed 282 yards on the ground. Behind the blocking of Ben Giliberti, Joseph Lores, Michael Lores, Doug Draude, Jack Capetola, Danny McClure, and Tom Gagliardi, East Rockaway would score all its points in the opening half.

The Rocks got on the board on their first possession when Tesoriero, who carried the ball seven times for 56 yards, ran it in from nine yards out for his first varsity touchdown. The score was set up by a long run by Castellano. The extra-point attempt failed.

On East Rockaway’s next possession, Castellano displayed the juking and sprinting ability that the Rocks’ faithful are becoming accustomed to with a 57-yard touchdown run. The senior running back followed his blocks, put on a few moves, and didn’t stop until he was in the end zone. Andrew Bashford split the uprights to give the orange-and-black an early 13-0 lead.

After Fahrunkrug made the score 20-0 on a 4-yard run, the East Rockaway defense was tested. North junior running back Evan Henry, 134 yards on 16 carries, broke free for a 55-yard scamper deep into Rocks’ territory. But, the Spartans would be turned away. A sack by junior defensive end Casey Gioe for a 12-yard loss ended all hopes of North getting on the scoreboard.

The Rocks and Castellano were hungry for more. With the clock running down in the opening half, Bashford hit McClure for a 15-yard gain. On the next play, the senior quarterback hooked up with Castellano from 45 yards out to cap off the scoring. Valley Stream North fell to 0-2.

In the season opener, Bashford found Castellano in the end zone on the opening play of the fourth quarter to give the Rocks a come-from-behind 21-17 victory over Floral Park. Castellano, who scored earlier on an 82-yard run, rushed for 188 yards on 23 carries. Junior Nick Ulip also scored for East Rockaway. 

The Rocks host three-time defending county champion Seaford on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.