Warriors take the field at MetLife

MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Jets and Giants, became the home of the undefeated Franklin Square Warriors for one last game.

For the young players of the Franklin Square Warriors youth football team, Dec. 3 is a special day. It is the day they ran through the tunnel onto the field at MetLife Stadium one last time as a squad.

The team of 12-year-olds ended their careers as Franklin Square Warriors with an exhibition game against the North Burlington Greyhounds on the same turf where NFL dreams come true. Warriors’ Head Coach Rich D’Orsa and his assistants Tom Wakely and Wil Medica all agree that the experience was the cherry on top of the 2023 season for the boys.

“It was more fun than anything, because the last three seasons, four seasons have been very intense and hard-fought,” said D’Orsa.

The game was a special moment for the boys and the coaches alike, since it’s not every day the chance to play in an NFL stadium presents itself. Team Mom Liz Greaney, who has helped the team off the field over the years, helped bring the MetLife experience to life.

The game was a ton of fun for the players, who were all smiles calling plays on the field Sunday morning.

“Forget even playing on the field; going through the tunnel, going onto the field it was a rush,” Wakely said. “They were all giggling — they were all having a blast.”

The Warriors brought home a championship banner for their true home, Rath Park, where they practiced throughout the season, after winning the Nassau County Youth Football League championship with a 32-6 win over Bellmore Nov. 19. The win rounded out the Warriors’ undefeated 10-0 season.

“I’m just so proud of them that they wanted it, they had the drive for it, and they fought for it,” Wakely said. “They fought, and they wanted to win, and they went undefeated for it. I mean, I give them all of the credit and I say ‘Thank you’ too to them.”

Many players on the team have been teammates since they were 8 years old, with more players filtering in to fill the team’s roster over the past couple of years. After years of playing together, Medica said that this year, the boys put it all together to execute plays every Sunday.

“They basically went from being 8-years-old and being given the keys to a Ford Pinto, and then this year being given the keys to a Ferrari and just told not to crash it,” Medica said of the players’ development over the past four years.

During the past couple of seasons, the team struggled to defeat division powerhouse, Massapequa. This year, the team powered its way to a 32-0 victory over Massapequa on Nov. 12 at Rath Park during the semifinals.

“That was like our championship game,” Wakely said. “Those boys went nuts. They were celebrating like they won the Super Bowl.”

While the players’ careers as Warriors has come to an end, the memories of this season will stay for a long time. The boys continue on to junior high at H. Frank Carey and other high schools, where Medica says the community should look out for a promising team in years to come.

“In five years from now, if that’s not one of the best teams that the county has ever seen I’ll be shocked,” said Medica. “That’s how good they’re going to be in a few years and I say ‘Good luck’ to any other school because they’re going to be such a handful.”

As the team relishes its experience on the MetLife turf, Medica believes it won’t be the last time they all set foot on the field.

“There are some kids in this group, I told them ‘Keep dreaming. Some of you boys, this might not be the last time you play at this stadium,’” he said.

The wrap on the team’s season is a bittersweet ending for D’Orsa after coaching the team since 2019.

“It ended in like a story book ending,” he said. “We go 10-0, we win the championship, and we close it out in a National Football League stadium. It’s been a great ride.”