South teacher, coach a finalist in WFAN contest

Update: Demetri Adrahtas will be on the air Friday in the 3 p.m. hour.

Valley Stream South High School teacher Demetri Adrahtas has made it to the final round of WFAN’s Fantasy Phenom Challenge where he has a chance to win a one-year radio gig with the sports talk radio station.

Adrahtas, of Long Beach, and four other finalists will compete on Aug. 23 during Mike Francesa’s end of summer bash at Bar A in Lake Como, N.J. The final round will take place live, with Francesa’s show starting at 1 p.m. on the radio dial at 101.9 FM and 660 AM.

In addition to teaching special education at South for the last 10 years, Adrahtas is also the head varsity girls’ soccer and varsity softball coach.

“I love what I do, but at the same time, this is something that, for me, it’s kind of the unfulfilled dream from when I was a kid,” he said. “This gives me the chance to go after it.

“Growing up I either wanted to play center field for the Mets or be a sportscaster,” he added. Adrahtas, who said he has been listening to WFAN since it came on the air in 1987, said he used to mimic sportscasters and radio personalities as a kid.

Each of the finalists have made it through the first two contest rounds, which began in late July. On Aug. 23, the finalists will come prepared for a question and answer segment with Francesa, a monologue and the possibility of interviewing a sports celebrity.

Adrahtas said that while he is looking forward to the experience of meeting Francesa and the entire spectacle of the event, he cannot simply be happy to be there. “You have to treat like a business trip,” he said. “It’s kind of like playing a big game, in a sense, where you want to really enjoy it, but you’ve got a shot to win it and you’ve got a shot to do something special. So you really have to go in there an focus and try to do the best you can.”

This is WFAN’s fourth year hosting the contest and the third time Adrahtas has tried out. Two years ago he heard a commercial for the event while his then-fiancé, Kristin, was away for her bachelorette party. He decided to try out and made it to the semifinals but ultimately had to withdraw because the event conflicted with his honeymoon. Last year he made it to the semifinals again, but was eliminated before the finals.