By STEVE SINISKI
But at 6-5, 290 pounds, he¹s also become quite good at making pancake blocks on the football field, opening up gaping holes for what became a powerful Jets rushing attack during his time with the program.
The senior, the first-ever, two-time winner of the Martone Award as Nassau County¹s best lineman, signed a letter of intent with Boston College on Feb. 7, and will now take his game to one of the biggest college football conferences in the nation ‹ the Atlantic Coast Conference.
³They¹re known as a line university and I take pride in that,² he said.
In turning down offers from several other big-time football programs, Elliott had a simple explanation for his decision, and one people would expect from a college graduate, not someone getting ready to enter his freshman year. ³I¹m not the kind of person to get blinded by the hype of football,² he said. ³If I wasn¹t playing football, I¹d still want to go there.²
Trading in his Jet engine for a pair of Eagle wings, Elliott¹s strength on the gridiron actually comes on the ground. An outstanding run-blocker, he anchored an East Meadow ground attack that posted an eye-popping 342.7 rushing yards per game (3,770 total in 11 games) and racked up 44 touchdowns. Four backs on the Jets ran for at least 600 yards, most of them coming from behind Elliott¹s strongside tackle position.
³We did a lot more of that [run-blocking],² he said, noting his love of contact. ³It¹s a lot more fun to run-block. In pass-blocking you have to wait for [the defense].²
And run-blocking was exactly what keyed East Meadow¹s game-winning drive in the final two minutes to defeat Freeport in the Nassau County Conference I championship game at Hofstra¹s Shuart Stadium last November. The offense routinely drove 60 yards downfield, gaining 45 of the yards on five run plays and an additional 15 yards on a personal foul against the Red Devils. Quarterback Mike Tracy scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard scamper.
³The county championship had to be [the defining moment],² Elliott said. ³It¹s what the team worked on for four years and it was like the culmination [of the hard work].²
And for an offensive lineman ‹ since the Jets didn¹t have to run a single pass play with the game on the line ‹ it only proved how effective the ground attack was. ³It¹s great,² Elliott said of pummeling a defense even if it knows what¹s coming. ³It¹s a real gratifying feeling. That drive, when we came back and scored, we didn¹t even have to pass it.²
Elliott is big enough to stand out in any crowd, but he¹s undoubtedly left a permanent mark on the East Meadow football program. ³He would have to go down as one of the best in the 52-year history of the program,² coach Vinny Mascia said. ³He was part of the best team that ever played football at East Meadow and he¹s a Division I-A player.²
