By:Brian T. Dessart
1: MATT DELUCA, East Meadow
Virtually every time he touched the ball, East Meadow's Matt DeLuca created a surge. The 5-foot 10-inch, 215-pound fullback and middle linebacker scored 13 of his 30 varsity career touchdowns and rushed for 1,100 yards this season, leading Conference I in both categories. DeLuca, who is a prospect for the Thorp Award, naming the top football player in Nassau County, and the Piner, given to the best linebacker in the county, is a two-time All-County selection.
Oct. 9, DeLuca rushed for a single-game school record 313 yards in a 49-22 victory over Plainview-JFK. He had 250 yards at halftime.
DeLuca led the team in tackles for the third straight season - 72 - and is also the high school's career leader, 276.
DeLuca boasts a 103 weighted average, a 1410 SAT and is 10th in a senior class of 471.
"He's probably the smartest football player I've ever coached," East Meadow coach Vinny Mascia said. "He is a gentleman, a scholar and a great athlete."
2: JON BARON, Hewlett
Pure grit. After tearing his meniscus and the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, five minutes before halftime in Nov. 14's semifinal against Elmont, Jon Baron's return in the second half was an extension of his persona.
The senior All-County quarterback led Hewlett's triple-option offense this season, rushing for 805 yards on 158 attempts, including nine touchdowns. Baron completed 32 passes for 535 yards and seven touchdowns.
In a regular season opener against Elmont, Baron scored a 32-yard game-winning touchdown run in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, helping boost Hewlett to a 13-6 victory.
"People know ... if they take out our quarterback, they are going to be successful," Hewlett coach Jay Iaquinta said. "[Baron] is a true warrior."
3: JASON LAZAR, Oceanside
Bench-Press: 390; Squat: 525. With those specs, no wonder the 6-foot, 255-pound Jason Lazar is a finalist for the Martone Award, given to the top lineman in Nassau.
The All-County Oceanside offensive guard and defensive tackle Lazar racked up just under 40 tackles and added four sacks, this past season.
"He played good for us every game," Oceanside coach Michael Janosko said of Lazar. "For a kid who played offensive guard and defensive tackle, he never took plays off."
4: CASEY MACK, Elmont Memorial
Casey Mack's 5-foot 10-inch, 160-pound frame was enough to tower the competition. The All-County Elmont Memorial senior wide receiver and safety caught 22 catches for 375 yards and eight touchdowns.
On Oct. 16, in a 45-14 win over South Side, Mack had three receiving touchdowns of 20, 28 and 11 yards.
Defensively, Mack contributed 45 tackles.
"He's everything," Elmont Memorial coach Jay Hegi said of Mack. "He's a game-breaker and hits like a freakin' truck for a little kid."
5: GARY ROKER, Baldwin
Baldwin's Gary Roker started on the varsity squad for the last four seasons. And it is no surprise the right guard and nose guard also led the Bruins in tackles during the 32 regular season and three playoffs games he played in.
This year, Roker contributed 47 tackles, three fumble recoveries and five quarterback sacks.
"[Roker] is so damn persistent on defense," Baldwin coach Steve Carroll said. "He's relentless - he's going to get you sooner or later."
Runner-Up: JEREMIE MILLIGAN, Lawrence
Milligan caught 27 passes for 450 yards, including six touchdowns, and added two kickoff returns and one punt return for touchdowns. Defensively, Milligan recorded five interceptions. He was named as an All-County selection and a prospect for the Dragon Award, given to the top receiver in Nassau County.
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