By JOSEPH KELLARD
"We came into the year wanting to make the playoffs, and we did that," said head coach Mike Janosko when reflecting on 4-4 Oceanside's season. "We were hoping to be a four or five seed, instead of the eighth seed. So we were a little overmatched having to go play the number one seed."
While East Meadow (8-0) were mounting their 40 points on one passing and five rushing touchdowns, Oceanside's lone score came on junior quarterback Chris Logan's 3-yard pass to Matt Wetherall late in the game.
On this toss, Logan racked up 14 touchdown passes this season, breaking Josh Krapf's 1997 school record of 13. Logan chalked up two other OHS records this year passing for 1,221 yards, breaking Jay Fiedler's single-season record of 1,191 in 1989, and throwing for 325 yards in the season opener against Valley Stream Central, surpassing the former Miami Dolphin starter's 317 single-game record from the same year.
Down the stretch of their season, a few Sailors suffered season-ending injuries, including a knee injury to Logan¹s key receiver, senior Sean King, who came one touchdown reception shy of breaking the OHS record, 9, held by Nick Polanco, who plays professional lacrosse with the Long Island Lizards. Other injured players were junior offensive tackle and defensive lineman Joe Gennosa, who suffered a broken hand in practice prior to Oceanside¹s game against Uniondale, and junior defensive lineman Chris Vale, who tore his knee while making a tackle in Oceanside¹s 31-18 homecoming victory against Hicksville.
Janosko points to this game, on their new turf field, as Oceanside's high point of the season. "That was a real big game for us and got us to 4-1," Janosko said. "Otherwise, I thought we let a couple of games, against Uniondale and Hempstead, get away from us."
The Sailors also had to travel to East Meadow without three other healthy players who were suspended after being involved in a brawl in the OHS lobby the day before the playoff game.
Looking toward next year, Janosko said he and his coaching staff are excited.
"But we have a lot of work to do," he said. "We need to get stronger as a football program. That's our main concern. And if we put the work in as a program, I think we're going to have a good year next year."
Asked what is most vital to making the program stronger, Janosko said, "Weight training. And you can put that in bold letters."
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
