VSS splits first six results

The Valley Stream South football team is currently sitting with a 3-3 record in mid-October and will need two more wins to have a shot at the Nassau Confernece IV playoffs.

It has been quite the roller coaster of a season for the Falcons, who have a pivotal game at home versus East Rockaway this Saturday.

South’s first game of the season against Lawrence was cancelled, resulting in a forfeit win. From there, the Falcons pulled off an upset victory over West Hempstead before suffering their first loss from North Shore. A Friday night teacher appreciation day matchup against Carl Place/Wheatley was moved to the next day due to a rainstorm, but the team was not distracted and it resulted in a big win. They’ve dropped consecutive road games at Island Trees and Seaford since.

Leading the charge on offense is second-year starting quarterback Michael Hernandez, a true pro-style quarterback who likes to sit in the pocket and sling it. On the defensive side of the ball, he is a lockdown corner.

“[Hernandez] is definitely our leader on and off the field and his football IQ is through the roof,” VSS head coach Joe Guastafeste said. “There are so many good things I can say about him. He threw three touchdowns against Carl Place/Wheatley and I had a bunch of people texting me about how well he played.”

Other offensive standouts are senior running back Aiden Chance, who has close to 300 yards in four games played, junior wide receiver Jayshaun Woodard, who had South’s first 100 yard receiving game in many years, and captain Brandon Ocassio who is a stalwart on the offensive line.

On the defensive side, the leaders are senior inside linebackers Lonnie Creech and Aidan Bunch. The Falcons look for these two to fly around the field and make a majority of their tackles. Michael Sukhu is a ball-hawking corner who joins Hernandez in the secondary, Elijah Jack is a versatile defensive lineman with a high motor and Andy Lin is a quick outside linebacker who is known for making offensive lineman miss. A surprising bright spot for Valley Stream South has been 10th grader David Brooks. Brooks plays wing on offense but his making his presence known at outside linebacker.

“[Brooks] has got a tough job because he not only has to set the edge, but is also responsible for some pass coverage,” Guastafeste said. “ He really has to read every play and react quickly. For a younger player he's doing a great job, I'm excited to see what he does in the future.”

East Rockaway is coming off a huge win over Locust Valley. The Falcons conclude the regular season against improved Oyster Bay.

“We finish up our season against some really physical and well-coached teams,” Guastafeste said. “We finish up with homecoming against Oyster Bay on the 28th and that’s a game I expect the team to be excited for. They’ve had so many hurdles so far with the cancellation and rain-out, I know they’ll be ready to go.”