NORTH SHORE ALL-STARS SHINE IN NASSAU COUNTY SENIOR BOWL

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By Tristan Vitale

December 2, 2014 -- Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a celebration of family, food, and of course, football. This Thanksgiving morning, the annual Nassau County Executive's Senior Bowl was played at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The game featured the top senior football players in Nassau County, with four players from North Shore, Michael Flocarri, Giorgio Recine, Michael Frahlich, and Brett Boisits,  selected to represent Conference 3 and play for the Blue Team.

            The cold holiday morning and a crowd filled with fans from every corner of the county set the perfect football environment. The game began with some excitement as the White Team, executed a reverse-pass trick play for a first-down
. However, from then on, an entirely defensive battle ensued. In a very tight battle displaying some of the best defensive players on Long Island, the game nearly went scoreless into halftime. That is, until North Shore's All-County quarterback, Michael Floccari, stole the show offensively. Just before the half, Floccari led the Blue Team on a long drive which he capped off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Glen Cove's Chris Lent with 9 seconds left in the half, giving the Blue Team a 6-0 lead going into the break. 


Floccari and Lent, who had known and played with each other in the Glen Cove Junior Football league throughout elementary school and middle school, would prove to be an unstoppable combo in this game as they connected 6 times for 110 yards. Aside from the touchdown though, field goals from both teams would be the only other scoring done in the game as the Blue Team would held on for a close 9-3 victory.

            At the end of the game, Lent was named the Offensive MVP for the Blue Team, and North Shore's Giorgio Recine was named Defensive MVP as he recorded 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks to help secure the win.

            Sadly, many of players in this game may never again have the opportunity to strap on the pads and play the game of football at a higher level. However, the overwhelming support from family and friends in the stands, and the atmosphere of the game as a whole, made it a great way to end a career.