Trent Crossan went from playing at one of Long Island’s most storied programs in Sachem to one of the top private school’s in the northeast at Suffield Academy and is now embarking on the next chapter of his career as he’ll play Division I football at Lafayette College, which has one of the oldest football programs in America.
Crossan, who graduated from Sachem in 2014 and is enrolled at Suffield this school year, officially made his commitment to the historic school on National Signing Day earlier this month.
“I chose Lafayette because it felt like the best fit for me,” he said. “I really like the athletic and academic aspects of the school. As soon as I got on campus I knew I was going to go there.”
Crossan will forever be known as the senior captain who scored the game-winning touchdown on Sachem’s first Long Island championship winning football squad. His rushing touchdown against Farmingdale at Stony Brook is now etched in stone as one of the greatest plays in Sachem’s 55-year history on the gridiron.
Prior to that, his Sachem legacy had been set when he became just the sixth player in Long Island history to score eight or more touchdowns in a single game. He recorded 50 points in a 63-62 overtime victory against Bay Shore in 2012.
Crossan did suffer a handful of injuries at Sachem and used his full healthy season at Suffield to raise his stock more for college recruiters. It worked and Crossan had almost 1,000 all-purpose yards at Suffield in nine games. He led the team with 500 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns (7 rushing, 4 receiving).
“Prep school helped a lot,” he said. “It allowed me to play different positions against really good competition. It also showed I can stay healthy and play with some great players.”
Recruited as a running back, Lafayette will probably utilize Crossan in a number of offensive roles since he’s dynamic.
“Coaches said that the fastest way to get on the field as a freshman is on special teams,” he said. “The best players will play and I will have to compete and earn every minute of playing time.”
Lafayette, which fielded its first team in 1882, competes in the Patriot League. It’s rivalry with Lehigh is the longest running college football rivalry game in American history. Last year’s 150th installment of the game was played at Yankee Stadium with great fanfare.
“It means a lot to play for a program like Lafayette,” said Crossan, whose brother Dalton is a running back at Division I New Hampshire. “A lot of history and pride in the program.”
Crossan plans on majoring in economics and aims at enlisting in the Army after college and eventually have a career in business.
Lafayette inked 18 players on National Signing Day.
“We’re focused on the quality of our class rather than the quantity,” said Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani said in a statement. “Recruiting is the lifeblood of our program and our staff continues to find a way to bring top-flight student-athletes to campus. With this initial group, we are on target to reach the goals we set for the Class of 2019.”
VIDEO: Click here to watch Crossan’s highlight film
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro