Call it what you will. The stars aligning, the season’s changing, “that” time of year. September marks the return of football and it’s a familiar feeling only true gridiron diehards can appreciate.
My weekend started Friday night at Sachem North’s road opener in Lindenhurst. I woke up an hour early around 5 a.m. and drove to Lindenhurst Middle School to park my truck and take the nearby train to Manhattan for my day job so I could meet the team and not miss a second of the action later on.
My blood was boiling all day. Mind you, I went to work at the Topps offices wearing a Jim Brown throwback Browns jersey, carrying a football. Let’s not forget my custom Nike black & gold sneakers with “Sachem” inscribed on the tongues. Yeah, that’s how I roll … I instituted jersey Friday’s. And what better way to kick off the season than with Long Island native Jim Brown’s name on my back. I spent the next eight hours in meetings, giving presentations about the importance of football in American culture and my take on the NFL’s role with modern and pre-modern American fandom. Yeah, I have a pretty cool job.
Fast forward to the minutes before the opening kick off at Lindy. That moment just before the players line up on special teams and after the National Anthem ends. The second all 50-plus Sachem football players raise their helmets to salute the flag, the crowd, the sky, the heros of today and tomorrow, is captivating. I live for that moment.
I’ve covered the last two Super Bowls. I’ve been in NFL locker rooms. I’ve covered NFL Drafts, the Olympics, the Belmont Stakes, the MLB All-Star Game. These moments each hold a special place in my personal memory bank. Nothing, however, means more to me than my community and the football programs in Sachem. Home is where the heart is and home is Sachem.
It was a forgone conclusion that Sachem’s ground attack would have its way with Lindenhurst’s defense. It’s tough to stop one threat with talent, let alone five. Sachem North will run with no mercy as usual this season.
About 25 miles away, Sachem East was dominating Northport. Steven Casali was a monster with 239 yards and helped East open the season in a big way. Their hard work over the summer shined brilliantly in all facets of the game against the Tigers. Between what I witnessed at Lindenhurst and the text message updates I received from those at the East game, it was a good night for Sachem all around.
On Saturday morning I took the hike to MetLife Stadium to watch USC play Syracuse. Matt Barkley threw for a career-high six touchdowns between a 90-minute lightening delay, tornado warnings and a sluggish first half. The Orange gave a valiant effort in the third quarter, and kept the fans enthused, but USC is USC and dominated. Watching the players crowd near the seats and sing the Trojans fight song was something special.
Sunday brought the greatness of the NFL to the big screen. From 1:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. I sat mesmerized by Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow taking the opening huddle together for the Jets, by the 49ers using Randy Moss as a threat against the Packers at Lambeau and by the return of Peyton Manning to the field with the Broncos.
Baseball is America’s pastime, but football is America’s present. It’s our game. It’s our passion. It’s unique to American culture and a staple from the opening kickoff in the first week of September to the second someone raises the Lombardi Trophy above their heads at the Super Bowl.
Don’t even get me started on how I feel about a Friday night game at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium. I’ll save that for next weekend.
On to victory.
-Words and photos by Chris R. Vaccaro