The nearly 30 year Sachem-Cortland football connection has been well documented in recent years. For the most part it started with Sachem North head coach Dave Falco shining as a receiver in the mid-1980s and hasn’t stopped.
From Anthony Falco to Alex Grimm, Matt Rickert to Chris Rickert and now six more players on the current Red Dragons’ roster, and among dozens of others throughout the years, Cortland has been the beneficiary of some of Sachem’s top talents.
On Saturday, Cortland demolished Western Connecticut, an insufficient New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent, 72-14, in their conference opener. Five alums from Sachem North were on the field: Joe Kirchner, Dan Cancro, Jesse Scanna, Mike McCarthy and Vin Juliano.
Last year Cortland coach Dan MacNeill said Sachem alums are coming into college ready for the game at the next level.
“We’ve really enjoyed a great relationship,” he said. “They are all really terrific football players that make up now more than any football players from one high school with our team. That’s Dave Falco’s football program. The football on Long Island is rich ground. Kids come in and they’re football savvy. It’s good for us and we’re happy to have them. There is a huge envy out there that Cortland is going in and recruiting the best. We hope that it continues, the relationship continues to flourish.”
Of the Sachem alums on the Red Dragons, only Juliano and Kirchner play on offense. Scanna and McCarthy are linebackers. Cancro is on the defensive line and Juliano the offensive line. Kirchner is the only player listed on Cortland’s roster who plays both ways as a defensive lineman and fullback.
In Cortland’s victory, Scanna and Cancro recorded five tackles each and McCarthy had four.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro / Photos courtesy Cortland