Sachem East senior Steven Casali is one of three finalists from Suffolk County in the running for the Hansen Award, presented to the top football player in the county each season. To many, it’s the highest individual honor presented to an athlete in Suffolk.
He’ll learn his Hansen fate tonight at the annual Suffolk County Football Coaches Association Awards dinner.
Casali would be the first player in Sachem East history to win the award and the fifth overall player from the Sachem community, which includes last year’s winner Dalton Crossan from Sachem North, and Sachem East coach Mark Wojciechowski, who won the award in 1985 as a senior at Sachem High School.
It should be a very rewarding evening for Casali, who is committed to play college football at Division I University of Massachusetts and helped revitalize Sachem East’s football program as one of the top players in the region the past two seasons.
Casali packs plenty of punch in both his running and defensive games, graduating from Sachem East as its all-time rusher and tackler.
Sachem North’s Steven Mills is also a finalist for the Zellner Award, given to the top lineman in the county. Dozens of players will be honored as All-County selections this evening as well.
Follow @SachemReport for live updates from the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro