Fox Lane gears up for football season, hosting five-team scrimmage

Fox Lane had its first test of the season lining up against an opposing team at its scrimmage.  JIM MACLEAN PHOTO

By JIM MACLEAN 

Summer is officially over, the pads are on, and it’s time for football.

It was one final tuneup in the August heat, the end of the preseason, before the real action began as five teams descended on the field at Fox Lane on Aug. 28, for a scrimmage. Fox Lane hosted Lakeland, Pearl River, Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow, and everyone walked away anxious to start the season.

“The first real action we’ve had and I feel good about it, this was a good day,” Fox Lane coach Drew Giuliano said. “All of the teams here are good, all the coaches were great, two rounds each, everyone wanted to get a good day in and get out of here healthy and we did that. We still have some work to do, but we’re getting better. From day one to now, it’s not even close.”

Giuliano knew it would be a tough test for the Foxes against some quality opponents. Sleepy Hollow is the defending Section 1 Class B champion that advanced to the state finals last year, coached by Giuliano’s brother, Anthony. Pleasantville is a perennial powerhouse, Pearl River was a sectional semifinalist, and Lakeland is a tough Class A team and long time rival for the Foxes.

Potent panthers

The Foxes started off the day squared off against Pleasantville, and it was clear who was the more experienced team with a veteran lineup as the Panthers showed why they are one of the pre-season favorites in Class C. It was a slow start for the Foxes with a young roster trying to warm up in its first taste against another varsity team.

“We had a little first game jitters against Pleasantville,” admitted Giuliano. “Most of these teams have already had scrimmages and this was our first time adjusting to the pressure and the speed of live action. Our junior varsity barely had a season last year, and so we have sophomores starting on varsity who have to adjust. We rebounded very well against a very good Pearl River team.”

As the day warmed up, so did the Foxes. Squaring off against the Pirates of Pearl River in the heat of the sun at noon, Fox Lane got the job done on both defense and offense.

The highlight of the day came with a pair of long touchdown passes for the Foxes against the Pirates as Fox Lane showed signs of what the team is capable of with multiple weapons on offense at the skill positions.

Fox Lane has returning starters across the field, including quarterback Andrew Rudolph teaming up with receivers Gavin Mammola and Chase Stonecipher, as well as running backs Antonio Cambareri and Luke Grasso. 

Giuliano praised Mammola and senior Jason Milito for the job they did on defense at linebacker. 

The Foxes also have some big size in the trenches with senior Malik Young and sophomore Noah Lieberman providing a pair of towering bookends at tackle teaming up with senior veterans like Liam Provost on the line, but the numbers overall are low with just 28 players on the varsity squad. 

Sophomores could be key

The senior class hopes to combine with a lot of sophomore newcomers to turn the program around with a winning season.

“Our core group of guys are solid veterans, we’ve got good athletes, a good group of seniors, and we’ve just got to get the new guys ready for varsity and we need to stay healthy,” Giuliano said.

Fox Lane was set to kick off the season with its first game at home on Thursday, Sept. 3, against White Plains.