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HS football fun facts: Del Priore praises New Dorp’s Murphy

Farrell mentor lauds Central Cougars coach for help guiding South team in Fugazzi Senior Bowl

By Posted byStephen Hart

Published:
North coach Mark DeCristoforo of St. Peter’s, left, and South coach Rocco Del Priore, right, flank Fugazzi Committee member and former New Dorp mentor Joe Avena get together after the Dec. 9 Fugazzi Senior Bowl.

If there was a Brian Murphy Fan Club, Monsignor Farrell head coach Rocco Del Priore might be its president.

“Brian Murphy is one of the top coaches in New York state,” said Priore of the New Dorp head coach, who was the offensive coordinator for Del Priore’s South stars in Saturday’s 24-0 win over the North in the Fred Fugazzi Senior Bowl at Farrell’s Oakwood field.

“I’m fortunate I get to work with him at New Dorp (where Del Priore is a physical education teacher), so we’re always talking, I’m always bouncing ideas off of him,” said Del Priore, who praised the long-time Central Cougars mentor for being such an asset during the week of practices leading up to the Dec. 9 game.

“Murph brought the other [South] coaches together and collaborated with them,” Del Priore said. “He did a great job with the verbiage, of making it simple for the players.

“But when I watch him coach, I want to match his intensity. I’ll always coach in this game as long as he does.”

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Monsignor Farrell’s Louis Martinez and Yasire DeJesus (41) of the South chase down North quarterback David Ruiseco of Port Richmond.

Monsignor Farrell had 11 representatives on the South team in Saturday’s 24-0 win over the North in the Fugazzi Senior Bowl, and any number of them could have won the team’s offensive and defensive MVP awards.

The two who captured the honors were wide receiver Sal Scalici and defensive back Michael Barzal.

“They’re both program kids, guys who battled for four years,” Farrell head coach Rocco Del Priore said. “They didn’t play much as juniors, so they killed themselves in the offseason to get ready. They didn’t miss a workout. Now, our kids look up to them, they want to be like them.”

St. Joseph by-the-Sea’s Marioluca Fabi of the South, left, prepares for a hit from St. Peter’s Aiden Ledlum of the North.

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