The two teams wore blue and red jerseys, but there was a shade of orange on both sides last night for the 17th annual Empire Challenge at Hofstra University.
The showcase, which pits New York City’s top seniors against their Long Island counterparts, featured five Syracuse signees, the latest example of the Orange’s stranglehold on the area’s top football recruits.
“Coach [Doug] Marrone is sticking to his word when he took over that he would win with New York kids,” Lincoln HS and Team NYC head coach Shawn O’Connor said before Long Island’s dominant 31-7 victory.
Marrone, a Bronx product and Lehman HS graduate, with help from top city recruiter John Anselmo, has landed almost every top recruit from the five boroughs since taking over at Syracuse in 2008. This year was no different as the Orange nabbed Tottenville wide receiver Alvin Cornelius and Erasmus Hall safety Wayne Morgan, the city’s lone BCS-level recruits.
Cornelius scored NYC’s lone touchdown last night, hauling in an 18-yard score from Lincoln’s Jessel Jones. UMass-bound running back Stacey Bedell of Floyd led Long Island with 135 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
“Syracuse is the face of New York for college football,” said the hard-hitting Morgan, who led E-Hall to the PSAL City Championship division finals in December and was an All-City first-team selection by The Post. “They’re getting every top player. Hopefully the young guys keep the trend going.”
Last year’s Syracuse team had 10 players from the city, and the Orange are high on the list of top Class of 2013 recruits Ebenezer Ogundeko of Thomas Jefferson, Laray Smith of Xaverian and Augustus Edwards of Tottenville.
Syracuse also was successful recruiting on Long Island this year, getting kicker Ryan Norton of Garden City, offensive tackle Omari Palmer of Longwood and cornerback Devante McFarlane of Half Hollows Hills West.
The five kids going to Syracuse were the only BCS-level scholarship players in the contest, providing a clean sweep.
“That’s our goal, to keep the best talent in New York City and Long Island home,” Anselmo said.
O’Connor credits Anselmo and Marrone with understanding the city player as local products themselves. They try to target the best players early on and let them experience the recruiting process while remaining close with them.
“[Anselmo] connects with the players,” Morgan said. “He doesn’t just talk. He tells you the truth, not what you want to hear. That’s what I wanted.”
In past years, many top players from the city and Long Island have skipped the Empire Challenge to prevent possible injury or because summer classes had already begun. Syracuse encourages its recruits to compete.
“It promotes the Syracuse name,” said Anselmo, a Long Island product who previous coached at elite JUCO Nassau Community College. “Other high school players see we’ve taken these kids, and if I’m one of the best players on Long Island or New York City, I want to follow these guys.”