On Saturday, September 14, New Hyde Park kicked off its football season with a home game against Roosevelt High School. With a final score of 13-12, New Hyde Park ultimately emerged victorious in a thriller that went down to the wire.
The bleachers were filled with NHP students, parents and staff excited for the start of a new football season. Over the course of the game, the student section could be heard cheering the team on, always maintaining a high energy atmosphere.
“The atmosphere reminded me of why I love being a student at NHP,” senior Deborah Aderibigbe said. “As always, the football game was incredibly memorable and it was a pleasure to witness the crowd cheering both during the halftime performances and the game.”
The game started in gridlock, with neither team scoring for the entirety of the first half. During the third quarter, the teams traded touchdowns, but missed both attempts for extra points, tying the game at 6-6. As the game progressed into the fourth quarter, Roosevelt scored a touchdown, leaving NHP trailing by six points. New Hyde Park was unable to score for the remainder of the last quarter until there were just a few seconds left in the game. Quarterback Andrew Notine threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Garofalo, tying the game. Brendan Rooney kicked the game winning extra point, resulting in NHP’s victory.
“Everyone was cheering. It was electric. Coach looked at me and said it had to be me – he said just grab the ball and run. And I did. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my high school career,” Garofalo said.
“It felt amazing being part of the game winning touchdown. It felt like it was straight out of a movie. It didn’t feel real at first. I remember dropping back looking at my target and throwing the ball right before getting hit to the ground. I sat there on the ground waiting for something to happen. Nick caught the ball and the crowd went crazy. It was a great day for Gladiator Football,” Notine said.
The varsity football Gladiators’ record stands at 3-2, with wins over Baldwin and another down-to-the-wire victory against Long Beach.
