Technically, there was only one Port Washington varsity football team in 2023.
But nobody who saw the whole season would believe that. Because the Vikings looked like two completely different squads, in the first four games as compared to the last five.
In the opening month, Port Washington played some very tough foes and thanks to injuries and inconsistency, and came up winless.
Then, everything changed. According to the players, it started when head coach Kevin Cloghessy told the team to forget about their record.
“He told us from then on we were just playing one-week seasons, a new season every week,” senior running back Christian Sarchese said. “And I think that really made us focus a lot more, and just play football. It helped a lot.”
The Vikings then won four straight games to even their record at 4-4, before falling in the first round of the Conference I playoffs.
Now, Cloghessy and Co. have one of their biggest senior groups ever, with 29 12th graders suiting up to play this fall.
That experience should pay dividends.
“Across the board we’ve got guys who’ve played a lot of snaps and have been in a lot of different situations the last couple of years,” Cloghessy said. “The speed of the game, the techniques needed, all of that has been drilled into these guys for a while, and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Offensively the Vikings will be led by one of two Harrys at quarterback; senior Harry Behan, who missed several games last year due to injury, or sophomore Harry Eynon. Both have good size (Behan is 6-3, Eynon two inches shorter) and Eynon comes in after leading the JV last season.
Whoever is at QB will have weapons like Sarchese (420 rushing yards, five TDs in ’23), wide receiver Jimmy Gannon (six touchdowns last year), and tight end/wide receiver Ryan Shanahan, a 6-foot-5 athlete who is also a basketball standout at the school.
Up front Port returns seniors Dom Placa and Ryan Abend, along with returning starter Angad Walia.
“We’ve all gotten bigger and we’ve all gotten stronger,” Abend said. “Late in the games, when we’re tired and the game is close, I think we’ll still be focused and be able to do our jobs well, because of the work we’re putting in in the offseason.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Port Washington is also loaded with veterans. Senior linebacker Haiden Nadboy spearheads the linebacking corps, while Behan, Shanahan and Abend will also look to shine once again after being starters last year.
Cloghessy was also excited about the return of Owen Kirshenblatt, a wide receiver who also plays cornerback.
“The big thing is learning how to win the closer games that we found ourselves losing last year,” Cloghessy said. “Taking that next step, winning playoff games and getting a good seed in the postseason, that’s the next goal.”
The schedule is a little less stressful at the start this year, with the Massapequa and Farmingdale challenges spread apart, and not starting right at the front.
The opener at home on Sept. 6 against Uniondale, a Friday night game under the lights, has the players excited.
“It should be awesome, hopefully with a big crowd and we start things off right,” Sarchese said. “Just win that one game season and go from there.”
Port Washington 2024 schedule:
Friday 9/6, vs. Uniondale, 6 p.m.
Saturday 9/14 at Hicksville, 3 p.m.
Friday, 9/20, at Farmingdale, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9/28, vs. Westbury, 2 p.m.
Saturday 10/5, at Syosset, 3 p.m.
Saturday 10/19 at Massapequa, 3 p.m.
Friday, 10/25, vs. Freeport, 6:30 p.m.
Friday 11/1, vs. Oceanside, 5:30 p.m.
