Football works in mysterious ways. Two years ago, after receiving a 41-0 drubbing at the hands of the Garden City Thunder, the Crusaders wondered when they would ever be able to return the favor. It came on Oct. 16 when the Crusaders took pride in dismantling a previously undefeated Garden City squad 24-14 at John Walker Field to move into first place in their division.

The Crusaders set the tone almost immediately, scoring first with an impressive 70-yard ball control drive, which chewed up most of the first quarter. The offensive line of Nick D'Aquila, Anthony Brindisi, Thomas Miller, Michael Corrado, John Lively, Chris De Angelis and Dillon L'Ecuyler contolled the line of scrimmage all day showing the skills they have developed making them one of the toughest lines in the league. Running backs Steven Maiorca, Joey Devito, Pat McCormmick and James Culhane legged out large chunks of yardage wearing down the Garden City defense as the game progressed. Quarterback, Kye Roche retained his steady ways in a big game, helping to lead his team to victory for the fourth time in a row. The Crusaders defense played its best game of the season.

The Garden City offense, consisting of the Delaware Wing - a system designed to confuse opponents with misdirection plays that demand the defenses to be disciplined at their positions in order to be successful against it. Michael Brumber and Chris McMullen along with James Stamos, Christian Katehis and Steven Diaz played smart and kept Garden City running backs at bay for most of the game. The front four of Glenn Irrizzary, Alex Shields, Robbie Culp and Joe Quinn stuffed up all inside threats with their aggressive gap control play. Matt Arnone, Andrew Maiorca, Tommy Ferrone, Joe Kelly and pass specialist Pat Barnes swarmed the ball carriers, including a nice five play goal-line stance series before a Garden City score.

The Crusaders should be happy with their win but at the same time must remain focused on their next opponent, the resurgent Floral Park Titans who have won two in a row and will be playing on their home field on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. The next home game for the Crusaders will be on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2pm. Please come down and support your local youth teams.