Camp Confidential: Sachem North Football

FISHKILL, N.Y. – Sachem has been traveling to Camp Hidden Valley at the Fresh Air Fund Camp since 1983 when current head coach Dave Falco was a senior with the Flaming Arrows.

From the cabins and camp set up to the hard nose work ethic displayed during camp, nothing has changed.

“It’s had work,” Falco said. “It’s not for the lighthearted. It’s football 24/7. No cell phones, no TVs. It’s a great opportunity for us to improve as a program.” 

Intensity risen: During the second session of camp on Tuesday, Sachem practiced an intense pursuit drill with crowd-like feel to create the set up. From loud music to coaches screaming and organized chaos underway, players hit the tackling block hard and sprinted at all costs to make the drill look exhilarating.

They followed that with the Okalahoma drill, used to test players in a confined full contact situation. It was some of the most lively practice sessions you could witness at the high school level.

“We’re all working hard and hopefully that shows in the regular season,” said senior Dalton Crossan. “We know that everything has to be sharp if we want to be a championship team. We have to come out strong, set the tone.”

“The expectations of this program are definitely high,” Falco said. “They’re high because the kids who came before [this team] put the time in and the bar has been raised. Our goal is to win every game we play, every scrimmage we play, and every practice we play.”

If players are working hard during camp sessions, coaches continued to work hard long after practice was over, breaking down practice film into the early morning hours and setting up schedules for the following day.

Falco’s camp memories: Falco’s most fond camp memory was the morning of his and Sachem’s first night in Fishkill. “[Coach] Frank Luisi knocking on the window at 5:30 a.m., going on the first morning run of the day,” he said.

Today, Falco is the one who rises with an air horn and sounds it three times awaking players for their daily 5:30 a.m. run. Tradition never dies at Sachem.

Fusaro, Glenn close by: Fishkill wouldn’t be the same without Fred Fusaro, Sachem’s former longtime legendary coach. An assistant at John Glenn now, that program also practices at Fresh Air Fund less then a quarter-mile away. The teams do not mingle together, but Fusaro can be seen barking orders as usual on daily runs and camp sessions.

2011 captains selected: The following players are captains at Sachem North this season: Dalton Crossan, Trent Crossan, Vinny Fragale, Vinny Provenzano, Vincent Juliano and Tyler Andreassi.