Long Island captures Empire Challenge

New York City produces the area's top prospects, but Long Island still plays superior football.

For the second straight year, the Island turned the Empire Challenge — the annual showcase pitting the top football players in the area — into a laugher, routing the city, 40-8, in front of 9,869 at Hofstra University's Shuart Stadium Tuesday night.

New York City boasted the showcase's top prospects, players headed to Division I programs such as Connecticut, Fresno State and Miami while Long Island's kids are sprinkled among Football College Subdivision programs like Stony Brook and LIU-Post.

Their final high school football memory was one they will cherish — the first time either side has won three in a row in the 18 years of the game.

"We wanted to make a statement," said Uniondale High School running back Will Stanback, the game's MVP after rushing for three touchdowns and 138 yards on 12 carries. "Coach told us before we entered this game, this could be history. Three games in a row, nobody ever did that."

Long Island started fast — they led 13-0 less than five minutes after the opening kickoff — and never looked back. If not for three first-half interceptions, the Island would've led by far more than the 19-0 margin at halftime.

Quarterback AJ Otranto of Floyd got the scoring going with a nine-yard keeper. LIU-Post recruit Brian McKean of Connetquot, another quarterback, scored on a five-yard keeper then executed a pretty hook-and-ladder in which he threw a pass in the flat to Stanback and scored on the toss back down the right sideline from 18 yards out.

"We drew it up early in practice, we knew it would work," McKean said. "It was just a matter of when we would run it."

The city, meanwhile, struggled mightily to do much offensively, with starting quarterback Matt Domina of Erasmus Hall suffering a serious ankle injury in the first quarter and Brooklyn Tech running back James Gales missing the game with a broken foot. Boys & Girls' signal-caller Keon Marsh threw three first-half interceptions. Thomas Jefferson standout Kendall "Speedy" Thomas sparked the city's first score with a 75-yard kickoff return and Miami-bound Augustus Edwards of Tottenville scored on a five-year plunge, but by then it was 26-8, and the game was out of hand.

"It [stinks]." City team coach and Erasmus Hall head man Danny Landberg said. "Listen, I'm a football coach. I'm a competitor. You don't want to be in that situation ever. It definitely is a embarrassing feeling."

Stanback, who has signed with Central Florida, put the game completely out of reach with a highlight-reel 87-yard rushing touchdowns, tied for the second longest in the game's history, making it 33-8 early in the fourth quarter.

The five boroughs has come a long way on the gridiron in recent years, producing All-Americans each of the last five years, and has two more this coming season in Erasmus Hall running back Curtis Samuel and Lincoln defensive tackle Thomas Holley.

Long Island, however, has proven to be better in the annual rivalry.

"Honestly, I think it's discipline," Stanback said. "We all come to practice, we're here on time early. Some guys are here an hour before. We really clocked the first week of practice."

zbraziller@nypost.com

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