October 9, 2008
by Hank Russell, Patchogue Medford News

Sitting tied for third place alongside Central Islip, Sachem East, Ward Melville and Walt Whitman in Division I, the Patchogue-Medford High School varsity football team (1-2 Division I, 1-2 overall) is looking to move up the ranks within the division. But with Northport and William Floyd sitting atop the division with a 3-0 clip, Coach Jim Chiarello hopes his squad could be competitive and seek another playoff bid.

Last year, the Raiders finished 5-3 in the division and made the playoffs. But the biggest challenge within Patchogue-Medford this year will be its youth, having lost 15 players to graduation — nine of which were on offense. “We have a lot of underclassmen who are going to be starting,” said Chiarello, who is in his eighth year as skipper. “We have two to three linemen and a quarterback [who are underclassmen] on offense. On defense, we have five kids [who are underclassmen].”

Chiarello pointed out that his signal caller — quarterback Joe Silva — is only a freshman. Some of the other players who Chiarello said should make an impact this season include Jimmy Gordon at tight end, running back Andrew Silva (Joe’s brother), defensive back Ryan Forstell and Alex Ramsey playing defensive inside linebacker.

When asked about the competition within the division, Chiarello pointed to William Floyd, Longwood, Brentwood and Sachem North — all of which currently sporting 2-1 clips within the division and overall as of press time — as the teams to beat. Each game the Raiders have played this season proved to be true nail-biters, with the margin of victory no greater than seven points. On September 26, Patchogue-Medford won its first game of the season with a hard-fought 17-14 win over Lindenhurst (2-1 Division I, 2-1 overall).

“It's [Division] I,” Chiarello said. “It’s a tough league and anybody can take any game at any time.”

Despite the youth in the team, Chiarello said the freshmen, sophomores and juniors have been “jelling pretty [well] right now” since the season started. “It’s nice to see these underclassmen step it up,” he said. “It’s good for the future. Now they’ve got the experience, and they can take that into next season.”

Patchogue-Medford hosts William Floyd tonight at 7 p.m. The next game takes place on October 10, when the Raiders play host to Longwood at 7 p.m.

Caption:

In his eighth year as varsity head coach, Patchogue-Medford's Jim Chiarello is looking to lead a young squad, led by a freshman quarterback, into the playoffs.
Photo by Hank Russell/Patchogue-Medford News