Assistant coach Ryan Pearsall, who had been coached by head coach Ciampi himself, shared that the goal of winning the Long Island Championship was the team’s ultimate motivator throughout this season. 

“We had a really great group of kids that we were confident in, and they worked really hard throughout the off-season and all throughout this season to be locked in and prepared to succeed in this game,” explained Pearsall. “This is something they anticipated.”

Going into the fourth quarter, the Redmen were down 14-13. Junior quarterback Thomas Costarelli delivered the winning 22-yard throw to senior Matt McIntee with only 5:49 left for the final touchdown of the game.

“It was a great play call by Coach Ciampi. He wanted to get the football in our best player’s hands,” shared assistant coach Joe Taromina, who has served in the position for a total of 18 years. “McIntee was catching everything thrown by Costarelli, and we had excellent pass protection. It was the hardest throw I have seen Costarelli make the whole year.” 

“Having followed in my father’s footsteps gives me a unique perspective as a coach. While it adds a ton of pressure because it’s difficult following a legend, it also makes moments like this past weekend much more gratifying,” added Ciampi. “And having my son Alex on the team this year made it the highlight of my coaching career.”