Elwood-John Glenn Knights Conquer Amityville Warriors

The Elwood Knights burst onto the field at their homecoming football game against Amityville. Photo Courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District

The Knights secured a 41-13 victory against Amityville at their homecoming game. Photo Courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District

The Elwood cheerleaders excite the crowd at the Knights homecoming football game against Amityville. Photo Courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District

The Elwood-John H. Glenn Marching Band performed a variety of popular songs during its homecoming halftime performance. Photo Courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District

Elwood-John Glenn High School Class of 2018 showed off their school spirit and marched in the homecoming parade. Photo Courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Elwood-John Glenn head football coach Dave Shanahan said his team's 41-13 Homecoming win over Amityville, and the strong support from the community, made it a special day for the Knights. 

The varsity team was prepared from the start of the game, getting out to a 28-point lead by halftime. In the third quarter, the Knights scored an additional 13 points to keep the game out of reach.

Shanahan contributed the win to great teamwork and a strong running game, which amassed 495 yards on the ground.

He added, “In every aspect of the game, we had kids playing on a high level. We played great man coverage, and we were very physical. The kids really did a great job.”

Senior running back and linebacker Nathaniel Larkins had a great game both offensively and defensively, Shanahan said. Larkins had three touchdowns and ran 15 times for 195 yards. On the defensive line, he had eight tackles, two for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

“Nathaniel played hard and he played physical,” Shanahan said. “He had an excellent day and we were real proud of him.”

Other top performers were senior running back Brett Ryan, who ran 14 times for 252 yards including a touchdown; junior running back Justin Tiernan, who had two catches for 89 yards and a touchdown; junior Gregson Pigott, who scored the first touchdown of the game when he recovered a fumble in the end zone; senior Jon Green, who had eight tackles; and senior Connor Rossi, who had one sack for the Knights.

Senior kicker Adam Astarita also converted five of six extra-point attempts.

With the win, the Knights have a 4-3 record in Suffolk Division IV. If they win Friday’s road game against Hampton Bays, slated for 6 p.m., they will secure a home playoff game on Nov. 4.

“We have a very good group of kids,” Shanahan said. “I feel real positive about them going into the playoffs. They work very hard, they’ve gelled and they have really good chemistry both offensively and defensively.”

The homecoming celebration also brought an abundance of entertainment, with performances by the marching band, kickline, and cheerleading team.

The homecoming parade floats followed the video game theme, where the freshman class showcased Angry Birds, the sophomore class displayed Yoshi, the junior class featuring Poké-masters, and the senior class depicted an old-school Pac-Man machine, complete with suspended ghosts.

The homecoming king and queen Brandon Schindlar and Jazmine Bush led the festive parade in a convertible before the game.