By Elio Velez
Beach Channel’s Folorunso “Foley” Fatukasi is an intense competitor on the football field and jolly teenager off it, but the mood emanating from the University of Connecticut-bound defensive lineman Tuesday night was sadness and disappointment.
The Rockaway native capped off his high school football career as a member of the New York City football team, which suffered a 40-8 loss to Long Island at the Empire Challenge senior all-star game in front of 9,869 at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
“I had fun, but I’m not so very happy about the score,” said the usually chipper Fatukasi.
The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Dolphins star felt lucky to get a chance to compete. He could not picture himself starring in the prestigious game months ago after Hurricane Sandy hit last October, causing severe damage to his home.
Fatukasi never lost his faith despite his family relocating. He remained grateful and humble. With his family safe, he focused his attention back on the field.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it to be honest,” Fatukasi said. “But you know I’m here, I played.”
He would have preferred a win instead of seeing New York City suffer its third straight in the contest to benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation for cystic fibrosis. Long Island led 19-0 at the half and turnovers kept the city from mounting any sort of comeback. Long Island was led by running back William Stanback, who rushed for three touchdowns and caught another.
“The bottom line is this game came down to the turnovers,” said NYC and Erasmus Hall Coach Danny Landberg, who lives in Belle Harbor.
Flushing wide receiver Shaquan Roberts was one of the few standouts offensively with two receptions, including stretching out for a 29-yard catch in the first half to give the city its first big gain.
Roberts said he needed to change his attitude to a positive one during his senior year at Flushing. Making the game shows how far he has come before heading to Stony Brook University to play in the fall.
“I love football, but I wasn’t performing the way I wanted to,” Roberts said. “I just worked hard to be better and starting performing well.”
He and his New York City teammates didn’t perform well enough to take down Long Island and bring bragging rights back to the five boroughs.
“I’m a competitor. You don’t want to be in that situation ever,” Landberg said. “It definitely is an embarrassing feeling.”
