Last season, Long Island City High School (Queens, N.Y.) football squad was filled with mostly juniors and sophomore. The Bulldogs, however, managed a 5-3 regular season record and a Public School Athletic League (PSAL) 1A Conference playoff berth.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In 2024, now in the 2A conference, head coach Joe Giardina is confident the previous season will help yield even better results after his boys have learned and put in a ton of hard work to improve on the football field.
“Last year, we were a very young team,” Giardina explained. “We had a lot of new guys at new positions. But now, I’m happy where the program is going. They’re really working hard.”
Long Island City is returning all 11 offensive starters, and nine defensive first stringers from 2023. Therefore, the Bulldogs are set to build off of last season’s success, Giardina noted.
Atop of Long Island City’s top dawg list is rising senior Billy Fuiaxis, a do-it-all two-way player who had three interceptions, a sack and 14 tackles during the regular season and three stops in the postseason on defense.
Offensively, Fuiaxis rushed for 210 yards on 36 carries in the regular season and picked up 40 yards a touchdown in the playoffs. Receiving, he caught 13 passes for 219 yards with three TDs and a two-point conversion during the year and pulled three down passes for 48 yards in the postseason.
“He’s just a dawg,” the former Long Island high school coach said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a next level kid.”
Behind center will be second-year quarterback and rising junior Tim Hernandez, who completed 30 of 55 attempts for 424 yards and five touchdowns last campaign. On the ground, Hernandez rushed for 66 yards and a score. He then completed six of 14 passes for 67 yards and a score in the playoff tilt against August Martin, a first round 20-16 defeat.
For his solid efforts, Hernandez won his coach’s praise. Even though he was green, he is giving the team a shot in the arm for the upcoming season due to his maturation.
“Tim really had a nice year last year,” said Giardina, who also serves as the school’s Boy’s Lacrosse coach. “He played his first year of football. I’m really excited to watch him this year.”
At running back, there will be what Giardina calls a “four-headed monster” of Fuiaxis, rising junior Armani Johson, rising seniors Carter Dumas and Joshua Canela, a fullback who Giardina described as an “old-school downhill runner.”
Next, the Bulldog’s offensive line remains intact and ready to rumble, Giardina noted.
At center will be rising senior Adrian Palta, a three-year starter.
Rising junior guard Erkinjon “EJ” Meliboyev (two-way starter) and rising senior Angel “Woody” Yearwood (two-way starter) are the heart and soul of the O-line. Giardina said they will clash hard for their team on a drop of a dime.
“EJ and Woody, they’re just dawgs,” he gushed. “These guys can play.”
Rising senior Anderson Rodrigez and rising junior Jhon Pierre Ocampo round out the formidable offensive line.
On defensive, Canela will man the middle linebacking position while leading the troops into battle. He made 31 tackles and had a sack last season. He also enjoyed a terrific playoff game with seven stops.
“Josh in the middle will anchor our defense this year,” Giardina said”
Rising senior free safety/wide receiver Elias Morales highlights Long Island City’s secondary. Morales was tied for first (with Fuiaxis) with three pickoffs on Long Island City and is a skilled tackler to boot.
“He’s one of the best open field tacklers in the city,” Giardina said. “He flies and gets low on his tackles.”
Johnson, rising seniors Carter Dumas and Hatim Barry make up the rest of the defensive backfield.
Rising senior Izaiah Sheppard and rising junior Jozaya Flor-Salgado will come off the bench often. More importantly, Giardina said he will count on them to make a difference while on the gridiron.
“We’re looking for both to step up and be key contributors on defensive,” he said.
After missing most of 2023 due to an ankle and leg injury, rising senior inside linebacker David McClain will be back in action, and get his opportunity to prove himself.
“I’m really excited to see what he can do,” Giardina said. “He hurt his ankle and leg last year.”
To help them prepare for the upcoming season, Giardina and assistant coach Brauli Rodriguez have scheduled the Bulldogs for a four-team scrimmage on Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m. with Bayside, Stuyvesant, and Midwood, all higher level programs, at Long Island City.
After that, the Bulldogs will host 3A Bryant on Saturday, September 7th at noon in the Battle of Broadway game.
With the advanced level competition, Giardina said he hopes it will raise his team’s work ethic even more and help gauge their talent.
“I wanted to give our guys a reality check and work harder after that.” he said.
Giardina said the 2024 Long Island City football team is special since he has had several of the boys since 2021-22. He hopes this season is a monumental one for the Bulldogs.
“This year’s group is unique because I have had many of these guys since their freshman year,” Giardina explained. “I’m really excited for the year. I hope this is one we talk about for years to come.
“These guys, all they want to do is be great,” he added. “I definitely think we’re a playoff team. But we could be 8-0 or 0-8. We just have to work and do our thing.”
— Jerry Del Priore
Photos: Long Island City Football.
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