Mt. Sinai's Dontae Spadaro sparks Team Long Island to win in NFF All-Star Classic
Team Long Island's Ja'Quan Thomas of Floyd celebrates scoring a touchdown during the National Football Foundation All-Star Classic against Team NYC on Wednesday at Hofstra University. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
Mount Sinai’s Dontae Spadaro saw a lane and solidified his moment in his final football game.
Spadaro followed big blocks from Floyd’s Ja’Quan Thomas and East Hampton’s Livs Kuplins. He sprinted down the sideline, put his hand up and crossed the goal line for a 78-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Spadaro’s touchdown extended the lead to two possessions in the third quarter and helped lift Team Long Island to a 21-13 victory over Team NYC in the National Football Foundation All-Star Classic at Hofstra University Wednesday night.
Spadaro will play lacrosse at Marist College next year. But in his final time on the gridiron, he made his mark, all while wearing No. 33, his father’s number.
“It meant a lot to me to score that touchdown,” Spadaro said. “It’s the last time I’m ever playing football. I’m wearing my dad’s number, so there’s a lot of emotion in that run. I couldn’t have asked for anything better to happen.”
Team Long Island’s defense was the highlight of the game.
East Islip defensive end Jovan Bonilla was everywhere, a force in both rushing the passer and stopping the run. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“We just wanted to be relentless the whole game,” Bonilla said. “It was their five versus our four, and we wanted to win every play up front. I’m thankful for [executive director of the game] Pete Blieberg for the opportunity to play in this game. It’s an honor.”
Team Long Island marched into Shuart Stadium wearing blue Notre Dame uniforms with the iconic gold helmets. Their counterparts from the city wore white jerseys and red helmets, in the style of USC. The game organizers use uniforms to highlight a classic football rivalry. Last year, teams suited up in gear representing Ohio State and Michigan.
A blocked punt set up Team NYC at the Long Island 7-yard line with 1:42 left in the first quarter. On third-and-goal, Bonilla batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage to hold the city to a field goal. Team NYC led 3-0 with 14:40 remaining in the second quarter.
On the next possession, Northport’s Simon Blissett found Huntington’s Yasir Jones for a 5-yard touchdown to give Long Island a 7-3 lead with 9:45 left in the first half.
“I was watching this last year and I wanted to work really hard to play in this game,” Jones said. “The work paid off. I scored, and playing with other kids on the Island was amazing.”
Long Island forced a Team NYC punt, and Miller Place quarterback Shane Kiernan orchestrated a textbook drive. In just 1:20, Long Island went 89 yards in 11 plays, ending with Kiernan finding Thomas over the middle. Thomas bounced off defenders for a 23-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half. Long Island led 14-3 at halftime.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so I’m just honored,” said Thomas, who will play football at Cortland. “I was happy to play in front of all the Long Islanders one last time before I go off to college, and I was just trying to help my guys make plays tonight.”
Team NYC gained momentum in the second half. Quarterback Aaron Smith scored on a 20-yard run, trimming Long Island’s lead to four with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
Then came Spadaro’s kickoff return, flipping the momentum right back to Long Island.
With Long Island ahead by eight, East Islip’s PJ Gannon intercepted a pass with 1:59 remaining to seal the victory.
“Spadaro’s kick return was huge for us,” Team Long Island head coach Rob Hoss said. “For many of these guys, it was the last time they may ever play football again. It’s the greatest game on Earth, so I told them to have fun, play fast, and they did just that.”
