Joe Casano named Unsung Hero

Unsung heroes get their reward

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
By STEVE TUCKERSON
Staff Writer

HAMILTON - Last night's 12th Man TD Club Dinner wasn't about the players who score touchdowns and often steal the headlines.

It was "Unsung Heroes Night" at the Hamilton Elks Lodge, which meant area coaches were able to recognize the players that usually get lost amid talk of wins and losses but are vital to a program's success.

"It's important to realize that there are more unsung heroes than there are stars on every team," Princeton head coach Steve Everette said.

"These are the players that give us energy in practice when it's not there and get us back into it when things are down in a game," West Windsor-Plainsboro South head coach Lou Solomon added about his honorees, Drew Lachenmayer and Ian Petri.

Petri returned less than a month after suffering a dislocated elbow to enter the Pirates' starting lineup. His story was one of many told with appreciation by the coaches last night.

"Kids like this is why I came back to coaching at Allentown," Redbirds head coach Bob Mussari said about Evan Teel and Jim Nelson. "It's because of them that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for our program."

Hopewell Valley's program - at least on the varsity level - began this season. Head coach Dave Caldwell's squad didn't win a game, but is headed in the right direction thanks to a team of unsung heroes.

"He's about a 155-pound fullback and he took a beating," Caldwell said of his honoree, Frank Dvorak, "and not once did he complain and it's because he knew the difference between pain and injury.

"We got a taste of varsity football and what it's all about," he added. "We put sophomores on the field and their eyes are open - they got hit hard."

-- -- -- Notre Dame head coach Chappy Moore has seen a lot of great teams in his time on the sidelines.

The squad he saw from Don Bosco Prep last Saturday in the NJSIAA Group IV Non-Public semifinals might be the best.

The Ironmen, the two-time defending sectional champions and No. 1 team in the state according to the Dorf Feature Services' Top 20 Poll, routed the Irish, 42-7.

"The talent level they are at is just incredible," said Moore. "I'm in awe with the people they play with. We just have to pick up the pieces and try to get back there.

"Nobody from Mercer County or South Jersey will walk on a football field and dominate Notre Dame," he added. "But they did."

12th MAN HONOREES

The following Mercer County football players were honored as "Unsung Heroes" by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame last night.

Evan Teel, Jim Nelson (Allentown); Paul Griffith, John Romeo (Ewing); Mike Garzio, Harold Williams (Hamilton); Chris Mohr, Curtis Zedalis, Bassil Salman (Hightstown); Frank Dvorak (Hopewell); Drew Madsen, Neal Amato (Lawrence); Keith Hill, Kendall Mills (Lawrenceville); Joe Casano, Brian Frankowski (Notre Dame); Tristan Kamrad, Rob Prekop (Nottingham); Hugens Jean, Juan Pablo Henrichsen (Princeton); Mark Waller, Anthony Carvale (Steinert); Robert Herring, Aaron Scott (Trenton); Joe Saladino, Yoshua Lane (WW-P North); Ian Petri, Drew Lachenmayer (WW-P South).