Eriksen Does it Again with Finley Football
Finley coach Rick Eriksen has been called the “Vince Lombardi” of Suffolk middle school football and for good reason; he’s a consistent winner who churns out strong teams year-after-year.
Eriksen’s latest team finished 4-2 and again featured numerous talented players. The Falcons were captained by quarterback Sean McDonagh, running back Dan Plant and lineman Jack Forster and displayed a knack for scoring and a stingy defense.
This year marked a change for Eriksen and his longtime assistant Phil Lowe. The district added a second middle school football team. So, this season Eriksen and Lowe worked exclusively with eighth grade players while Jimmy Creighton and Stef Sair took charge of the seventh graders.
But, no matter what age or grade, Eriksen finds a way to put a winning squad together. He said that this year’s group “played and practiced hard.” That’s not surprising, considering the level of talent that filled the roster. In addition to the three captains, Tyre Brown, Jack Cutrone, Connor Reilly, Dan McQuade, Joe Straub, Brandon Campbell, Brandon Fiordelisi, Ryan Ricciardelli, Peter Beach, Brad Dwyer and Mike Chaney had an especially successful season
Eriksen foresees another good squad next fall. “The seventh grade line was huge,” he said. “That’s good for next year’s eighth grade team.”
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