By ANTHONY LAMBERTI

POSTED 3-26-08

It's still five months from the start of another football season. But the groundwork is being laid day-by-day. St. Anthony's won the Chuck Mound Football Challenge on March 16, a small stepping stone in the never-ending quest for another title.

More than 250 players from across the tri-state area descended on Giants Stadium in New Jersey to compete at Chuck Mound. The Friars sent 30 players to the combine style-event. And if speed, strength and agility mean anything, St. Anthony's will be a force next fall. In fact, this was the first time in the 13-year history of Chuck Mound that a team outside of the Garden State won the event.

Junior running backs Atiq Lucas and Nicholas Mercurio were the standouts. Mercurio took first place in the 40-yard dash, clocking in at 4.41 seconds, and tied for second in the Pro Agility event. Lucas, meanwhile, earned MVP honors at running back.

"It's an honor, but it's not the goal," assistant coach Mark Maier said. "It's about the work you put in to get there. Working towards being a better player and person. Hopefully the kids learn something about football and themselves. It's not about being a Division I-A player. It's about improving personally."

The Football Challenge was a win-win situation for the football team, an experience that could only help improve the speed, power, agility and quickness of the players involved. It's a necessary step in improving as a player and a person. The work you put in during the off-season always pays off come November.

Rutgers-bound standout Scott Vallone participated in 2006. And St. Anthony's has sent more and more kids each year since first sending two athletes in 2005. For those who participated, Chuck Mound is a real measuring stick.

"It's something special to me," Lucas said. "I've worked real hard, practicing Sundays, speed training twice a week and working with coach McGuire on Wednesdays. I really wanted to go out there and just prove myself. Coach [Rich] Reichert, he's real proud of us."

This was the second time Lucas participated in the event and he's hoping to attend more combines and other national events in preparation for the regular season — and to catch the eye of college recruiters.

"It wasn't work,'' The 6-foot, 180-pound Lucas said. "It was good for the team to just all go out there and be together."

The Friars football team has long established themselves as Long Island's best. They took home their seventh consecutive CHSFL Class AAA title in 2007 and are already hungry to repeat that success. For Lucas, that means hitting the weight room twice a week and attending voluntary weekend conditioning practices.

"The team's there because they want to be," Lucas said.

These types of events are about more than just statistics and awards. They're about personal growth and character building. But maybe that's the reason the Friars keep on winning. They can look past meaningless statistics, come together as a team and choose to grow. Though the team doesn't officially meet until August, they're already set to go.





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