St Johns University at Staten Island - Tomahawk Yearbook (Staten Island, NY)

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SEASON SUMMARY Animal House successfully defended its league crown during the 1979 intramural football season with a perfect 7-0 record. Led by co-captains, QB John Vacante and MLB Anthony Dippy Careccia. the team won the league scoring title 1100 pointsl and the league defense title Q6 points given upj. Vacante and Careccia were named the Of- fensive and Defensive Players of the Year. The Animal House steam roller marched through the season unscarred, though one or two potholes did emerge. After blanking DPU 7-0 and abusing the Rebels 32-0, the Big Blue Machine had to go OT to top the feisty Indians, 12-6. After another big win, Q25-0 over the Moonsj, Animal House went scoreless for almost four quarters with the eventual finalist, Sigma Chi, until Vacante. behind a block from All-Star RB Mike Casa- massa, went over from the one. In Position Week, Animal House clinched the regular season crown and a Championship Game berth with a convincing 18-0 victory over DPU. Sigma Chi took the rollercoaster into the playoffs and just missed getting to the top of the hill. After a forfeit win over the Moons and a 13-2 struggle over the Indians, they hit the first dip in the tracks as DPU out-de- fensed them 2-0. A 19-0 win over the Rebels preceded a matchup with Animal House. De- spite four interceptions by league MVP Ken Damstrom, Animal House pulled out a fourth quarter, 6-0 victory. Position week saw Sigma Chi gain the playoffs with a 13-6 win over the Indians. DPU was the obstacle to the champion- ship and for three quarters the rollercoaster was side tracked. A fourth quarter touch- down pass from Damstrom to John LaRosa and the subsequent extra point by Danny Roche on a Damstrom pass gave Sigma Chi a spot in the Championship Game. Delta Psi Llpsilon. in what was termed a rebuilding year by sports coordinator continued December 55

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56 Tomahawk Larry Kennedy, nearly rebuilt the entire league as well. A young, enthusiastic team, DPU, featured a No-Name Defense that reg- istered four straight shut-outs. After falling to Animal House 7-0, the de- fense shut the doors, blanking the Moons 20-0, Sigma Chi 2-0 fthe winning points scored as All-Star lineman Gene Struyk caught Ken Damstrom in the end zonej, the lndians 6-0 and the Rebels 15-0. Experience won out in position week as the league champions ambushed youthful DPU 18-0. In the playoff game against Sigma Chi, a screen pass from QB George Falvo to Ralph Giordano went 63 yards for what appeared to be the game's only score. Late in the fourth quarter, though, the veteran Sigma Chi team broke through, and DPU fell, 7-6. For the lndians, 1979 football could be described as frustrating. After squeaking by the Rebels, 7-6, the Indians fell to Sigma Chi, 13-2, and Animal House, 12-6. Another good defensive effort was wasted with a 6-0 loss to DPU. An 18-12 win over the Moons set the stage for Position Week against Sig- ma Chi. With a playoff berth on the line, the defense, led by All-Stars Bill Fitzpatrick and Fran Mangano, held off repeated offensive thrusts. but the effort was just short, 13-6. Both first year teams, the Moons and Reb- els displayed as much enthusiam and co- maraderie as many veteran teams. The Moons, captained by All-Star QB Lou D'Er- milio, captured the season series between the two teams with 12-0 and 18-0 victories. The all-frosh Rebel team, with All-Star DE Sal Cannata, lacked experience and height. but certainly not heart, as any opponent could tell you. Perhaps the best played game of the sea- son, Animal House-Sigma Chi ll had all the marks of a Championship Game. Hard hit- ting and spectacular plays highlighted the scoreless four quarters. An incomplete pass, however, forced the shoot-out style overtime. ln four attempts from the 20, Sig- ma Chi could only gain 7 yards. Vacante, on his third try, found Jim Curran over the mid- dle for the winning score.