One of the great joys of parenthood is watching your children have fun with their friends. In our small town of Sayville, sports have been a centerpiece of so much of this fun. On any "normal" weekend, pre-pandemic, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles would be lined up to watch the kids play soccer, lacrosse, field hockey or baseball. Now, as we know all to well, nothing is "normal" anymore.
This Covid journey has brought about so much loss. From the lives lost to COVID-19 to the loss of security - whether it be of one's health, financial well-being or just way of life - has brought about immeasurable anxiety, stress and sadness on our psyches and on our community overall.
This pandemic has flipped our children's world upside down. School is on Zoom. Sports seasons have been delayed at best, cancelled at worst. Prom, in-person graduation and other quintessential rights of passage have been taken from them through no fault of their own last year. It goes without saying that the last twelve months have been trying ones.
That is what made Friday even sweeter.
On Friday, Sayville Football accepted a unique challenge - Division One William Floyd High School invited them, a Division Three team, to come play against them for the first time in forty years. To call it a David vs. Goliath match up could possibly have been an understatement.
Friday afternoon, driving onto the campus of William Floyd reminded me of a college campus. Even from the drive in, it felt like we were outsized. Once William Floyd‘s lineman towered over Sayville’s on the first snap, it became evident to many of us that we were all thinking the same thing: “oh boy, what have we gotten ourselves into?”
Well, we were wrong to wonder.
Though William Floyd was as big and powerful as we thought, Sayville's unbelievable heart and grit allowed us to even the match up. Proving all of us wrong for doubting them, Sayville pulled off an incredible victory against a strong opponent. A victory that no one saw coming.
The win was exactly what our community needed. It was what our kids needed.
A BIG win against overwhelming odds. It was a football game, sure, but maybe, just maybe, it was a small sign of what's to come.
Last Friday, Sayville beat Goliath.
Now, perhaps, it's our turn to.
Mark Casaburi
Father to Nate & Will
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