National #1 Don Bosco (NJ) Prep Leads All Schools with Five Honorees;

Saddle Brook HS Senior Tyler Vitiello Receives Courage Award;

Shawn O’Connor, Lincoln (NYC) Named Coach of the Year;

Vin Ascolese, North Bergen Receives Lifetime Achievement in Coaching

BETHPAGE, N.Y., December 20, 2011 –– MSG Varsity and The National Football Foundation this evening announced the second annual MSG Varsity All Metro Team, comprised of 25 standout tri-state area high school football players. Selected by the network’s panel of football experts from hundreds of tri-state area high schools, the honors were revealed live on MSG Varsity’s “A Quick :60,” Cablevision’s iO TV Channel 14 at 8:00 p.m. The broadcast also showcased the first ever Courage Award, the Coach of the Year and Lifetime Achievement in Coaching awards, while second team and honorable mentions are available on www.msgvarsity.com.

For the second year in a row, five players from Don Bosco Prep of Ramsey, NJ—ranked number one nationally and in MSG Varsity’s Tri-State Top 25—received first team honors, including senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo; senior defensive linemen Darius Hamilton and Mike Strizak; senior defensive back Kyle Sakowski; and sophomore running back Jabrill Peppers. Old Tappan’s quarterback Devin Fuller, Bergen Catholic’s wide receiver John Tsimis, running back Dalton Crossan of Sachem North and William Floyd’s Stacey Bedell also received first team honors.

“We’re delighted to partner with The National Football Foundation to honor the stand-out student athletes who comprise this year’s MSG Varsity All Metro Team,” said Michael Lardner, Senior Vice President & Executive Producer, MSG Varsity. “The MSG Varsity All Metro Team is part of our ongoing effort to showcase the sportsmanship, determination and passion of local athletes and coaches in the tri-state area.”

“Through MSG Varsity’s comprehensive coverage of high school football, viewers have had a chance to watch all these field leaders develop and excel throughout the season,” said MSG Varsity’s Mike Quick. “We’re honored to recognize these athletes who represent the very best that the tri-state area has to offer.”

 The following players have officially been named to MSG Varsity’s All Metro Team:

 

Saddle Brook High School (NJ) senior captain Tyler Vitiello is the recipient of the first ever Courage Award. Vitiello, who suffered a serious neck injury during a game on November 5, is now walking and will be returning home in time for the holidays. Since his injury, he has been at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange (NJ) working on his recovery.

 Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) head football coach Shawn O’Connor, who led the Railsplitters to an undefeated season (13-0) and the school’s first PSAL championship since 1993, has been named All Metro Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, the top-seeded Lincoln team has strung together 20 consecutive regular-season victories and back-to-back title game appearances.

North Bergen (NJ) head football coach Vin Ascolese was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Coaching for his unparalleled dedication to high school football and decades of student athletes. Ascolese, who concluded a storied 50-year coaching career by spending 39 years at North Bergen HS, retires as the third winningest coach in New Jersey history. Ascolese amassed an overall record of 359-124-7, with 12 Hudson County titles and seven state championships. North Bergen rallied with a touchdown pass as time expired to win the North 1, Group 4 state title over previously unbeaten Montclair HS in his farewell game.

ABOUT MSG VARSITY

MSG Varsity is a multi-platform suite of services comprised of: an Emmy award-winning 24/7 HD television network, a comprehensive online destination, and a groundbreaking interactive service, all dedicated to high school sports, academics and activities happening throughout the tri-state area. Content for these services includes MSG Varsity’s professionally produced programming as well as content created by the high schools themselves. Working in partnership with MSG Varsity, students and faculty are given extraordinary access to curriculum and training in multimedia creation and distribution, empowering them to become active participants in telling their school’s stories. MSG Varsity is a Cablevision exclusive service not available to satellite or phone company TV subscribers and reaches three million households throughout the New York market. For more information, please visit www.msgvarsity.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Bowl, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.

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