Heading into the season as the 10th seed in the ultra-competitive Conference III, the Floral Park Memorial football team knew it had a very challenging schedule to play. Defeating Roosevelt in the home opener would have been a stunning upset, but the Knights hoped that their second game against 9th-seeded North Shore would give them a more realistic opportunity to earn a victory.

While Floral Park continued to play hard throughout the game, the team fell just short on the road, losing to the Vikings 28-14.

“We need to keep our heads up, study the film and come back next week with more discipline,” said senior running back Jim Ollen. “Losses like this are tough. We know our team is better than 0-2.”

Ollen’s comments are reflective of a team that will continue to practice hard and look to improve each week. The game script against North Shore was similar to the previous loss to Roosevelt. A close and competitive matchup at halftime seemed to unravel during the third quarter.

Penalties were the killer, as one drive saw Floral Park forced to make a play on a 4th and 30. While one could try to blame the loss on questionable calls by the referees, the Knights defensive unit did struggle to contain the explosive North Shore offense. The game’s biggest blow was a conversion for North Shore on a 4th and 17 pass for a touchdown, giving the Vikings the lead in the opening quarter and quieting the FPM sideline.

There were still plenty of positives to take out of this game. Senior quarterback Mitch Kozak was 11-27 for 185 yards and one touchdown. He also was intercepted once. The Knights’ lead rusher was junior Danny Patalano, whose big play came on a 19-yard touchdown run as he barreled through the secondary. Senior wide receiver Charles Mealing led the team with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Knights look to finally get into the win column this week for the big Homecoming game versus Valley Stream North. Come out to support the team!