St. Anthony's Dante Torres wins Rich Reichert Award
Dante Torres was the engineer of a historic St. Anthony’s football season. The senior quarterback threw for a school- record 32 touchdowns and rushed for another 13.
Among those memories were two prolific performances in which he led St. Anthony’s to the Catholic High School Football League title and Long Island’s first state football crown.
Torres totaled a school-record 509 all-purpose yards to lead the Friars to the CHSFL title with a 50-18 win over Iona Prep at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. He threw four touchdown passes to wide receiver Korey Duff Jr. as the Friars captured their first CHSFL crown in nine years.
To cap the dream-like season, Torres defied brutal weather conditions off the shores of Lake Erie as St. Anthony’s came back from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to capture the state title with a 27-20 win over St. Francis of Buffalo in Hamburg.
Despite lake-effect snow squalls and winds of 40 to 52 mph that drove the real-feel temperatures into the teens, Torres directed four straight scoring drives as the Friars scored 27 unanswered points in the final 13 minutes for the improbable win. He rushed for two touchdowns.
It was the first state football championship for any school from Long Island, public or private. For his accomplishments, Torres was presented Newsday’s third annual Rich Reichert Award as Long Island’s best player in the CHSFL.
“It is such an honor to represent my school and accept the trophy as the best player in our league,” said Torres, who will play football at Fordham University. “To represent such a legendary name in Coach Reichert is a blessing. I am here because of the love and support of my coaches, teammates and family.”
Flanked by his mother, Jennifer Farina, and his grandfather, Bobby Farina, Torres accepted the prestigious Reichert Award at a ceremony held at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington.
“He’s the real deal,” said Brother David Migliorino, the St. Anthony’s High School principal. “Dante is a class act and such a wonderful football player.”
St. Anthony’s won Class AAA of the CHSFL for a record 15th time this season as Torres passed for 3,269 yards, the second most in Long Island history. Sayville’s Jack Coan threw for 3,431 yards in 2016.
What Torres said he’ll remember most was the quiet confidence his coaches had in him.
“They never panicked, started screaming or lost control,” he said. “They were completely supportive even in the most difficult of moments. And there is something to be said for that calmness, that complete confidence in your players, that helps them move forward and achieve. I appreciated everything my coaches and school did for me.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
