STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Just two months after New York Giants tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger visited Staten Island to connect with local fans, Big Blue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. made his own trip to the borough on Saturday afternoon, taking time to meet with dozens of supporters at fitness center Limitless Athletics in Oakwood.

“It’s amazing; it fills my heart that people want to talk with me,” Tracy Jr. told the Advance/SILive.com when asked about the opportunity to engage with fans, especially during the holiday season.

“It’s great getting to talk with fans and get to know them in addition to them getting to know me off the field a little better,” he added.

Brandon Auerbach, co-founder of Limitless Athletics, said hosting Tracy was an ideal opportunity to use their space to bring the local community together — a core pillar of their mission.

“We’re very involved with the community here. We like to be very engaged, and we’re big on getting everybody to come together in some way, shape or form,” Auerbach began.

“We throw a lot of events here, so this was a great one that we were very excited to host. We had a lot of vendors and sponsorships, and, like I said, we hope it was beneficial for everyone — a great community event to bring everyone together.”

Among the local vendors in attendance were Napoli Pizza, Tactical Beards, JAG Physical Therapy, and Next Level Sports, a youth sports organization that raffled off a free year of opportunities to participate in activities such as flag football.

“The Auerbachs reached out to us to come down today; we’re in the Staten Island community, so we want to help our local businesses as much as possible,” said Nicole Mistretta, a representative from Next Level.

“We are rooted in flag football — it’s part of our DNA. We’re one the largest flag football leagues in the tri-state area, so we were really excited to do this and we’re happy to be here. It‘s great for our Next Level community to see our affiliation with Tyrone and hopefully he can support us and grow youth flag football.”

In addition to hopes that the event would raise awareness for youth athletics, one young Giants fan in particular — Giuseppe Maneiro — was thrilled to travel to Staten Island from New Jersey to meet Tracy, marking yet another occasion in which the leukemia warrior has met players from his favorite team.

“It’s been great,” Giuseppe’s mother, Melissa, said of the warmth Giants players have shown her son.

“It’s literally his strength when he’s having a bad day; he always watches the Giants. And now that he’s gotten to see them and talk to them, it motivates him to keep going. Our entire family are diehard Giants fans, so this has just been amazing,” she continued.

Eric Laverty, another devoted Giants fan from Staten Island, said the chance to meet one of Big Blue’s biggest contributors this season was too good to pass up, adding that he admires the effort Tracy has given the organization so far.

“I’m a big Giants fan, and Tyrone Tracy is a great Giant. He’s been an honorable Giant since he was drafted out of Purdue; he’s always done the right thing by the organization, and I felt this was a great opportunity to meet him and get an autograph,” Laverty shared.

“It’s only about a 40-minute drive from the stadium from here, and there’s a strong Staten Island presence in the Giants fandom, so for him to come out and engage with that part of the fan base is an awesome opportunity.”

As for how Tracy, a second-year player who has accumulated 1,953 all-purpose yards and seven TDs in just 28 career games as a Giant, has adapted to his time in New York/Jersey, he said, “When you get here, you hear a lot about how intense the fans are, but I love that.”

“I’m an intense person myself and I like to think that I play with a lot of passion; so far the fans have matched my energy. They’ve treated me really well when I’ve been out and about. The fans are amazing here.”

While Big Blue may be out of playoff contention this year, Tracy, who’s part of a young Giants core alongside fellow talents Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter, shared a simple message for fans hoping for a postseason run in the near future: “Stick with us.”

“I don’t think we’re far off from where we want to be. I think the fans know that and we as players know that. So stick with us, and know that it’s a process to get where we want to go,” Tracy concluded.

Coming off their bye week, Tracy will look to help the Giants finish the final four games of the season strong, starting with a division rivalry matchup against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 14.

The Salamanca Youth & Community Center is located at 36 South Ave.

Kellen M. Quigley/Olean Times Herald

Cattaraugus County, Local News, News

{“newsletter-daily-headlines”:”Daily Headlines”, “to-print”:”To Print”, “website”:”Website”}

• Dan Seemuth is a former volunteer and current board chair of the Genesis Youth Foundation.

The first question seemed logical: “Who are you here to cheer for?” 

My two adult daughters and I had settled into our camp chairs a little late as the age 12-and-under girls’ soccer game had already begun. It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm late October Sunday, and we were the only spectators sitting on our team’s side of the field. The opposing team’s fans filled their sideline and spilled over a bit onto ours. “We’re here for the team in purple,” I said, assuming the other team’s mom was just being polite. Just then, our team scored a goal and the sideline burst into a raucous, protracted celebration led by some older girls. It was a joy that held more weight than a single goal. 

Beckman players and coaches pose with the CIF Regional 4-A South plaque after Saturday’s win over Hillcrest. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

Beckman’s football team could have folded several times Saturday night in the CIF South Division 4-A final against Hillcrest of Riverside at Tustin High School.

Like when the Patriots fell behind 13-0 early in the game. Or when they took a late lead in the third quarter, then quickly lost it when Hillcrest responded with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

But Beckman responded time and time again and rallied for a wild 46-40 victory over Hillcrest in front of a large crowd. Beckman, which clinched the CIF Southern Section Division 8 title last week, won the South crown and moves on to the state final next weekend vs. El Cerrito (12-2) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Buena Park.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

Beckman players Noah Nam (17) and Makhi Czaykowski (6) with the South plaque.

Beckman Coach Marcello Giuliano poses with the CIF State Division 4-A SoCal Regional Champions plaque alongside his players.

Hillcrest coach Travis Carter and his players respectfully watch the trophy presentation.

Beckman running back Aidan Tran grinds out yardage during the fourth quarter.

Hillcrest quarterback and captain Matthew Ramos applauds as Beckman receives the CIF State plaque.

Beckman running back Makhi Czaykowski is helped by teammate Nathan Hunter (67) after a fourth-quarter two-point conversion.

Hillcrest quarterback Matthew Ramos is tackled by Beckman linebacker Zak Hazboun.

Beckman running back Makhi Czaykowski breaks loose for a long gain during the first half of Saturday’s CIF State game against Hillcrest.

Hillcrest wide receiver Nicholas Shaw extends his gain as Beckman defensive back Aidan Tran pursues.

Beckman quarterback Noah Nam is hurried by Hillcrest’s Karam Salama.

Hillcrest players enter the field of play for Saturday’s CIF State game against Beckman.

Beckman players take the field during the second half.

Beckman defensive back Colin Singh breaks off a pass during the first half of Saturday’s game against Hillcrest.

Beckman Coach Marcello Giuliano makes a point to an official on Saturday night.

Hillcrest wide receiver Nicholas Bernal extends a gain during the second quarter on Saturday.

Hillcrest quarterback Matthew Ramos drops back to pass on Saturday against Beckman.

Beckman’s pep squad supports the Patriots on Saturday night.

Beckman wide receiver Sawyer Nickelson makes an impressive diving touchdown catch during the second quarter on Saturday.

Beckman wide receiver Sawyer Nickelson celebrates after making an impressive touchdown catch on Saturday.

Beckman quarterback Noah Nam lifts the CIF State Division 4-A Southern Regional title plaque on Saturday.

Beckman running back Makhi Czaykowski lifts the CIF State Division 4-A Southern Regional title plaque on Saturday.

Beckman players proudly lift the CIF State Division 4-A Southern Regional title plaque on Saturday.

Hillcrest coach Travis Carter lifts the CIF State Division 4-A Southern Regional runner-up plaque on Saturday.

Hillcrest coach Travis Carter congratulates Beckman coach Marcello Giuliano following Saturday’s epic shootout game.

Hillcrest captains Nicholas Bernal (23), Isaiah Davis (75), Justin Escalante (77) and Matthew Ramos (3) walk over for the coin toss.

Beckman captains Noah Nam (17), Julian Rosa (2), Roy Chaya (56) and Rian Silvas (55) prepare to walk over for the coin toss.

HIllcrest junior running back Reyez Ortiz picks up yards during the first quarter.

Beckman quarterback Noah Nam breaks loose for a 21-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Hillcrest quarterback Matthew Ramos walks in to the end zone for a Trojans touchdown.

Beckman quarterback Noah Nam is congratulated by his teammates after a touchdown run.

Beckman (12-3) has won 11 in a row. It was the first time that Beckman has played in a CIF State Bowl Game.

“I’m really, really happy we have such a good offense,” said a jubliant Beckman Coach Marcello Giuliano. “You could go to so many games throughout the season, we’ve won these 11 in a row and there are moments in games where you can make an excuse or people would make an excuse for you. Our kids just want none of it, they have great competitive spirit.

“You’re down 13 before you bat an eye and they just kept coming back. There were some kids who feel maybe they played their worst game of the season, but they still made some important plays when it mattered, but the character piece. One of the elements of our core values is toughness and we define that as always competing, so it’s not just about physical toughness, which I think we are but it’s also about the emotional resiliency and I think they showed that tonight.”

Beckman was led by running back Makhi Czaykowski, who took over the game scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 208 yards.

It was a wild back and forth final quarter.

Hillcrest moved ahead 40-38 when quarterback quarterback Matthew Ramos connected with Nicholas Shaw on an 11-yard TD pass with 7:46 remaining in the game. Ramos had a big game, passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

The Patriots responded. Czaykowski scored on a 1-yard TD run with 4:44 left to put the Patriots ahead 46-40 (he also scored on a 2-point conversion), sealing the win for Beckman. He also hauled in a touchdown catch and finished with six receptions for 858 yards.

The Patriots then recovered a perfectly executed onside kick which caught Hillcrest (9-6) off guard and drove to the Hillcrest 5-yard line before running out the clock.

Czaykowski also hauled in a 17-yard TD pass from quarterback Noah Nam and had a 5-yard TD run at the start of a wild fourth quarter to put Beckman ahead 38-34.

“It was a really good game, I was able to run the ball really well because of our linemen, like Noah Nam always says, everything starts with the line,” Czaykowski said. “And Noah Nam’s leadership was really able to help us execute on offense and we were able to score a lot of points, I think the second most points we’ve scored this season.

“The other team was extremely well coached, they were really fast and definitely the best offense we’ve seen so far this season. It was a track meet, we scored, they scored, we scored, they scored, they actually scored twice before we scored, it just proves how good their offense is.”

Nam was clutch under pressure, completing 16 passes for 225 yards and rushing for 45 yards and two touchdowns. He remained humble in victory.

“It was kind of what we expected, we knew they were going to put up a lot of points and we were going to have to try and match that, so I’m proud of the way our team played, offense and defense, just never giving up on both sides of the ball,” said Nam. “We knew they were a really good offense and we knew we were a really good offense as well. We knew it was going to be a high scoring game, we just had to make a few more plays.”

Nam said the Patriots had a strategy going into the drive which led to the go-ahead TD.

“We talked to the linemen in the huddle saying, ‘this is the biggest drive, we got to put it away,’ the line really stepped up. I couldn’t be more proud of them, they are a great group of linemen, I couldn’t do it without them, Makhi running the ball and Aidan Tran as well. It was excellent, excellent running.”

Tran was also solid, rushing for 63 yards on 10 carries for the Patriots,

Hillcrest, the CIF Division 10 champion, dominated in the first quarter. The Trojans moved ahead 6-0 on a 3-yard TD run by Ramos midway through the first quarter.

On its first play from scrimmage, the Patriots fumbed the exhcange and Hillcrest recovered.

Hillcrest cashed the turnover into a score when Reyez Ortiz scored from one yard out to make it 13-0.

But Beckman responded, cutting the lead to 13-7 on Nam’s 21-yard TD run late in the first quarter. Hillcrest moved ahead 20-7 when when Ramos connected with Nicholas Shaw on a 56-yard scoring strike in the second quarter.

Beckman cut the lead to 20-14 when Nam hit Sawyer Nickelson on a 19-yard TD pass but Hillcrest countered with a score again, this time Ortiz scored from 8 yards out to extend the Trojans lead to 27-14.

Nam’s 2-yard TD run trimmed the lead to 27-21 at halftime.

The second half was back and forth as well. Nam threw a 17-yard TD pass to Czaykowski, Aiden Wimberly had a 22-yard field goal to give Beckman a 31-27 lead late in the third quarter.

But on the ensuing kickoff Nicholas Bernal raced 95 yards for a score to put Hillcrest ahead 31-27 before the Patriots rallied again to earn a berth in the final.

The Patriots were presented the championship plaque on the field with Athletic Director Steve Fischel.

“It’s surreal, I have no idea what it means,” said Giuliano, now in his 11th season leading Beckman. “I’m not good at stopping and smelling any roses, so hopefully after this is all said and done I will have that kind of reflection, but now, it’s like holy smokes, I got one day to prepare for El Cerrito or Atherton, whoever won that game.”

“It’s amazing, I’m taking it all in but just knowing the job is not finished and we got one more,” added Nam the Beckman quarterback. “I’m super proud of my team and the coaches for coaching us well and I couldn’t do it without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com