Rotsko, who will retire after 19 seasons, helped build the benchmark of success for all high school teams in Western Massachusetts.
Here is one media member’s recollection of “Pick Six,’’ six of the most memorable Longmeadow High School football games played under coach Alex Rotsko.
Rotsko announced his retirement last week, after leading the Lancers to 11 Super Bowl titles in 19 seasons.
(And apologies in advance, that two of featured games were defeats).
1. “The Loss:” I wasn’t scheduled to cover a game on Thanksgiving Day 2008, rather I’d coordinate our regional coverage from the office later that day. But being an East Longmeadow resident, I knew the town was abuzz that week with Longmeadow rolling into town with a 47-game winning streak.
Unseasonably warm weather had softened the field some and the crowd standing around the field was three or four people deep - in the end zones.
I (actually) watched (as a fan) much of the game from that vantage point, even at 6 feet 3 needing tip-toes see.
Longmeadow trailed by three late in the fourth and the final drive moved south toward the opposite end zone. You just figured that Longmeadow was Longmeadow, and Longmeadow always won.
The Lancers moved upfield, but a fourth down pass was deflected away in the end zone with 16 seconds left.
Game over. Streak over.
If the 16-13 win was a program-defining victory for East Longmeadow, what followed showed more about Longmeadow and what Rotsko and his program were all about.
“There’s no doubt that it was our biggest win here,’’ east Longmeadow coach Scott Raymond said last week. “But it’s Thanksgiving, I get home for dinner and the first call I get? It’s Alex. He was the first person to call me to say congratulations.”
2. Offense, offense, offense: Nineteen touchdowns – in one game.
Alex Scyocurka returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Longmeadow went on to score nine more times en route to an 80-55 win over visiting Minnechaug on Oct. 10, 2008.
The program’s 42nd straight win, a week after it had scored 61 during a win over Westfield, left Rotsko scratching his head.
"I am not sure what to make of it," Rotsko said after the game. "We scored 80 points and I feel a little embarrassed to say that I don't know if I should feel satisfied or disappointed with what happened tonight. I don't think I have ever seen anything like this."
Neither had any previous game played in Western Mass., as a single-game scoring record of 135 points was set. The teams combined to gain 1,252 yards from scrimmage.
Longmeadow rushed for 649 yards as a team, with Scyocurka gaining 315 and scoring five touchdowns on 26 carries. Teammate Niko Sierra added 257 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 17 attempts.
Colleague Ben Larsen of MassLive.com, also in the press box that night, still shakes his head whenever that game is mentioned.
“We couldn’t update (MassLive.com) fast enough,’’ he said. “We’d be adding in one touchdown.
3. Lucky 13: A dominating 21-0 win over Leominster in the 2007 Division I Super Bowl capped a third straight undefeated season and gave the Lancers’ a single-season, program record of 13-0.
“We weren’t going to lose our last game as seniors,” said Longmeadow’s senior quarterback Pat Donnelly, who finished his career with a 33-0 record as a starter.
4. Holding on: A year after a losing its bid for a fifth straight Super Bowl title, Longmeadow pulled out a 34-31 thriller against Central in the title game.
The Lancers survived a field goal attempt that would have tied the game as time expired.
Drama was heightened by waning moment penalties (both called and uncalled), and depending on which side you were rooting for.
5. Bounce back: A hearing about “The Loss,” for more than a week, Longmeadow won for the 49th time in 50 games, with a 35-21 win over Fitchburg in the Division I Super Bowl.
Scyocurka rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and Sierra scored three times.
The new winning streak was at two, but the Lancers’ Super Bowl winning streak was extended to four straight.
6. Sept. 23, 2004: Longmeadow’s home game with Agawam was played on a Thursday night, due to the start of Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.
It was a rare night that I left the office before midnight, but my drive home that night took me along Bliss Road, past Longmeadow High School
First glance at the scoreboard drew no reason for a second look – it read 23-0 during the third quarter. Looked like another convincing victory on a field where the Lancers had won 34 straight games.
Not until I picked up the paper the next day, did I see “Agawam 23, Longmeadow 8.” I figured the final score had been misprinted. Not so, Agawam had won.
“To this day, it is still probably my biggest accomplishment in football - as a coach or a player,” former Agawam coach and current South Hadley athletic director Tad Desautels said last week.
And that says a lot, considering it was a Thursday night game in September – nearly 12 years ago.
Another Western Mass. team would not defeat Longmeadow until East Longmeadow in 2008.