Adisa Issac of Canarsie High Honored As Top NYC Football Player

Eleven outstanding New York City high school football players were honored on May 1 at the seventh annual "Elite Eleven" Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet in Manhattan hosted by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. At the event, the chapter also presented its Mr. Football New York City Award to the best player in the city, Adisa Issac of Brooklyn’s Canarsie High School.

A star defensive end for Coach Brian Ellis’ Chiefs, Issac is committed to play at Penn State University with a full athletic scholarship. He completed his high school career with 198 total tackles, 38 sacks, eight forced fumbles, two safeties and one interception. Last season, he was ranked the top college prospect in New York State and the 66th overall prospect in the country.

The award was presented to Issac by James C. Metzger, a Long Island star athlete in football, basketball and lacrosse. He is a member of the Hofstra University Athletics Hall of Fame. As the founder and CEO of The Whitmore Group, one of the leading insurance agencies in the New York City area, Metzger sponsors the annual award. He wished the young defensive end success with this outstanding opportunity at Penn State to continue his education and advance his athletic career.

Landberg Is Coach Of The Year

The NFF New York City Chapter presented Danny Landberg, head football coach at Erasmus Hall High School, with its Vincent O'Connor New York City Coach of the Year Award. The award is named for the coach who finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School in Queens with the second most football wins in New York State high school history (341 wins over 61 years).

During the 2018 season, Coach Landberg led Erasmus Hall to an 11-1 season and its second city championship under his direction. During his tenure, the school has competed for seven city championships while winning 133 games. His players have advanced to academic and athletic success at Rutgers University, Syracuse University, The Ohio State University, Boston College, UConn, Temple University and Stony Brook University.

The awards banquet was organized by Marc T. Hudak, a partner and member of The Whitmore Group's management committee who also is the chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The Ithaca College graduate was a two-time All-America selection in football and captain of the 1988 National Championship Team. He is a member of the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame.

The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation was founded during 2012. It honors the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs, recognizing them for their performance on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community. The organization also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.