Lawrence and Hewlett Football Well Represented in the Empire Challenge

All-Star football players from Long Island and New York City will be facing off in the 16th Annual Empire Challenge All-Star game at Hofstra University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., and three athletes from the Five Towns will be in the fray.

Along with displaying the top talent from the area, in turn attracting a number of college recruiters to witness the action, the game supports former NFL player Boomer Esiason's charity to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Seidrik Ervin and Karim Mohamed from the Lawrence Golden Tornadoes and Niv Sultan from the Hewlett Bulldogs were selected to play in the game.

Ervin, a senior wide receiver, received All-County accolades this past season as Lawrence made a run all the way to the . Since joining the varsity squad two seasons ago, he also took on the role of a kick and punt returner due to his elusive speed that had been essential for the Golden Tornadoes’ success.

“It is a special feeling to be selected and I’m anxious just waiting to play on Tuesday,” Ervin told Patch.

Ervin amassed 43 receptions for 843 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns. He was looked at as the go-to-guy for quarterback Samson Bialostok whenever Lawrence needed a big score.

“It was a no-brainer for these guys to be selected to the team. Karim is a Division I scholarship athlete and Seidrik is, I believe, one of the top receivers in Nassau County," said Lawrence head coach football Joe Martillotti. "He is a gifted guy that can attack the ball and bring it down against anyone.”

Mohamed earned All-County accolades as well and will be playing center for the All-Long Island team, as he did as a senior for Lawrence. The 6-foot-5-inch, 305-pound lineman received a full athletic scholarship to play at Stony Brook next fall. He served as the leader of a solid offensive line for three seasons and looks to do the same in his final high school game. 

“I worked hard, so it is a good reward,” Mohamed said. “I’m just looking to win because that’s the most important thing in my book.”

On the Hewlett side, Sultan finished his high school career as a Bulldog as one of the most dominant defensive players Long Island has seen. The 6 foot-4-inch, 245-pound senior lineman, who also doubled as an offensive lineman, earned All-County accolades this past season for the second time, with the first as a sophomore.

This past season, Sultan was named to the First Team Long Island list and the Scholastic All-State Football team. He won the Jay Fiedler Award for the top scholar-athlete in Nassau County named by the National Football Foundation as well as the , given to the top Jewish high school athlete in the nation.

"Balancing schoolwork and athletics is an arduous thing to do," Sultan had said after being named a top scholar-athlete. "But when you achieve positive results and are successful in both facets, you realize that the hard work really does pay off."

Sultan received full scholarship offers to both Connecticut and Syracuse, the only player on Long Island to receive such offers, but turned them down to attend and play football , where he was their top defensive line recruit. He recorded 71 tackles and three sacks to lead the Hewlett defense in his final season.

“It is a great honor for him to be regarded as one of the best defensive linemen on Long Island and when being offered full scholarships, it is a given to be selected to the all star team,” said Hewlett head football coach Jay Iaquinta. “On the offensive side, our best plays that got the most yardage were one’s that went behind him. He played a very large part in our success.”

Long Island and New York City will play in the highly anticipated Empire Challenge on Tuesday night. The New York City side won the 2010 game, 15-10, but Long Island won the annual match-up three of the five years prior. 

Chris R. Vaccaro contributed to this story.