Indians Insider: Injury Riddled No More, Berardis Shines At Post
July 8, 2013
By Zach Smart
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Anthony Berardis remembers the astonishing pain of playing despite a separated shoulder. He remembers the will to gut it out.
It was against Brewster, the season-opener of his senior year.
Berardis masked his pain through overtime. The fear of reliving the nightmare of his senior football season, when he broke his hand, transformed into denial.
Following the game Berardis' father, Anthony Sr., helped him gauge the injury.
The residual pain coursed through Anthony's arms, which he couldn't lift over his head. It was excruciating.
Little by little, Berardis worked his way back into form. Frequent visits to his uncle, Shrub Oak-based chiropractor Michael Berardis, helped rectify the glaring issue.
While he fought relentlessly through the injury, Berardis did not have the type of senior year he envisioned. Lofty aspirations, heaped on one of the Section's top scorers, never panned out.
"Honestly, I was really disappointed by how my senior year went," explained Berardis.
"Just the injuries, the fact that we didn't win the Sectional championship, it definitely was not how I would have liked it to end. As a competitor it's hard to be content with that. But the past is over and you move on without looking back."
Division-I programs from Albany to Penn State to Stony Brook expressed interest in Berardis, a highly-courted recruit due to his hard and heavy shot.
The young gun eventually landed at Division-II Long Island University-C.W. Post. Amped about the opportunity to earn significant playing time right away, penning with the Pioneers was an easy decision for Berardis.
How has Berardis taken advantage of the opportunity?
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound slinger made an immediate impact a freshman, becoming as adept with his right hand as his reliable left.
Berardis deposited 21 goals, dished out four assists, and earned an ECC All Conference Honorable Mention nod in his rookie season. This was en route to helping John Jez's Pioneers to an 11-3 record. Very few saw Post's ascension coming.
A patchwork, callow core, left too many unanswered questions in the pre-season.
The season culminated with a mentally draining 9-8 loss to No.3 Le Moyne in the NCAA tournament's first round.
The Pioneers staged a dramatic rally, popping two goals in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. Berardis found the trigger, piping two goals alongside sophomore Connor Drost (3 goals).
Taking on a portion of the scoring mantle, Berardis posted a hat trick against St. Rose back on Feb.24.
The southpaw exploded for a career-high four goals on Southern New Hampshire back on March 13. Berardis also emerged with the hot hand against Mercyhurst on April 13, depositing three goals.
The class of 2012 graduate scored in 12 of 14 games and doled out two assists in a 9-5 win against Dowling College on April 20.
"At first, transitioning was pretty tough," Berardis said.
"With fall ball, I had an idea what to expect. There were rigorous practices right from the beginning and work, so there was really no time to settle in. By spring time, I got used to leveling out homework and practice. You get used to it."
The Pioneers' monstrous pre-season schedule helped mold Berardis and his teammates for the competition.
"Coach Jez always has us scrimmage top-notch teams," Berardis said.
"We had a lot of Division-I teams in the pre-season, major D-I teams and it definitely helps. I think we were unsure about how good we really were until the season. We were so young, nobody had expectations for us."
A quick dodger known for drilling stick side high on the run, Berardis developed a flair for crunch time.
He's still recognized for his game-winner against cross-town rival Yorktown, a clutch snipe which ended a massive drought back in 2011.
Berardis threw a fake and zipped a dart into the top left pocket, snapping a 14-game losing streak dating back to 1999.
"I wasn't surprised that he had an amazing freshman year," said Ken Donnelly, an assistant coach under Mike and Dave Haddeland during Berardis' stay at Mahopac.
"When I saw CW Post play Mercy College this spring, Anthony really stood out. He was quicker, stronger, and very confident with the ball.
Donnelly describes' Berardis' game as tactical.
"For example, he'll burn a defender twice with the same move. Just when the defender figures out what to do to stop that move, he'll change it up and smoke him the other way. He can read the defense well. He always knows how to draw the double team and dish it to the back side for the layup."
Berardis' junior year, both Mike and Dave Haddeland urged him to develop his right. On the rare occasion that he scored with his right in practice, the Haddelands were quick to make note of it.
"That's one aspect of my game that's changed a lot," explained Berardis.
"My junior year of high school, I kind of only had a left hand. I spent that summer working on my right, learning to score an even amount of goals with my right and my left."
A familiar face has helped push Berardis' acceleration at LIU Post. Former Mahopac teammate Okie Bernabo, an incoming senior for the Pioneers, has been instrumental in his helping his high school teammate grow.
"Having Okie out there is just awesome," said Berardis.
"He may not be the biggest kid, he may not be the strongest kid, he may not be the fastest kid. But he is a ground ball machine and he plays the game with such passion, he's always one of the best players on the field. He's been a captain since his sophomore year and you can see why. He's a great leader and an ever better teammate. I was fortunate to end up playing with him again in college."
He's also fortunate to have a clean bill of health.
The injury-riddled senior year, the wistful reminders of what could have been are now long gone.