Greenberg Continues To Tackle Competition

Alex Greenberg's career at Harrison was so remarkable that he was already recruited heavily by several colleges to play football by the start of his junior season. The mammoth Greenberg was a superior member of the Huskies and a force to be reckoned with in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Greenberg played three years of varsity football for the Huskies, starting nearly his entire career on defense and starting at center his junior and senior seasons. By graduation Greenberg's trophy case was stacked with accolades from his years on the gridiron. He made the all-league team in each of his three seasons and he also added two all-section teams, as well as being named to the first team all-state and all-county teams his senior year while winning the Class A linemen of the year and the Chris Mello Scholarship award.

Greenberg was recruited by several colleges and was even offered scholarships from some Division 1-AA schools, but in the end the nose tackle felt that SUNY Cortland was the best fit.

In his first three years with the Red Dragons the team has gone 26-9, thanks in large part to the 235 pound Greenberg. But looking back, he gives a lot of credit for his success in college to his preparation at Harrison High School.

"My career at Harrison was great preparation for college football. Harrison football is a program that is enriched in tradition and one main concept, hard work," said Greenberg. "The off-season strength and speed program that I endured during my Harrison days was extremely well run and top notch and made the strength and speed transition in college much easier."

"When you play Harrison football you put in many long hours and tough days, and because I had already been through a great program like Harrison football, when I got to Cortland I was accustomed to long hours and lots of hard work. At Harrison all my hard work paid off by winning two section championships and one regional championship so I knew that hard work always pays off," he added.

Though his preparation at Harrison helped him get ready for colligate athletics, Greenberg said there is a clear difference between the high school game and college football.

"Once you get to college you realize that the game has been turned up about 10 notches and everyone is much faster and stronger than you are used to," said Greenberg, "It took a little getting used to, but sooner or later you catch on."

In 2008 Greenberg and Cortland won the conference championship and made it all the way to the elite eight of the college playoffs before losing to eventual national champion Mount Union.

In 2009 the Red Dragons went 7-4 and lost in the ECAC Northeast Bowl Game to St. John Fisher. Greenberg started the entire season on the defensive line.

Last year Greenberg accumulated 26 tackles with three sacks and six and a half tackles for loss totaling 26 yards. Greenberg also hurried the quarterback five times, deflected one pass and forced and recovered a fumble.

Greenberg is one of 27 players going into their senior season for Cortland, and if the team plays up to expectations they have a chance to compete for a championship this fall.