HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW SUFFOLK DIVISION I Who will stop the reign of Floyd?
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 16 Sep 2007:
The obvious focus in Mastic Beach will be on a prolific offense that is expected to put up big numbers. Floyd, the defending two-time Long Island Class I champion, returns two All-Long Island seniors in quarterback Joe Sidaras and halfback Brock Jackolski. The rest of the division is wondering how to stop the Colonials’ offense.
The strong-armed Sidaras will operate behind an experienced offensive line, and Jackolski will continue his run at all of Floyd’s offensive records. The Colonials produced more than 300 yards of offense in the first half of seven games last season. They are looking to become the first school to win three straight L.I. Class I crowns. A dazzling offense overshadows a dominant defense: Floyd yielded only 33 points in the regular season in 2006.
Brentwood lost twice last season – both to Floyd. The Indians have size and talent and they could be the second-best team in Suffolk. But do they have enough to upend Floyd? Lindenhurst and a skilled offense will score often and Longwood is ready to compete with anyone. – GREGG SARRA
1. FLOYD (11-0)
Coach: Paul Longo (13th season).
Key players: Sr. QB Joe Sidaras (6-3, 205), Sr. HB/SS Brock Jackolski (5-10, 185), Jr. OG/DT Tom Lindley (6-3, 305), Sr. C/DT Joe Johnson (5-10, 260), Sr. RB/LB Rey Marcano (5-10, 195), Sr. K/CB Jonathan Korn (5-11, 175).
On the Colonials: Floyd has won two straight Long Island Class I championships and is poised to go for the three-peat, which no team has ever done. The Rutgers Trophy champion has a 22-game winning streak, which ties Central Islip and Patchogue-Medford for the longest public schools streak in Suffolk. A win over Patchogue-Medford in the season opener late Saturday night will allow Floyd to stand alone. The return of two of Long Island’s most electric offensive players, quarterback Joey “Sunshine” Sidaras and halfback Brock Jackolski gives the Colonials the 1-2 punch to win it all. Coach Paul Longo is confident his team can win it all again but is cautious, “We respect everyone in this division. And we know that it doesn’t matter what’s on paper, it matters how you play on the field. We’ve seen great teams lose in the past – it happens.” Floyd is this year’s heavy favorite, but is guarded.
2. BRENTWOOD (8-2)
Coach: Steve Perretta (fifth season).
Key players: Sr. TB/NT Rickoy Palmer (6-0, 225), Sr. OT/DT Jordy Paulemon (6-3, 285), Sr. FB Johnathan Simon (6-0, 230), Sr. MLB Nick Cornacchio (6-0, 235), Sr. WR Blake Crespo (5-10, 175), Sr. LB Mike Hernandez (5-7, 180).
On the Indians: Brentwood was good enough to win the Division I championship but blew a 14-7 lead late in the fourth quarter at Stony Brook in the title game. The Indians were beaten soundly by Floyd during the regular season, 42-6, and bounced back with a herculean effort in the championship game. Floyd needed two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to pull out the win. That type of resilience and a ton of talent in the Brentwood program will keep Floyd looking over its shoulder. The toughest man in the division may be nose tackle Rickoy Palmer. He creates havoc in the opposing backfield. Palmer will also lead a strong running game. Look for a hungry Brentwood to make things interesting all season.
3. LONGWOOD (5-4)
Coach: Chris Meyer (first season).
Key players: Sr. WR/FS Mike Parrish (6-0, 195), Sr. RB/LB Chris Searles (6-0, 195), Sr. TE/LB Louis Scala (6-0, 230), Jr. WR/CB Nick Esposito (6-2, 185), Sr. QB Eddie Wess (6-0, 175), Sr. OL/DL Devon Watkis (6-8, 315).
On the Lions: There is strength on both sides of the line and enough experience to give the Lions a shot at the division. Ball control, a swarming defense and an experienced quarterback in lefthanded Eddie Wess makes Longwood a formidable opponent to challenge Brentwood and Floyd. Longwood won the L.I. Class I championship in 2004 and lost in the division semifinals the past two years.
4. LINDENHURST (3-5)
Coach: Rich Biancaniello (25th season).
Key players: Sr. WR/DB Brian Cervantes (6-4, 210), Sr. QB Matt Buckheit (6-0, 178), Jr. RB/LB Joe Vespier (6-0, 186), Sr. RB/SS Drew Bourgondien (5-7, 165), Sr. OT/DT Samuel Scott-Baugh (6-1, 245), Sr. C/DT Nick Kostishak (6-1, 225).
On the Bulldogs: The athleticism in Lindenhurst cannot be overlooked. Senior quarterback Matt Buckheit passed for 1,252 yards and 12 touchdowns and he can deliver the ball to a boatload of receivers. One of those is one of L.I.’s best in senior Brian Cervantes, who had 29 receptions for 385 yards and six scores. Quick and agile linemen will give Buckheit the time to throw. The addition of transfer Samuel Scott-Baugh, a two-way lineman from Amityville, will help the Bulldogs. Junior halfback Joe Vespier is a bruising runner and an outstanding linebacker. He had 61 unassisted tackles and two sacks last season.
Longwood 34, Connetquot 6: Eddie Wess completed 7 of 12 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown and ran for 10 yards and two touchdowns on three attempts to power No.3 Longwood in new coach Chris Meyer’s varsity debut. Sept. 16
Meyer took over in July after Adam DeWitt departed for an administrator job at Ward Melville.
Chris Searles put the Lions ahead for good with a 1-yard burst to open the second quarter and break a tie at 6. Longwood scored the game’s final 28 points.
Rashawn Robinson rushed for 90 yards and gained 85 more on two catches.
FLOYD 42, LONGWOOD 7 Jackolski spurs 24th in row
Gold, Jeff. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Sep 2007
Usually, it’s one of the games that gives Floyd some difficulty.
The Suffolk power has gone undefeated en route to winning back-to-back Long Island titles the last two years, but has had some difficulty defeating Longwood, needing critical fourth quarter scores in both seasons.
No fourth quarter exploits were needed last night as host Floyd crushed Longwood 42-7 in a Division I football game.
“I’m real proud of my guys. For us to come out and beat a great program like Longwood this way, that’s really good,” Floyd coach Paul Longo said. “Hopefully, this will be a springboard for the rest of the season.”
It was Floyd’s 24th straight win, a Suffolk public school record. It was also the Colonials’ 34th consecutive Division I win and home victory, both Suffolk records.
Floyd running back Brock Jackolski rushed for 203 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. It was Jackolski’s second career four-touchdown game – the first coming in Floyd’s 2005 L.I. championship win over Baldwin.
But as impressive as Jackolski’s offensive performance was, Longo highlighted a second-quarter defensive play Jackolski made when he chased down a receiver who had a 15-yard head start on him, forced a fumble, and recovered it in the end zone.
“He’s the best secondary kid I’ve ever had – by far,” said Longo, in his 13th season. “I don’t even have to think about it for a second.”
Floyd jumped to a 21-0 first quarter lead and led 35-0 at the half. In addition to Jackolski’s four scores, Floyd scored two touchdowns by recovering fumbles in the end zone.
“It’s a new play we’re working on,” Longo said. “This formula works well for us: Brock scores touchdowns and we recover fumbles in the end zone.”
With the game in hand, Longo played his backups for much of the second half.
“I’m happy to have an easy game every game. I don’t want to be feeling nervous,” he said. “This way I get a chance to play everyone and keep the players healthy.”
FLOYD 42, LONGWOOD 7
Northport 0707- 14
Longwood 06296- 41
L — Wess 43 run (kick failed)
N — Corio 5 run (kick good)
L — Robinson 3 run (Wess run)
L — Parrish 25 pass from Wess (Janowski kick)
L — Esposito 42 int. return (Janowski kick)
L — Searles 5 run (Janowski kick)
L — Thongkaseth 2 run (kick failed)
N — Russo 5 run (kick good). Sept. 30
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Searles’ TD run lifts Longwood past Brentwood
Anonymous. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Oct 2007:
Chris Searles’ 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter capped a 50-yard drive and gave Longwood the final margin as the Lions topped previously undefeated Brentwood, 14-8, yesterday in a Suffolk Division I football game.
Brentwood (3-1) had a third-and-short from their own 25-yard line when Lou Scala’s sack forced Brentwood to punt. Searles also had two sacks to go along with eight tackles for Longwood (3-1). Linebacker Moses White added 10 tackles.
LONGWOOD 13, SACHEM NORTH 7 Unconventional win Five turnovers for Longwood turn out to be no big obstacle
Gold, Jeff. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Oct 2007:
With each Longwood turnover the frustration grew. The noise from the sideline, however, did not. And as a result, focus never wavered.
If ever there was a time to expect a team to lose composure, Longwood experienced it yesterday. There were two fumbles in Sachem North territory, an interception near the goal-line and a muffed punt at midfield. Longwood seemingly found every conceivable way to give up possession.
On the sideline, Longwood coach Chris Meyer barely raised his voice, and his players never panicked.
“I’m not much of a yeller,” Meyer said. “You have to stay low-key.”
Despite five turnovers, Longwood held on to defeat Sachem North, 13-7, in a Suffolk Division I football game.
“That certainly wasn’t pretty,” Meyer said. “Five turnovers. Wow. But it’s a win.”
“We didn’t lose our confidence,” said Longwood‘s Chris Searles, who had 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. “We kept making mistakes, but we knew we were the ones stopping ourselves so we were all right.”
Longwood (4-1) almost wasn’t all right. It was one first down away from securing the win before its third fumble – and fifth turnover – gave Sachem North (2-3) the ball on its own 29 with 2:45 left in the game.
But on Sachem North’s first play after the turnover, Longwood‘s Billy Hedges made a leaping interception at midfield. It was his fourth interception of the season.
“That was definitely my biggest one,” Hedges said. “It was a game saver.”
“Absolutely tremendous play,” Meyer said.
Longwood rushed for a first down and ran out the clock for its third straight victory.
As sloppy as Longwood was offensively, its defense was solid, led by Lou Scala’s 11 tackles and critical fumble recovery on Longwood‘s 9-yard line in the second quarter with the score tied at 7.
The play came after Sachem North recovered a muffed punt at midfield and completed a 31-yard pass down to Longwood‘s 9.
“I thought that fumble was the turning point. Any time you get turnovers, you have to turn it into points,” Sachem North coach David Falco said. “Then in the second half, we couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
Most teams haven’t done much offensively against Longwood. Outside of its struggles against Floyd, when it gave up 42 points, Longwood‘s defense has been one of the best on Long Island. In its four victories, it has given up a total of 35 points.
“The defense has basically been carrying us,” Meyer said.
The win was Longwood‘s third straight after the 42-7 defeat to Floyd. But after that game, as is his nature, Meyer didn’t rip into his players or make any grandstand plays. Instead, just like yesterday, he continually preached going back to basics instead of wholesale changes.
“That Floyd loss almost seems like an entire year ago,” said quarterback Ed Wess, who was 5-for-9 for 132 yards. “We’ve been doing pretty well since then.”
Longwood 34, Patchogue-Medford 6: Mike Parrish caught four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown on two carries for Longwood (5-1). Eddie Wess completed 9 of 13 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Longwood rushed for over 200 yards and held Patchogue-Medford (3-3) under 80 total yards. The offensive line of Devon Watkis, Casey Callagy, Vinny Canale, Eric Cruz and Chris Gonzalez did not allow a sack. Lou Scala led the defense with 11 tackles. Oct. 21
Longwood 14, Lindenhurst 13: Moses White’s 2-yard touchdown run with four minutes left in the third quarter gave Longwood (6-1) a 13-7 lead over Lindenhurst (3-4). White also had nine tackles, an interception and a sack. Mike Parrish ran the ball 15 times for 110 yards in the win. Oct. 28
LONGWOOD 20, WHITMAN 17: Wildcats denied berth
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 04 Nov 2007
The Whitman football team, hosting Longwood on Homecoming in Huntington Station last night, was in search of its first playoff berth in 18 years.
The Wildcats will have to wait yet another year.
Longwood‘s Mike Parrish broke the collective hearts of the Wildcats faithful when he broke a 20-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to erase a five-point deficit and send the Lions to a 20-17 win over Whitman in a Suffolk Division I football game.
The Whitman offense couldn’t find any running room against a Longwood defense which stiffened after the first half. The Wildcats were never able to get close enough to try a game-tying field goal with the surefooted Gregory Harris, who had nailed both extra-point attempts and a field goal earlier in the game.
Longwood took a knee on the final few plays of the game to seal the win.
Harris kicked a 24-yard field goal as the Wildcats extended the halftime lead to 17-12 in the third quarter.
But Parrish, who scored on a 56-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, broke loose for his second score of the game to give Longwood its first lead with 10:43 left in the game.
Whitman’s Clarmell Betts scored his second rushing touchdown of the first half and the Wildcats carried a 14-12 lead into the half.
No. 2 Longwood will host No. 3 Brentwood next week in a semifinal.
LONGWOOD 14, BRENTWOOD 8 White’s big run wins it
Anonymous. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 11 Nov 2007:
There are no regrets in Brentwood. Hobbled by injuries and up against a football team that had beaten them earlier this season, the Indians almost pulled off the Suffolk Division I semifinal playoff upset.
Longwood halfback Moses White scored on a 42-yard run early in the fourth quarter and the Lions held on for a 14-8 victory over Brentwood yesterday in a Division I semifinal in Middle Island. Teammate Mike Parrish caught the two-point conversion pass from quarterback Ed Wess for the final margin.
No.2 Longwood (8-1) will meet No.1 Floyd (9-0), for the Division I championship at Stony Brook University at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
After Longwood took the lead the Lions recovered the ensuing kickoff when it ricocheted off one of the Brentwood players in the front line. The Lions drove deep into Brentwood territory before the Indians intercepted a pass at the 2-yard line with 1:44 left.
“We played a fantastic game,” Brentwood coach Steve Perretta said. “We just didn’t have enough on the offensive end to pull this one out. We’re not a big strike team.”
Brentwood (5-4) almost did. Senior halfback Rickoy Palmer ripped off a 47-yard run in the third quarter to the Longwood 5, but a penalty nullified the run and the Indians never threatened from there.
“I’m disappointed because our kids weren’t given a chance,” Perretta said. “No one thought we could give Longwood a game.”
FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Playing for history and bragging rights Floyd trying for 3rd title in a row; E. Islip, W. Islip continue rivalry
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 15 Nov 2007:
Will we hear a Lions’ roar this weekend? Longwood and West Islip both take modest winning streaks into the four Suffolk championships at Stony Brook University. Longwood‘s Lions take a seven-game win streak against top-ranked Floyd, the two-time Long Island Class I champions, for the Division I crown at LaValle Stadium. West Islip’s Lions are on a five-game roll and they meet crosstown rival East Islip for the Division II title.
No. 1 Floyd vs. No. 2 Longwood, Saturday, 4 p.m.: The Colonials are on a 31-game winning streak and there is an opportunity to make history here. No team has won three Long Island championships in a row. Floyd crushed Longwood during the season, 42-7, and has too much respect for the Lions to take them lightly. Longwood (8-1) has been on quite a roll since that loss, winning seven in a row. Floyd (9-0) has an added incentive. The Colonials dusted Longwood during the regular season in 2004 only to have the Lions come out and upset them in the county playoffs. Floyd coach Paul Longo has reminded his team about that turn of events all week in practice. Could it happen again? I don’t think so. The pick: Floyd.
FLOYD 43, LONGWOOD 0 Sky’s the limit for Colonials Passing game helps Floyd cruise to third straight Division I title
Sarra, Gregg. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Nov 2007:
Three years is a long time for anything to linger – unless of course it’s a championship. Being on top never gets old.
There is the proverbial two-headed monster on the Floyd football team. And it has presented a major problem for defensive coordinators all season. Key on halfback Brock Jackolski and quarterback Joe Sidaras will make you pay. Focus on stopping the passing game, and the Colonials offensive line will give Jackolski room to run.
Longwood chose to try and stop Floyd’s ground game and the Lions paid for it. Sidaras dissected the Longwood secondary as he completed 12 of 13 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns as Floyd rolled past the Lions, 43-0, last night to capture the school’s third straight Suffolk Division I championship before a crowd of 3,200 at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium.
Floyd (10-0) tied Bethpage for the all-time Long Island winning streak at 32 games. Bethpage won 32 in a row between 1993-95. The Colonials have also won an unprecedented three straight Division I titles.
“They’re just a step above everyone else this year,” Longwood coach Chris Meyer said. “They had the experience and those guys can play.”
The Colonials are two-time defending Long Island Class I champions and have been to the big game in five of the past seven years. No team has ever won three successive Class I crowns. Floyd will attempt to make history when they meet Nassau Conference I champ Farmingdale at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at LaValle Stadium.
“Our line did a great job of picking up the blitz and keeping them off me,” said Sidaras, who loved the opportunity to air it out. “And it was exciting to get out and throw it. Guys were open and it was a matter of reading the defense and making the right decisions.”
Sidaras capped a 79-yard, 11-play drive with a 23-yard scoring strike to junior Steve Murphy with 3:12 left in the first quarter. The big play of the drive came when Jackolski released over the middle and Sidaras hit him in stride for 44 yards. Jon Korn’s extra-point kick made it 7-0.
“He was right on,” said Murphy, who had three receptions for 40 yards and two scores. “I was finding the soft spot in the coverage.”
That worked well on the second scoring drive when Sidaras rolled left and looked into the end zone corner. With no one open, he scanned to the middle of the end zone where Murphy was alone for a 5-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 with 10:39 left in the half.
“They were keying the run,” said Jackolski, who finished with 70 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. “There were so many guys in the box. So we went to the pass and the line gave him so much time.”
Jackolski added an 8-yard scoring run to cap a 65-yard drive as Floyd took a 20-0 lead at the half.
This wasn’t just about Floyd’s unstoppable offense. This was as much about their stout defense led by linebacker Rey Marcano.
“We executed the game plan to perfection,” Marcano said. “It was our best game on defense.”
The Colonials held Longwood to 75 total yards. The Lions rushed 28 times for 41 yards and junior quarterback Eddie Wess was sacked five times. A blocked punt by Wayne Magee led to a Jackolski 1-yard touchdown run.
“They were all over us,” said Wess, who completed three of 11 passes for 20 yards. “We played hard but they have an amazing team.”
And so it goes in Division I.