All four Suffolk County football divisions have an unstoppable force this season.
William Floyd, Lindenhurst, Sayville, and Mt. Sinai all finished with perfect regular-season records. While these teams may be 8-0, there are No. 2 seeds looking for that redemption win, and for the middle-of-the-pack schools, there will be big battles to keep the postseason dream alive this weekend.
Division I:
The perennial powerhouse that is No. 1 William Floyd faces No. 8 Commack (3-5) Saturday, November 9, at 1 p.m. The Colonials’ offense has put up an average 36 points or five touchdowns per game and is led by Tyshawn Lopez, who has scored a whopping 17 of them this season, traveling 1,273 yards on 144 carries. Jeyzad Hall added nine, and moved the ball 722 yards on 72 rushing attempts. Also Saturday is a game between No. 4 Patchogue-Medford (6-2) and No. 5 Ward Melville (4-4) could shake things up. William Floyd topped the Patriots in the Suffolk County championship game last year, 34-17, for the Colonials’ 11th Suffolk title in the past 18 years. This loss will be a motivating factor for Ward Melville to get past the Raiders. While the two teams didn’t face each other in the regular season, both faced No. 2 Sachem East (6-2) this season. Ward Melville lost 14-7 October 25, and Patchogue-Medford 30-17 two weeks prior, on October 11. Sachem East will see No. 7 Brentwood (3-5) Friday November 8 at 6 p.m. No. 3 Longwood (6-2) takes on No. 6 Riverhead (6-2 and at a lower seed due to less power points) on the same day and time. All matchups will take place at the higher seed, and the top four teams will be reseeded to start the November 15 and 16 tournament.
Division II:
Lindenhurst is a fast-moving train this season. With four shutouts, the defense has let up just over seven points per game this season — a single touchdown — led in large part by Jack Winey’s over 80 tackles this season. The junior linebacker turned in double-digit performances in six games this season, including a 14-tackle performance in a 14-0 blanking of previously undefeated West Islip October 19. The defending champions have had Winey on the varsity team since he was a freshman. Jaden Barber has rushed for 535 yards and six touchdowns on 91 carries this season, and received eight receptions for 195 yards and a score. Jack Hogan has collected four touchdowns and 96 yards on 14 rushes, and received three passes for 50 yards. The No. 1 seed will face No. 8 Half Hollow Hills East (5-3) Friday at Lindenhurst Middle School. No. 2 West Islip (6-2) will also host a Friday matchup, against No. 7 Newfield (5-3). No. 4 Centereach (5-3) will see No. 5 Connetquot (4-4) November 8. Just a few weeks ago, on October 25, the two teams met, and Centereach came out on top 35-20. The only Saturday Division II game will be between No. 3 North Babylon (6-2) and No. 6 Huntington (5-3).
Division III:
Sayville is back to soaring over the rest of its division competitors. The No. 1 Golden Flashes will face No. 8 Rocky Point (5-3), which started the season off 4-0 before a 41-21 loss to Kings Park, Friday at the Greely Avenue sports complex. Sayville is led by one of Long Island’s top two-way players in Brock Murtha. The senior passed for a touchdown, caught one and returned an interception 72 yards for a score in the Golden Flashes’ 28-7 win over Half Hollow Hills West October 26. He has received 15 touchdowns this season, catching 840 yards on 43 receptions, and rushed the ball 84 yards on 14 carries. He has made several big interceptions in crucial contests this season, including one at the end of a 34-23 victory over Comsewogue October 12. Junior quarterback Jack Cheshire, who completed 15 of 19 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns that game, tossed a 26-yarder to Murtha on third-and-9 with five minutes remaining to give Sayville its first lead of the game, 27-23, before Murtha’s interception a minute later set up his own 1-yard touchdown run that gave the game its final score. Cheshire and Murtha have a good thing going. The junior, who’d thrown 17 scores in his first three games of his career at quarterback, the most of any in the position in Long Island history through their first three games, tossed to Murtha, who made a diving catch in the Golden Flashes’ come-from-behind 28-27 win over East Islip October 5. At the time it was a battle of undefeateds. No. 2 Westhampton (7-1), a longtime rival of Sayville’s, takes on No. 7 Hauppauge (5-3) November 8. The Hurricanes are led by senior two-way standout Jaden AlfanoStJohn. One of Suffolk’s best, whose twin brother Jesse leads the team in tackles, rushed for 1,162 yards and 18 touchdowns on 171 attempts, and caught eight receptions for 106 yards and a score. He’s almost single-handedly won multiple games for Westhampton this year. Saturday, No. 3 East Islip (6-2) will see No. 6 Comsewogue (4-4) at home. No. 4 Hills West (5-3) will duke it out with No. 5 Kings Park (6-2) for the last spot in the reseeding.
Division IV:
Mt. Sinai’s Mustangs lead the pack in a division where all qualifying round matchups take place Friday. The No. 1 seed will see No. 8 Hampton Bays at home. Mt. Sinai’s running back/defensive back Matthew LoMonaco shined on both sides of the ball as a junior, with 12 receptions for 366 yards and four touchdowns and 41 tackles, and is glowing even brighter as a senior. He rushed for five touchdowns and 248 yards on 29 carries this regular season, and caught another 409 yards and six touchdowns on 19 receptions. He scored twice in Mt. Sinai’s 35-0 win over Hampton Bays October 26, and had both kick and punt-return touchdowns called back because of penalties that game. He also returned an interception 43 yards for a score in the Mustangs’ 35-21 win over Shoreham-Wading River. He ended that one with six catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. The team also boasts Brandon Ventarola, who passed the ball 707 yards for nine touchdowns and rushed for another nine scores and 369 yards on 34 carries. He completed 41 of his total 68 passes. Joey Spallina had four touchdowns this regular season for Mt. Sinai, moving the ball 285 yards on 41 attempts, and caught 99 yards and a touchdown on eighth receptions. Crosstown rival Shoreham-Wading River (7-1) remains right behind the Mustangs, who lost to the Wildcats 28-21 in the county final last season. The No. 2 seed is led by all-star senior quarterback Xavier Arline, another do-it-all in Suffolk this season. On the team since he was an eighth-grader, Arline has rushed for a monster 25 touchdowns this season and carried the ball 1,392 yards on 138 attempts. He rushed for five touchdowns in two games during his senior campaign, and four in another where he passed for one, too. Arline threw seven scores and 860 yards this season. He’s completed 56 of his 91 passes. The No. 2 seed takes on No. 7 Center Moriches (5-3) at home at 5 p.m., No. 3 Bayport-Blue Point (5-3) faces No. 6 Port Jefferson (4-4) at 5 p.m. and No. 4 Babylon (5-3) hosts No. 5 Elwood-John Glenn (4-4) at the regularly-slated 6 p.m.
