Three takeaways from the Long Island high school football county semifinals
The Oceanside dance team performs at halftime during a Nassau Conference I semifiinal against Massapequa at Hofstra on Saturday. Credit: David Meisenholder
1. There is nothing like a high school playoff football atmosphere.
It’s so much more than just the game. And that was on display throughout the weekend’s semifinal playoff games.
The contributing factors that make the games even more enjoyable come in the form of the school bands, cheerleaders, kick lines, dance teams and the energetic student sections in the bleachers.
They all add another level of excitement to an already intense atmosphere surrounding the games. The cheerleading squads multiply for playoff games as coordinators invite the younger squads to join the varsity girls and boys.
The halftime shows include band performances, or the kick line and dance teams working in amazing precision.
If you haven’t seen the Oceanside dance team — it’s a must-see high school entertainment — they are excellent.
And how about the courage of all the high school national anthem singers going out in front of the big crowds to get things started?
There are noticeable student sections like the Bird Cage at Connetquot and Section 309 in Oceanside. Those animated and enthusiastic student sections are part of the school’s sports culture. They create a buzz that unites community through spirit and inspires their players.
This weekend, student section honors goes to the Manhasset contingent that sang our national anthem loud and proud.
This is why there is nothing like high school football and the way it galvanizes a community and brings people together.
Good luck to the eight public schools’ finalists in search of county crowns and St. Anthony’s, which plays for the CHSFL title.
2. Something old and something new.
Half Hollow Hills East is going to the finals for the first time in the 53-year history of the Suffolk playoffs. The RedHawks will meet East Islip for the Suffolk Division II crown at 4 p.m. Friday at Stony Brook University.
It never gets old for Garden City. The Trojans are in the school’s 38th Nassau final and ninth consecutive year. They will play Manhasset for the Nassau Conference III title Saturday at Hofstra University at 12:30 p.m. Garden City has won eight titles in a row.
3. 112 Long Island schools started the season without a loss. There are only five left.
Carey, Garden City, East Islip, Sayville and Bayport-Blue Point are all 10-0.
Garden City, the three-time defending Class II champion is on a Long Island-record 52-game win streak, Bayport-Blue Point, the Class IV champ, is at 33 in a row and East Islip, the Class III champ, has 18 straight wins. Can anyone knock them off?
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.