Three takeaways from Week 6 of the Long Island high school football season
The Sayville cheer squad poses before a Suffolk Division III football game against Half Hollow Hills West at Sayville on Saturday. Credit: Neil Miller
1. Bring back home field for the playoffs
There was something special going on in Sayville on Saturday night. Sure, it was Homecoming day and the Golden Flashes had celebrated its King and Queen in town.
It was small town vibes on a large scale. And there was excellence in football as the Golden Flashes were hosting Half Hollow Hills West in a battle of the unbeaten in Suffolk’s Division III.
It was mid-October and effectively late in the regular season. The early evening weather was crisp but clear and mild enough for only a sweatshirt. The game had a playoff feel.
The cheerleaders from the middle school to the high school level, the band, the youth players dressed in their PAL uniforms and all the locals came out to support the home team. And Hills West traveled well with a huge contingent of supporters. The announced crowd was more than 5,000 and there was not an empty seat as fans were forced to line the perimeter of the field to get a glimpse of an exciting matchup.
What really struck me was how we’ve lost that connection to the hometown fans by taking away the very games that should be played at the higher seed and not at a neutral site in the playoffs.
Save the bigger venue for the four Long Island Championship games. Leave the rest for the hometown folks to enjoy. Make it a home game for someone to earn the right to play in front of their fans. Give the first and second place teams a home game. Districts have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into beautiful venues, play there.
The matchup on Saturday night brought us back to a time when earning home field advantage was important. Now it gets you the home or visitor locker room in an outrageously overpriced college venue, that brings in a much smaller crowd.
Sayville cheer squad poses before the game at the Suffolk High School Division 3 football game,at Sayville, Saturday,October 19.2024 Credit: Neil Miller
Bring the playoff games back home.
2. Cold Spring Harbor reigns supreme in Nassau IV
After six games, who would have thought Cold Spring Harbor would be the lone undefeated team in the conference? That’s right: the Seahawks upended No. 2 Plainedge, 18-14, Friday and the preseason No. 5 seed has looked every bit as good as any team to go and win the Nassau IV title. They’ve now beaten the one (Seaford), two and fourth (Locust Valley) seeded teams on this roll. Hats off to coach Jon Mendreski and his staff.
3. 300-yard rushers
The list of halfbacks to run over 300 yards in one game continues to grow. Now there’s four. Peter Castaldo of Comsewogue rushed for 324 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-13 win over Harborfields. Ja’Quan Thomas of Floyd ran for 301 yards and four scores in a 48-28 victory over Sachem North.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.