Sayville's Kyle Messina, Floyd's Ja'Quan Thomas co-winners of Joe Cipp Award
Ja'Quan Thomas of Floyd, left, and Kyle Messina of Sayville share the Cipp Award during the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association awards dinner on Monday at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
Sayville senior Kyle Messina has had everyone’s attention in Suffolk County throughout his dazzling four-year high school career.
Floyd junior Ja’Quan Thomas made a name for himself in the 2023 postseason, and he became the Colonials’ top star this season as Long Island’s leading rusher.
Messina and Thomas were named co-recipients of the Joe Cipp Award, annually given to the county’s top running back, Monday night during the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge. Messina ran for 1,756 yards and 26 touchdowns on 190 carries. Thomas ran for 2,594 yards and 37 touchdowns on 298 carries.
Both players helped lead their teams to county championships, Floyd in Suffolk Division I and Sayville in Suffolk Division III.
“[Ja’Quan] just has great vision,” Floyd coach Paul Longo said after the Colonials won the county title on Nov. 23. “He has great footwork and [he’s] lean. He’s big and strong, obviously. He’s really kind of a high school Derrick Henry type of guy.”
Messina also shined at safety, finishing the season with 67 tackles (26 solo), two sacks, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a tight Long Island Class III championship loss to Garden City.
“[Kyle is] a great person, he’s an unbelievable kid, and that’s him,” Sayville coach Reade Sands said earlier this season. “That’s not him putting anything on. He literally had tears in his eyes when one of his teammates got hurt last year. He loves his teammates.”
Messina had three 200-yard rushing games this season. He had eight games with at least two touchdown runs.
Messina was consistently dominant each season. As a freshman, he ran for 1,449 yards and 19 touchdowns on 190 carries. The following season, he rushed for 1,998 yards and 29 touchdowns on 239 carries. He had 152 carries for 1,127 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. He finished his high school career with 6,330 rushing yards and 93 touchdown runs, according to Newsday stats.
He helped lead the Golden Flashes to a perfect 12-0 season and a Long Island Class III title in 2022.
Thomas, who ran for 313 yards and four touchdowns in four postseason games last year, had seven 200-yard rushing games this fall. His best performance came against Sachem East in the Suffolk Division I quarterfinals, when he ran for 303 yards and six touchdowns on 23 carries.
Awards wrap-up
Half Hollow Hills West senior Anthony Raio, who had 60 catches for 1,417 yards and 18 touchdowns, won the Paul Longo Award as the county’s most outstanding receiver . . . Longwood junior Kaden Reid, who had eight regular-season interceptions and two Pick-6s, garnered the Tom Cassese Award as the top defensive back . . . Longwood senior lineman Clint Chichester won the Tom Cutinella Memorial Leadership Award . . . Whitman senior Mike Mannino earned the Collins Award as the most outstanding kicker . . . Longwood wide receiver/linebacker Mike Warren and Bayport-Blue Point quarterback/defensive back Brendan Mattimore each won the 12th Man Award, given to players that overcame great adversity to play football.
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.