Bayport-Blue Point, led by Cooper Fuller, and Wantagh, behind Dylan Martini, prepare for Long Island Class IV clash
Bayport QB Cooper Fuller looks to pass against Miller Place, in the Suffolk division IV championship game, Thursday, November 21, 2024 at LaValle Stadium. Credit: George A Faella
Inclement weather with occasional downpours forced the traditional Thanksgiving morning football practices inside Thursday. But hey, if your football team is still practicing on Thanksgiving, you’re playing for a Long Island championship, and there’s nothing better.
“It never gets old,” Bayport-Blue Point coach Mike Zafonte said. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We’re going to have to come ready to play the biggest game of the year. I feel like our division has been outstanding the last four years and prepared us for these moments.”
Bayport-Blue Point, the two-time defending Long Island Class IV champion, is riding a 34-game winning streak and making its third straight appearance in the Long Island Championships. The Phantoms (11-0) will meet Wantagh (10-1) at noon on Friday at Hofstra University for the Class IV crown.
The teams have never met. Both are playing at their peaks.
Bayport-Blue Point has been the model of consistency and brings experience to the biggest stage behind a massive line and quarterback Cooper Fuller, who has rushed for 1,443 yards and 23 touchdowns and passed for 715 yards and eight scores.
Wantagh is not completely unfamiliar to the Bayport coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Mike Gentile served in the same capacity for East Islip, which won the Suffolk title in 2016 before losing to Wantagh, 21-14, in the Class III final.
“They’re not completely foreign to us,” Zafonte said. “Coach Gentile saw them up close, so that’s an advantage. And we know they’re strong and fly to the football.”
Wantagh is hitting its stride at the right time. It also is in search of the school’s third Long Island title, having won in 2001 and 2016. Wantagh is averaging 42 points per game and Bayport is allowing only eight per game.
Senior halfback Dylan Martini leads Nassau in rushing with 1,834 yards and 28 touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Conigliaro has passed for 986 yards and 16 scores.
“I have total respect for Bayport,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. “Anybody that’s won that many games — they’re obviously good. It’s an amazing unknown playing them. We’ll know in the first four or five plays what we’re up against. We’re explosive and our guys have embraced this opportunity.”
Zafonte said the winning streak is a product of a great coaching staff putting in the extra time to develop a culture with expectations to win.
“The streak is hard,” he said. “There’s so much work that goes into winning football games, so much time. I’m fortunate to have it from coaches to players that buy into the process.”
BAYPORT-BLUE POINT ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
1 Colin Most 11 WR/DB
2 Aiden Richman 11 RB/LB
3 Dylan Craig 12 RB/DB
4 Colin Clark 11 QB/DB
5 Ryan Space 11 WR/DB
6 Nicholas Vatalaro 10 TE/DL
7 Chandlar Dickinson 12 WR/DB
8 Ryan Athearn 12 RB/LB
9 Brendan Mattimore 12 QB/DB
10 Kenneth Vatalaro 12 TE/LB
11 Declan Cameron 12 TE/LB
13 Cole Foley 9 K
14 Rodney Magee 10 WR/DB
15 Nicholas Seidl 12 RB/LB
21 Sean Coffey* 12 TE/LB
22 Cooper Fuller* 12 RB/DB
24 Traigh Tomassone* 12 WR/DB
25 Collin Reyer 11 RB/DB
33 Alex McAuliff 12 K
44 Henry Bosse 12 OL/DL
52 Sam DeVore 12 OL/DL
55 Nick Caputo 11 OL/DL
56 Christian Sauer 12 OL/LB
58 Bradley Carvalho 11 OL/LB
60 Ryan Bachmore* 12 OL/DL
65 Andrew Mohring 11 OL/DL
68 Mattias Machin 10 WR/DB
71 Evan Waldbauer 12 OL/DL
72 Charles Crisera 11 OL/DL
74 Zach Becher 11 OL/DL
75 Jackson Cuocci 11 OL/DL
77 Dylan Spano* 12 OL/DL
78 Colin Day 12 OL/DL
79 Hamad Malik 12 OL/DL
81 Brayden Waldbauer 9 WR/DB
85 Patrick Ahearn 10 OL/DL
Head Coach: Mike Zafonte
Assistant Coaches: James Giattino, Mike Gentile, Mike Corrie
Assistant Coaches: Chris Varley, James Chamberlain
* Denotes Captains
WANTAGH ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
2 Tucker Iacobazzi 12 WR/DB
4 Carter Loughman 11 QB/DB
6 Cole Spinelli* 12 TE/LB
7 Anthony D’Amato 10 DB
9 Luke Perfetti 12 WR/LB
10 Ryan Conigliaro* 12 QB/DB
11 Max Avena 10 QB
12 AJ Nace 12 RB/LB
20 Ryan Rice 10 TB/DB
22 John Gendels 12 RB/LB
23 Dylan Martini* 12 RB/DB
24 Devin Paccione 11 WR/DB
25 Joseph Nicholson 11 RB/LB
27 Evan Lydon 12 WR/DB
28 Oliver Iacobazzi 12 RB/LB
29 Mike Amodio 10 WR/DE
30 Davien Galdamez 12 K
32 Joseph Marion 11 WR/DB
33 Tristan Tillotson 11 WR/DB
34 Luke Martini 9 RB/LB
35 Luke Gonsowski 11 WR/DB
37 Matt Moran 11 WR/DB
40 Patrick Forthofer 10 OL/LB
41 Connor Smith 11 WR/DB
42 Ryan Martone 11 TE/LB
45 Matt Riley 10 S
50 John Scicolone 11 OL/DL
51 Joe Valentino 12 TE/DL
53 Joe Divella 10 OL/DL
54 Tommy Wunderlich 12 OL/LB
55 Shareef McMillan* 12 OL/DL
56 Ryan Finkelstein 11 OL/DL
61 Bobby Friedmann 10 OL/DL
63 Owen Venne 12 OL/DL
65 Sam Evans 11 OL/DL
67 Chris Romano* 12 OL/DL
70 Shane Adee 11 OL/DL
73 Thomas Christoforidis 11 OL/DL
74 Jake Rutkowski 11 OL/DL
75 Anthony Calise 12 OL/DL
78 Chris Massari 12 OL/LB
79 Andrew Perez* 12 OL/DL
81 Nicholas Figueroa 12 K
82 Matthew Giacobello 11 WR/LB
83 Faruk Turan 11 WR/DB
88 Daniel Jackson 12 WR/DB
Head Coach: Keith Sachs
Assistant Coaches: Jim Morrow, John Jansen, Chris Wasson
* Denotes Captains
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.