15 things to watch for this fall in Long Island high school sports 

Monday marks the first day of official practice for public school football teams, with other sports beginning Aug. 26

This high school fall sports season includes both teams and individuals seeking Long Island records, the last hurrah for star players, new conferences and new team names. Here are some things to keep an eye on.

Where Long Island schools stand on NYS Native American mascot ban

This is the final year before New York State school districts must remove all references to Native American imagery or risk losing state aid. All public schools must eliminate prohibited team names, mascots or logos from buildings, uniforms and other items associated with a campus, according to the mandate approved by the Board of Regents last year.

Starting this fall, three Long Island schools will have new nicknames and mascots:

• Half Hollow Hills East, formerly Thunderbirds, now the Red Hawks.
• Brentwood, formerly Warriors, now the Spartans.
• Sewanhaka, formerly Indians, now the Ravens.

Comsewogue will change from the Warriors to the Spartans next year.  East Islip, Manhasset, Sachem and Syosset haven’t chosen new team names yet.

Amityville, Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch have ongoing lawsuits against the state over the issue.

Garden City eyes record

Garden City can extend its current football winning streak to 43 games by beating Bethpage on Sept. 6. That would be a Long Island record. Garden City (2016-19 and 2019-23) and Floyd (2005-09) each won 42 straight games to share the current mark. Garden City reached 42 when it defeated North Babylon, 38-7, in the Long Island Class II championship game last season. The Trojans haven’t lost since Nov. 30, 2019 -- a 14-13 defeat to Lindenhurst in the Long Island Class II championship. Maine-Endwell (Binghamton) holds the state record of 62 consecutive wins.

Garden City, which dominated Conference II during this winning streak, drops down to Conference III this season based on enrollment.

Change in state girls volleyball format

After one season using a bracket format, the state championships will return to pool play this year, a decision made at the state public high school athletic association's central committee meeting in late July.

Buddy Krumenacker nearing 300 wins

Farmingdale's Krumenacker needs two victories to become the second Long Island football coach to win 300 games. Krumenacker (298-101-11) enters his 43rd season as a head coach (32 years at Farmingdale, 11 at Hempstead). Howie Vogts won 364 games in 56 seasons at Bethpage.

Ward Melville seeks three-peat

Ward Melville girls soccer can become the first Long Island public school since Massapequa (2013-15) to win three straight state championships. The Patriots defeated Monroe-Woodbury, 4-0, in the state Class AAA final last year to cap a 19-0-3 season. Ward Melville is 36-0-6 in the last two seasons and hasn’t lost since Oct. 30, 2021. They’ll be led by senior midfielders Maddie Costello (Clemson commit) and Adriana Victoriano.

Joseph Filardi can set multiple LI football records

The Half Hollow Hills West senior and Syracuse commit can become Long Island’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. He needs 3,634 yards and 48 TDs to reach the LI records of 9,789 yards and 128 TDs held by Sayville’s Jack Coan. Last season Filardi threw for 3,337 yards and an LI single-season record-tying 44 TDs. 

Michael Berkery seeks another Thorp Award

The Garden City senior running back/linebacker looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the Thorp Award, given to the most outstanding football player in Nassau, since Mepham’s Amos Zereoue in 1993 and 1994. Berkery rushed for 945 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, averaging 12 yards per carry.  He added seven receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 38 tackles, three interceptions, a sack, and two special teams touchdowns.

Nassau Conference IV gets a boost

Plainedge and Wantagh have been dominant football programs in Nassau in recent years and both now move from Conference III to Conference IV. Plainedge has won five Nassau III titles since 2015 and has played in 10 of the last 13 Conference III championship games. Wantagh has played in four of the last eight Conference III championship games, winning in 2016. Wantagh won the Conference IV title in 2021, its one season there before moving back to Conference III.

Jimmy Jones set at Freeport

Jimmy Jones takes over for legendary Freeport football coach Russ Cellan after serving as an assistant the last 17 seasons. Cellan led Freeport to seven Long Island Class I championships in 38 years as head coach.

Three times for Kyle Messina?

Sayville's Messina could become just the fifth player to be a three-year Newsday first-team All-Long Island football selection. Messina has rushed for 3,525 yards - an average of 153.2 per game - with 52 touchdowns in 23 games the last two seasons.

Jawara Keahey, LI’s leading rusher, is back

Keahey returns for his senior season at North Babylon after leading Long Island with 2,609 rushing yards last fall. He averaged nine yards per carry and scored 37 touchdowns for the Suffolk Division II champions. Keahey rushed for 200 or more yards in nine of 12 games, including 324 and four touchdowns against Centereach.

Zariel Macchia has one more chance to lower her XC times

Floyd's Macchia is one of the most decorated runners in Long Island history and looks for her second straight state Federation cross country championship. She’s also going for her fifth straight Suffolk Division championship. The BYU commit holds Long Island records in the outdoor 1,500 meters, mile, two-mile, and 5,000 and the indoor 1,500, 3,000 and two-mile. 

Macchia is the top-ranked cross country runner in New York and ranks No. 5 nationally by Tully Runners.

Hannah Hughes’ grand finale

Hughes, a two-time Newsday gymnast of the year from Selden, has won two straight all-around Suffolk titles, and posted the top score in vault and floor exercise. Hughes had the top bars and beam scores as a sophomore  and was second in those events as a junior at the Suffolk championships.

Dominance in volleyball

Ward Melville’s Kyle Fagan could become the first to be named Newsday’s boys volleyball player of the year in back-to-back seasons. As a junior, Fagan totaled 429 kills, 35 aces, 25 blocks, 213 digs and six assists to help lead Ward Melville to its first Long Island title. He's committed to Penn State.

Massapequa’s soccer run

The Massapequa girls soccer team looks for its fourth straight county championship and 19th title in 22 years, led by senior midfielder Kaia Mueller and junior midfielder/forwards Carly Schuler and Olivia Trojanowski.