Lindenhurst and Connetquot return to Suffolk Division I football
Lindenhurst QB Christian Capogna, left, and Connetquot QB Nick Pepitone.
Two perennial playoff contenders make the move from Suffolk Division II into Division I this fall. The football teams at Lindenhurst and Connetquot will have an immediate impact in the division.
“We were born and raised in Division I and we know there’s tough competition,” said Connetquot coach Mike Konsevitch. “But I think we’re ready for the move. We had a really good season in 2022 and learned a lot with a very young group.”
The schedule maker was not kind to Connetquot. They open on the road at top-seeded Floyd on Saturday.
“Floyd is a tough place to win at any point in the season,” Konsevitch said. “The road to the title usually goes through Mastic Beach and that’s a credit to those coaches and the program. I like what we’re doing with our program, and I think we’re talented.”
Connetquot (5-4) returned to Division I after four seasons in Division II. The program won the Long Island Class I title in 1992 and 2008. Quarterback Nick Pepitone and seven returnees on defense have the staff optimistic.
Lindenhurst played in Division II in four of the last five years. The Bulldogs won the Long Island Class II crown in 2019 beating Garden City, 14-13. It was the last time Garden City lost a game. (The Trojans begin this season on a 30-game win streak.)
Lindenhurst was 7-3 last season and return a bevy of starters on both lines. The Bulldogs will play at Connetquot in Week 3.
Ward Melville (8-4) is the defending champion, winning its first Suffolk title in 35 years by upsetting Floyd, 14-7, in a semifinal and going on to a 34-19 win over Longwood in the title game.
Floyd (9-1), who played in six straight division finals before losing to Ward Melville last season, won a crown in the shortened spring season of 2021, with a 28-21 overtime win over Whitman.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
