Long Island's Elite 11 football teams heading into 2021 season
Sayville quarterback Jack Cheshire passes the football against East Islip during the Suffolk Division III championship game at LaValle Stadium on Nov. 21, 2019. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Newsday ranks the top 11 public high school football teams in the Elite 11. These rankings were put together regardless of classification or county. Sayville, which plays in a smaller enrollment in Suffolk's League VI, garners the pre-season top spot with an abundance of returning talent led by record-breaking senior quarterback Jack Cheshire, who threw for 43 touchdowns in 2019.
Oceanside, playing in the largest enrollment in Nassau Conference I, grabs the two spot. The Sailors have junior quarterback Charlie McKee, who has also lit up opposing defenses, throwing for 50 touchdowns in his two years at the helm.
1. SAYVILLE (11-1 in 2019)
The Golden Flashes have experience and one of the best quarterbacks on Long Island in Jack Cheshire. He threw for 3,215 yards and a Long Island record 43 touchdowns in 2019 and led Sayville to an 11-1 record and the Suffolk Division III title. Linebacker Max Llewellyn, who had 79 tackles and 13 sacks, leads the defense in League VI.
2. OCEANSIDE (7-3)
Quarterback Charlie McKee threw for 2,636 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore and will air it out again this year in search of his first win over Freeport and a Nassau Conference I title. Junior halfback Andres Duran rushed for 684 yards and nine scores last year.
3. LINDENHURST (12-0)
Senior Jack Winey contributed to three successive Suffolk titles and two Long Island crowns. He’ll be the hammer on both sides of the ball at halfback and linebacker. The Bulldogs are 33-3 over three years and quarterback Jack Randazzo wants to continue that excellence.
4. PLAINEDGE (12-0)
Junior quarterback Travis Shaver takes over for Dan Villari (Michigan) and leads a Red Devils team that was unbeaten and hardly challenged in 2019 on the way to the Class III Long Island title. The two-time Nassau III champs are 23-1 over two years.
5. FLOYD (11-1)
The Colonials have an offensive line that is big and athletic and a dynamic halfback in senior Jezayd Hall. The line is anchored by senior Zach Hoerter, a 6-3, 310-pound guard. Quarterback play will key the Colonials run to a Suffolk Division I title repeat.
6. GARDEN CITY (10-2)
Senior Pierce Archer and junior Jack Cascadden will share the halfback carries behind junior quarterback Luke Schmitt as the Trojans reload for another run at the Nassau Conference II title.
7. MASSAPEQUA (7-3)
Quarterback John Giller leads a senior-laden team in top-loaded Nassau Conference I. The Massapequa offense will balance the run and the pass and opens the season on the road at Freeport, the two-time defending LI Class I champion.
8. FREEPORT (12-0)
The Red Devils carry Long Island’s longest win streak of 24 games into this season. Heavy graduation and key early-season transfers will make this season a real challenge for coach Russ Cellan and his staff.
9. FARMINGDALE (8-3)
The running tandem of seniors Dom Ciaccio and Lorenzo Ramos combined for 1,173 yards and expect that 1-2 punch to carry the Dalers in 2021.
10. LONGWOOD (8-3)
The Lions have the powerful arm of quarterback Noah Rattmer and 6-3, 365-pound center Kory Stevenson providing the protection. The lines are anchored by 6-4, 293-pound Connor Rossbotham. Longwood will push Floyd for the League I crown.
11. WEST ISLIP (8-3)
The Lions’ playmaker Joe Costantino takes over full time at quarterback with the versatile Ryan Behrens playing wide receiver and halfback in an ultra-competitive Suffolk League IV.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.