Long Island high school football games to watch and picks for Week 7

It’s a special night in Farmingdale. The high school will hold a pregame ceremony on the football field to honor legendary coach Don Snyder, who died at the age of 92 on Aug. 4.

That tribute for the 40-year coach, who earned 237 wins and eight Nassau Conference I titles, will precede one of the more anticipated games of the year when undefeated and first place Oceanside (6-0) travels to play Farmingdale (5-1) in a Conference I battle at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Snyder Field in Farmingdale.

“I expect that it’s going to be a good one,” Dalers coach Buddy Krumenacker said. “We honor a great man that gave so much to our program and community. And then we get after it in a big game with an Oceanside team that can do a lot of good things. And we do a lot of really good things, too.”

Farmingdale suffered its lone loss to Massapequa, the defending Long Island Class I champion, but seems to have hit its stride.

“We severely lost a field position battle with Massapequa,” Krumenacker said. “Oceanside has a different dynamic than Massapequa. They try to hit the edge with a lot of people in a little bit of a stampede package. And the quarterback can really throw.”

Oceanside lost starting senior quarterback Luke Villella to a broken collarbone in the third week of the season against Syosset. Junior Shane Harmon is back at the helm. He started as a freshman and led the Sailors to the playoffs before he suffered a concussion as a sophomore, and Villella took over.

“This year, Villella won the starting job in camp,” Oceanside coach Rob Blount said. “And when Villella broke his collarbone, Harmon stepped back in and we didn’t miss a beat. It’s nice to have two guys that are so good.”

Harmon has thrown for 816 yards and 10 scores and the Sailors average 30 points per game. Farmingdale will counter with QB Dennis Finkel, who has passed for 875 yards and 10 scores. If you like high-scoring teams, this is your game.

NASSAU II

Long Beach (3-3) at MacArthur (3-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: A win guarantees a home game in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. MacArthur has been walloped the last two weeks and needs to right the ship behind halfback Jesse Seder and its ground game. Long Beach standout Wyatt Katzen leads the Marines on both sides of the ball.

NASSAU IV

Wantagh (5-1) at Seaford (3-3), Friday, 6 p.m.: Seaford needs a win for a home game in the quarterfinal playoff round. The Vikings offense rolls with halfback Brian Falk, who has rushed for 866 yards and seven scores. The Vikings have not beaten a team with a winning record this season — but a win here would gather enough power points to guarantee a top four spot. Wantagh finishes the season on the road at Seaford and against undefeated Cold Spring Harbor. Wantagh’s halfback Dylan Martini has rushed for 922 yards and 13 touchdowns.

SUFFOLK I

Ward Melville (6-0) at Longwood (5-1), Friday, 6 p.m.: Ward Melville has never won a Long Island championship. But the Patriots are getting close with sophomore QB Hudson Philbrick leading the way. He’s thrown for 961 yards and 11 TDs. The Patriots dumped defending champion Floyd, 22-21, and now meet arguably the most physical team in the division. Longwood hasn’t played in a Long Island title game since 2015. The Lions have a powerful running game with halfback Davien Benjamin-Sheffey and are very much in the mix this year.

NASSAU III

Garden City (7-0) at Elmont (5-1), Saturday, 3 p.m.: Garden City has won an L.I. record 50 consecutive games. The Trojans are looking to capture their 32nd undefeated regular season. Garden City leads the all-time series 24-1. Elmont’s only win was in 2008, 18-13. Aiden Barnes is one of Nassau’s leading passers. He has thrown for 1,121 yards and nine TDs. Nassir Edwards is a standout receiver with 391 yards and two scores.

SUFFOLK I

Riverhead (1-5) at Bay Shore (3-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.: This one is one of Suffolk’s oldest rivalries dating to 1927 when the game was first played at the old Fairgrounds at the county seat. Riverhead leads the all-time series, 20-10-4. Bay Shore won last season’s game after seven straight Riverhead wins.

SUFFOLK II

Newfield (5-1) at Smithtown West (5-1), Saturday, 2 p.m.: You have to take notice when two of the lowest five seeds in the division are playing for a home playoff game? Smithtown West was the No. 10 seed and Newfield was No.12. Smithtown West QB Nick DeVito and Newfield QB Matt Evers are leading the way.

with Andy Slawson

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.