Joseph Filardi of Hills West can do it all; what will QB do for an encore in senior season?

The quarterback position has evolved over the years. The drop-back passer with the strong arm is no longer the biggest threat. The athlete at the quarterback position is now in vogue.

Joseph Filardi was the model for success in the spread offense — no one could stop him.

The junior ran the Half Hollow Hills West offense to perfection, amassing statistics rarely seen on Long Island. He finished with 4,420 all-purpose yards and 57 touchdowns. The run-pass option gave Filardi the opportunity to decide whether to use his speed and elusiveness in the open field or throw a pass.

Newsday’s All-Long Island quarterback made the right choice most of the time leading the Colts into the Suffolk Division III playoffs.

Filardi put together one of the most prolific seasons by a quarterback in Long Island history last fall. He completed 215 of 347 passes (62%) for 3,337 yards (15.5 yards per completion), a Long Island-record 44 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He had seven 300-yard passing games and two 400-yard showings, including in a Suffolk Division III quarterfinal win over Smithtown West where he accounted for 10 touchdowns and 651 all-purpose yards. He was responsible for at least four touchdowns in nine of 10 games. He rushed 120 times for 1,083 yards (9 yards per carry) and 13 scores.

One of his signature games came against Westhampton on Oct. 27. Filardi either ran or passed the ball in 87 of 89 plays in a 48-42 win. He completed 33 of 56 passes for 364 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 31 times for 285 yards and two scores. His total of 649 all-purpose yards set a new Long Island record . . .  which he would surpass the following week in the Suffolk Division III quarterfinal playoffs.

Imagine trying to set a game plan to contain a player of this caliber.

“He’s an extremely talented player and it’s difficult to game plan for him because he does many things well,” Westhampton Beach coach Brian Schaumloffel said. “He’s got such a quick release and stands as one of best quarterbacks I’ve seen in my coaching career. He’s something you never see. We’ve tried to contain him and limit scoring opportunities. We try to load the box or drop eight players into pass coverage to confuse him — keep switching things up. But if he has too much time in the pocket, he picks you apart. If you send pressure and he gets loose it’s a bigger problem. We’re replacing 21 of 22 starters this fall so Hills West will be a serious challenge in the opener.”

Westhampton Beach travels to Half Hollow Hills West for a 1:30 p.m. start on Saturday, September 14.

Filardi is one of the few Long Island athletes to commit to play multiple sports in college. He will play lacrosse and football for Syracuse University.

He’s graduating from Hills West early — in late December — and will be at Syracuse to attend the spring semester. He will participate in spring football in 2025, summer camp and the fall football season before playing lacrosse in the spring of 2026.

“I’m excited to get started,” he said. “I’m totally all-in on playing both sports and it's one of the reasons why I selected Syracuse.”

“In the 24 years I’ve been head coach he’s the best player we’ve seen,” East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi said. “He could see things intellectually and view the defense in a way that makes him a great player. There are some things you just can’t coach into kids. He has something special.”

Ciampi led his team to the Long Island Class III title last fall with a 19-14 win over South Side. But there were hiccups during the title march. He watched Filardi torch his defense with seven TD passes in a 48-33 loss.

“He exposed weaknesses that we were able to address,” Ciampi said. “He saw things in our coverage pre-snap and made an adjustment and found the dead spot in the zone or the weak spot in our defense. No other player could do what he does. These are not coachable —they’re natural — he has a gift.”

Filardi is currently fifth in all-time passing yardage with 6,165. He should hurdle Sayville’s Steven Ferreira (2009-2011) at 6,407 and then Joe Capobianco of Lawrence (2011-2013) at 8,013. Charlie McKee of Oceanside (2018-2021) totaled 8,929 yards and the all-time leader Jack Coan of Sayville (2013-2016) had 9,787.

Filardi is also fourth on the all-time list for touchdown passes with 80. Coan holds the career record with 128, Capobianco had 100 and McKee totaled 94.

“He’s not focused on records, only wins,” said Hills West coach Gerald Filardi, who is also his father. “The records will come. They’re nice but he wants to win a championship. He feels great players are defined by championships. He’s worked very hard in the offseason to get bigger, faster and stronger.”

Filardi has two of Long Island’s top receivers in seniors Anthony Raio and Jesse Brooks, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving each last fall. Raio, a Newsday All-Long Island selection, set an LI record with 84 receptions. Brooks set a Long Island record with 20 touchdown catches. They combined for 148 catches for 2,059 yards and 36 scores.

“They spread the receivers to both sides of the field and they open the middle of the field so Filardi can find space and run,” Schaumloffel said. “They’re so athletic and very difficult to defend.”

Raio and Brooks said they have a special chemistry with Filardi.

“We adjust at the line when we recognize various defensive alignments,” said Raio, a 6-0, 185-pound speedster. “Joe will hand-signal sometimes and change the route. We’re always on the same page.”

The taller Brooks at 6-2, 175 pounds, said it’s not uncommon to come back to the huddle and share what he sees in the defense.

“Joe has such great command of the offense and understands the defense,” Brooks said. “He knows right away where the ball should be going. He can always improvise and run to make a play.”

Gerald Filardi said with so many offensive playmakers, the focus in camp turned to the defense. There, too, Joseph Filardi has been a major contributor. He had 79 solo tackles, two sacks an interception and a fumble recovery.

“We need to get better on defense,” said the former Penn State linebacker. “We need more stops and to control time of possession. We were a quick-strike offense last fall, but we allowed too many points.”

Joseph Filardi was finishing sprints at the conclusion of last Saturday’s practice.

“We have the players to make a championship run,” he said. “We know what’s in front of us. I’m playing with my best friends. And it’s the last time we get to do it. We don’t get this time together back. We want to make it memorable.”

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.