Week 8 high school football preview: Floyd coach Paul Longo can make Suffolk history with win vs. Ward Melville

There is more than playoff seeding and homefield advantage on the line when Ward Melville travels to Floyd for a Suffolk Division I football game Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

A Floyd win will make head coach Paul Longo, the winningest public schools football coach in Suffolk history. Longo currently has 211 wins over 27 years, including 13 Suffolk County titles and five Long Island Class I championships.

"The number of wins is a product of a great coaching staff and outstanding athletes that continue to believe in our program and winning tradition," said Floyd coach Paul Longo. "Our success can be attributed to a winning culture that’s been developed here over the last 20 plus years."

Floyd (6-1) is led by halfback Dylan Harris with 859 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

But the key to victory against an up-and-coming Ward Melville (5-2) lies in the Colonials defense. They will be without All-Long Island defensive end Brian Benson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Sachem North, two weeks ago.

"We lost a two-way impact player in Benson," Longo said. "He was having another fantastic season, just a dynamic defensive end."

The Colonials will have to get pressure on Ward Melville quarterback Chris Prussen, who’s thrown for 833 yards and six scores. And they’ll have to slow down halfback Nick Gaffney, who has rushed for 659 yards and 10 touchdowns.

They’ll rely on senior defensive end Deontae Sykes, who transferred from Riverhead to Floyd over the summer, to create pressure from the edge.

"Ward Melville is playing really well, and the quarterback is very athletic," said Longo, who has beaten Ward Melville in 18 of 19 games. "We’ll have to keep him contained."

NASSAU IV

Seaford (7-0) at Island Trees (4-3), Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Seaford is going after its11th undefeated regular season since 1998. James McHugh has rushed for 1,196 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Vikings. Ryan Mastropaolo has rushed for 457 and five scores for Island Trees.

SUFFOLK III

Kings Park (5-1) at East Islip (6-1), Friday, 6 p.m.

East Islip quarterback Derek Burrell has rushed for 787 yards and 11 touchdowns and thrown for 742 yards and nine scores. Halfback Leo Lopez has rushed for 784 yards and 12 touchdowns. For the Kingsmen, Jon Borkowski has thrown for 669 yards and seven scores. Both teams lost to Sayville.

NASSAU IV

Cold Spring Harbor (4-3) at East Rockaway (4-3), Saturday, 2 p.m.

The Rocks will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new turf field at the East Rockaway Senior High School. The football game will have playoff implications for seeding and a home game in the quarterfinal round.

NASSAU I

Farmingdale (5-2) at Massapequa (7-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.

This backyard brawl is one of Nassau’s best rivalries. Farmingdale leads the all-time series 34-20-2, but Massapequa has won the past two seasons, including a 32-3 win in the spring. The Chiefs’ Ryan Heidrich has thrown for 1,258 yards and 13 TDs. Dalers halfback Tomaso Ramos has rushed for 592 yards and six scores.

NASSAU II

Garden City (7-0) at Elmont (4-3), Saturday, 2 p.m.

Garden City has lost just one regular season game in coach Dave Ettinger’s seven seasons. The Trojans are 50-1 in that span. This juggernaut has won by an average of 45 points this season. Defensive end Brendan Staub leads a unit that has allowed three TDs in seven games.

SUFFOLK II

Lindenhurst (6-1) at Huntington (5-2), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

A win clinches first place in the regular season for Lindenhurst. The Bulldogs have been led on both sides of the ball by Jake Trovato. He’s rushed for 726 yards and eight TDs and the linebacker leads the defense in tackles. Josiah Melendez has rushed for 657 yards and nine touchdowns for Huntington.

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.