High School Football

BY GREGG SARRA

So the weather upset the schedule and changed game plans. Teams that won the battle up front in the trenches came out on top. Teams that established the running game and had some muscle on the lines and held onto the ball were winners.

There were plenty of surprises in the third week of the regular season. The biggest coming in the Town of Huntington where the 11th seeded Harborfields Tornadoes took out Half Hollow Hills West, 24-20. Randy Tillman has emerged as a player to watch in the Suffolk Division III. Harborfields has earned the right to be considered a team to beat in the division after a 3-0 start. And the humble beginning is not against all the cupcakes in the division.

Top-seeded Elmont in Nassau Conference II took it on the chin again this week. Hewlett is in the mix for the conference title and this game was a tossup going in -- so it wasn't a big surprise. What made it more interesting was the fact that the top-seeded Spartans have now lost two in a row. Can they right the ship -- coach Jay Hegi says they will without a doubt.

Did anyone catch that big showdown of outstanding running backs in Suffolk's Division II. Riverhead's Miguel Maysonet rumbled for 286 yards and two scores in a 20-8 win over North Babylon. Ciwan McCoy gained 48 yards against a swarming Riverhead defense that kept him under wraps all game. Good thing for the Blue Waves. Had McCoy found running room the Bulldogs would have pulled that one out. But like we said in our preview, the Riverhead defense is very good and Andrew Smith is an impact player.

Has anyone noticed that both Smithtown football teams are undefeated? When was the last time we saw Smithtown East and Smithtown West at 3-0 in the same season? And no one should take anything away from that achievement and the successful start to the season. But I've heard more than one coach that said the Smithtown West football team was much better than the 9th seed in the pre-season. Smithtown East is the 10th seed. Both teams have their hands full the next two weeks.

West hosts North Babylon at 2 p.m. and East travels to Bellport for a 2 p.m. start this week. And it gets even tougher for both Smithtown schools when West hosts Riverhead and East travels to West Islip the following week on Oct. 11. So enjoy the hot start.

I couldn't believe Shoreham-Wading River lost to Mercy in overtime, 6-0. Our player of the week, quarterback Ryan Olsen just keeps winning. Mercy was the 14th and last seed and they beat S-WR, the 6th seed. Good for coach Joe Read and his Monarchs.

In Nassau Conference I, Syosset shook things up a bit with a big win over Hempstead, 28-20. Quarterback Jon Guzman was on target and led the 10th seeded Braves to the huge upset over Thorp candidate Terrell Williams and the Tigers. And if that didn't shake the division up enough, MacArthur went out and dumped Farmingdale, 14-13. Now, MacArthur is a good football team and not to be taken lightly. The Generals were beaten by Baldwin in the season opener but the Bruins made a nice comeback. The win over Farmingdale is no fluke at all and MacArthur will be heard from in the playoffs.

BY BOB HERZOG

The spread hasn’t spread everywhere. Not every high school football team on Long Island has embraced this shotgun-snap, new-fangled, fast-paced offense. I ran into two pockets of resistance over the weekend, one in each game I covered. The contrast in styles was stark.

On Friday night, Patchogue-Medford used its traditional double-wing formation against Lindenhurst, one of the spread converts. The Raiders pounded out 199 yards rushing and attempted only two passes. That they lost to the Bulldogs, 17-14, had little to do with their offense. Their defense fell prey to a couple of huge plays – a flea-flicker pass and a last-second, game-winning touchdown pass that was tipped and nearly intercepted by the Patchogue-Medford defensive back.

Lindenhurst attempted 25 passes and 19 runs. That was similar to the pass-run ratio used by Lawrence in a 28-21 loss to Bethpage on Saturday. The Golden Tornado, also a spread offense, ran 29 times and attempted 25 passes. But Lawrence could not stop Bethpage’s wishbone, a real throwback offense.

The Golden Eagles ran 51 times for 324 yards, and attempted only one pass – which was intercepted! “One pass to many,” joked Bethpage assistant coach Erwin Dill. “Actually, we like to try a few more than that in most games.”

They didn’t need to on Saturday because their offensive linemen were dominant and running back Kevin Glueckert gained 252 yards.

I enjoyed the different styles. It’s part of the charm of high school football, which can be like that box of chocolates in the movie, “Forrest Gump” – you never know what you’re gonna get!

A couple of other observations:

Patchogue-Medford features one of the best two-way players on Long Island in 6-5, 255-pound Jimmy Gordon. He’s a dominant pass rusher from his defensive end spot, drawing double-teams on nearly every play yet still disrupting the opposing backfield. He’s a fierce blocker from his tight end spot. Can he catch passes? We’ll never know, as Pat-Med coach Jim Chiarello told me he doesn’t have the skill players or the speed to throw the ball very often.

What Chiarello does have, however, are two of the better underclassmen around in brothers Andrew and Joe Silva. Andrew is a sophomore running back who led the Raiders with 116 yards and a touchdown on Friday night. Joe is a freshman who ran for 44 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, Joe showed the poise and ball-handling skills necessary to run the double wing, which involves play fakes, pitchouts and a variety of handoffs to running backs coming from all directions.

Does he have passing skills? We won’t know that, either.

Gregg Sarra and Bob Herzog answer your high school football questions in a live chat at 7 p.m.

BY GREGG SARRA

FOOTBALL POLLS
NEWSDAY LARGE SCHOOLS
1. Floyd 2-0
2. St. Anthony's 2-1
3. Hempstead 2-0
4. Riverhead 2-0
5. West Islip 2-0
6. Baldwin 2-0
7. Freeport 2-0
8. Carey 2-0
9. Massapequa 2-0
10. Brentwood 1-1
Others receiving consideration: Calhoun, Sachem North, Longwood, Farmingdale.

NEWSDAY SMALL SCHOOLS
1. Bethpage 2-0
2. Sayville 2-0
3. Plainedge 2-0
4. Babylon 2-0
5. Lawrence 2-0
6. Seaford 2-0
7. Hills West 1-1
8. Wantagh 1-1
9. Islip 2-0
10. Glenn 2-0
Others receiving consideration: Malverne, Amityville, Kings Park.

BY GREGG SARRA

Here are a bunch of things that I thought stood out after week 2 was in the books. Some are not as obvious as others.
1. How did No. 5 Calhoun take out top-seeded and speedy Elmont? Great job by the Colts and coach Joe Bianca.
2. What was going on in the Sachem East -- Patchogue-Medford game? I'll tell you what, Sachem quarterback Mike Westerhaus was on fire and couldn't be stopped. The Raiders secondary allowed three TD passes.
3. I saw that they play very physical football in Nassau Conference III. And with Bethpage, Sewanhaka, Plainedge, Wantagh and Lawrence in the mix, these conference will be fun to watch all season.
4. In Suffolk Division III, Sayville and Hills West lived up to the offensive hype. The teams battled into two overtimes where the host Golden Flashes prevailed. They'll meet again in the playoffs.
5. Islip continues to just win baby. It doesn't matter how they do it -- 13 straight wins.
6. Hempstead is for real in Nassau Conference I. Terrell Williams is a Thorp Award candidate BUT what about quarterback William Carmona, he may also be a candidate of the award. The outstanding shortstop in baseball can throw as well as run on the football field.
7. Seaford escaped with a win against Locust Valley. But a win is a win.
8. Gunnar Esiason threw a touchdown pass for Friends Academy. That speaks volumes -- just think about it.
9. Brentwood takes out No. 2 Sachem North. Nuff' said.
10. Babylon slammed Amityville on Friday night. The defending Class IV champs took this one on the chin.
11. St. Anthony's met the challenge of Holy Trinity and put on an offensive show for ESPN radio and MSG Network. The Friars may, indeed, win an 8th straight CHSFL title.
12. There is only one team left on Long Island -- that is still unscored upon -- and that would be Long Beach.
13. When was the last time both Smithtown's East and West were both undefeated after two weeks?
14. How about Port Jefferson and quarterback John Nielsen beating Mt. Sinai for the first time in school history? The significance of this; when Mt. Sinai opened, many students from the Port Jefferson district including some great athletes left Port Jeff for Mt. Sinai. And it started a natural rivalry.

BY GREGG SARRA

What the heck is going on in Suffolk's Division I? There are only two teams left undefeated after the first two weeks of the season. Of course, Floyd is 2-0. But Northport is also 2-0 and that's a nice little surprise for the Tigers fans in Northport.

There are 10 teams at 1-1 and two bottom feeders at 0-2. So how does Patchogue-Medford dump Brentwood in week one and then go out and lose to Sachem East. And then Brentwood goes out the following week and beats our number two ranked team from Sachem North. Wasn't Sachem North supposed to challenge Floyd for the county crown.

There are some people out there who think Floyd can run the table again -- just not do it as easily as the past three years. They might but there are plenty of tough games ahead.

Let's not talk too much Floyd here I don't want to upset the HSnut. So let's talk about the mess of teams with 1-1 records. Week three will tell us all we need to know when Patchogue-Medford and Lindenhurst play each other. And we'll know if Central Islip is any good when they travel to Connetquot.

Longwood, Brentwood and Connetquot had the toughest of opening two game schedules -- and all three are 1-1. And Floyd had to beat Lindy and Longwood -- no easy task this year. It's become a bit convoluted now and we need another week to have an idea of who's a real playoff contender.

BY GREGG SARRA

If you like smash mouth football you would have loved the Plainedge -- Wantagh game in Nassau Conference III. These teams really dislike each other.

You know this, when you see defensive backs waiting for receivers to make the catch so they can rock their world. You know this when you see the pushing and shoving after every play. There were hard hits all game. It was not your typical high school game. No one took plays off. No one showed the pain after a hard hit. The crowd was totally into this game and made it feel like we were in the playoffs.

Could Wantagh's Joe Stottler, all of 160 pounds, have hit Rob Bellairs or Justin Browning any harder on passes into the secondary. Bellairs took shots a few times in the game, including his touchdown in the first overtime, and he just bounced up and went back to the huddle or off the field. He never showed how much those hits affected him.

Wantagh's linebacker Jeff Melsopp put a hit on Kevin Kennedy that was felt in Levittown. Kennedy, who looked like he was gliding through the Wantagh defense, shook off the hit with no second thoughts. In fact, Kennedy looked as if he had a second gear all game.

And it wasn't just Wantagh taking the big shots. Plainedge bruised a few bodies as well. Linebacker Steve Corrado, you could just tell he enjoys bringing the pain. Corrado gave halfbacks Vinny Polo and Joe Biscardi back massages a few times on plays in the middle of the field. He was crushing people.

This was a phenomenal football game. I hope they're all like this in Nassau. My first taste of regular season football in Nassau was a real good one. The Zog does Nassau this week with another brutal Conference III machup. He'll see Lawrence and Bethpage, two undefeated defending county champions. It's sure to leave an impression -- and a mark or two.

BY BOB HERZOG

Some observations from my Week 2 assignments:

· Floyd is winning differently this year. The Colonials aren’t nearly as dominant as they were last year, when their average margin of victory was a remarkable 35 points per game. So far this year, they have won by two points and nine points. “Division I is so balanced, I expect this every week,” Floyd coach Paul Longo said.
· Longo showed his – and the team’s – resourcefulness Friday night against Longwood. The Lions did an excellent job of containing the Colonials’ spread offense and gave quarterback Steven Murphy fits when he tried to pass. So at halftime, Longo switched to a run-oriented power-I/wing-T combination. The results were dramatic. The Colonials rushed for 154 yards in the second half and built an insurmountable 24-7 lead. “We moved the ball that way so we stuck with it,” Longo said.
· Floyd’s Vaughn Magee exploded for 101 rushing yards in the second half, finally showing off his speed and power that had been mostly dormant.
· His brother Wayne Magee played a terrific game on defense. “He’s all over the field. He’s one of the fastest guys to the ball that I’ve had,” Longo said. So far this season, Floyd’s defense has outshone its offense.
· That wasn’t the case in the Sayville-Half Hollow Hills West double-OT thriller on Saturday. Both offenses were superb. The Colts’ David DiMaria is a wizard with the ball, cleverly disguising his handoffs and pitches and making the spread go with his elusive running and accurate passing. Brian Donovan just missed his fourth TD pass on the game’s final play, which might have forced a third overtime period. Wonder if I’ll see a better wide receiver this season.
· The Golden Flash’s Dillon Boos also put on a show. He’s a more traditional passing quarterback, even from Sayville’s spread, but his 20-yard TD run in overtime was spectacular, as he broke countless tackles on sheer strength.
· Sayville coach Rob Hoss, like Longo, switched from the spread to his old power-I to get his team going a couple of times when the offense was flat.
· It was back to the spread, though, when the Flashes tied the game at 21 with a 97-yard fourth-quarter drive that featured eight straight passing attempts by Boos (five were completed), two scrambles out of the pocket, another big completion and, finally, a short touchdown run by Corey Caulfield. That was the second week in a row I witnessed a key 90-plus yard scoring drive. Floyd went 92 yards against Lindenhurst in its season-opening win. Good stuff.

Today's live chat with Gregg Sarra will not be held at noon as reported in today's Newsday. Instead, Gregg will answer your questions about Week 2 in Long Island football at 3 p.m.

We apologize for the confusion.

BY GREGG SARRA

The answer is obvious -- yes. The real question is -- when? The Friars have been able to separate themselves from the rest of the CHSFL for the past seven years. There have been close calls, just ask the coaches at Mt. St. Michael and St. Joseph by the Sea.

Holy Trinity offers a great test -- we hope -- for a fairly inexperienced and very talented St. Anthony's. But judging by the Delbarton (N.J.) blowout of last week, inexperience will not play a factor in the Holy Trinity -- St. Anthony's game. Junior quarterback Tom Schrieber learned well watching the graduated James Brady last year. Oh, Brady was just named the rookie of the week for Georgetown after his second straight outstanding performance in college. I'm not surprised -- that kid can play.

So can Anthony Brunetti finally get untracked against the St. Anthony's defense? Can the mountain of a man Matt McBride open some holes for the Trinity backs? Or will the Friars pound away at the Titans and give them another beatdown?

There's always optimism at Trinity. There's also the reality of the situation -- that St. Anthony's is what all other teams aspire to be -- and beating them would be as good as it gets. Can Trinity win? Sure they can. Everyone has a chance when the scoreboard reads 0-0 and 12:00 minutes left in the first quarter. And then the game starts . . .

BY GREGG SARRA

OK, OK! I'm a believer in the Half Hollow Hills West football team. That offensive display against Miller Place was very impressive. But can the Colts and quarterback David DiMaria do the same thing against top-seeded Sayville? I don't think so.
Sayville counters the Hills West spread attack with a bevy of running backs, an experienced quarterback in Dillon Boos, and some speedy receivers. It will definitely be a game worth watching for any HS fan. I'll be out at an equally exciting matchup in the 516. The Zog gets the opportunity to see the competitiveness in this Suffolk Division III.
So, yes, I think Sayville edges Hills West in a very high-scoring affair, and the two will meet again somewhere in the playoffs. Neither one of these coaches are going to take the air out of the ball BUT I could see coach Hoss trying to establish a strong running game to keep the highly regarded Colts offense and halfback JeVahn Cruz off the field.
And if the Golden Flashes allow this game to come down to a field goal -- they're in trouble. Hills West has a college-bound kicker in junior Nolan Gelman. The kid is a weapon for the Colts. I'm out, should be a great game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Sayville where the public address announcer should be screaming TOUCHDOWWWWNNN SAAAAAYVIILLLE many times over. It's one of the best calls on Long Island.

BY BOB HERZOG

It’s a regular part of the post-football game routine. Coaches look at video. Reporters look at their notes. We all want to review our performance.
Here are some leftovers from the two games I covered over the weekend: Lindenhurst at Floyd and Freeport at East Meadow.
Friday night’s game at Floyd was played in such a torrential downpour that I admit I gave up my usual vantage point on the sidelines to stand in the press box. It wasn’t so much to keep myself dry – there’s raingear and hats for that. It was to keep my precious notes dry. Haven’t figured out a way to hold up an umbrella and still keep track of every play so I can compile my own stats.
When the game ended, with Floyd barely hanging on for a 14-12 victory that extended its L.I.-record winning streak to 34 games, I ventured onto the field to interview Lindenhurst coach Rich Biancaniello. That’s when I discovered just how bad conditions were. It was so treacherous that I sank into mud up to my ankles. “I’m throwing these sneakers out,” Biancaniello said as he saw me struggle with the footing.
Then we both marveled at how well some of the players performed, considering the conditions, especially both quarterbacks. Biancaniello may have discovered a gem in sophomore Stephen Skon, who came off the bench to throw the ball well despite the heavy rain. He completed 13 of 27 passes for 137 yards. Just wait until he plays on a dry field.
Floyd coach Paul Longo was very pleased with Steve Murphy’s performance. He started at tight end last season when the Colonials had All-L.I. player Joey Sidaras at quarterback. Murphy didn’t have much opportunity to show off his arm on Friday night, but his legs were fine. He plowed through the mud and the Bulldogs’ gritty defense for 123 yards on 27 carries. He’s tough to bring down.
On Saturday at East Meadow, another first-time starting quarterback put on a show. Freeport senior Eric Lapice ran the Red Devils’ vaunted spread offense brilliantly. He ran for 30 yards on six carries, to keep the defense honest. He made the most of his 10 passes, completing six for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed deftness with the ball, making the right reads on pitchouts and artfully play-faking to allow Jules Harvey (111 yards) and Kevin Allen (60 yards) to rack up big yardage in a 41-23 win.
I was also impressed with hard-running Robert Bright of East Meadow. He gained 74 yards on 16 carries before turning his ankle in the third quarter and not returning. Nearly all of those yards were tough ones, as the Jets believe in running their fullback straight up the gut, in traffic.
“I wish you could have seen him break through the line,” East Meadow coach Vinny Mascia said. “He’s got legitimate 4.6 speed. We had to settle for five yards a pop, but he can get the big ones, too.”

By Marcus Henry

Riverhead looks like the read deal. Miguel Maysonet ran for 200-plus years and the Blue Wave defense totally kept East Islip off balance in their 33-13 win. QB Tim Velys was on point, completing 7 of 11 passes and two TDs.

But don't overlook East Islip. The Redmen, who came into this season with just one returning starter, played Riverhead to a 14-13 score at the half. They had a chance to turn the tables on Riverhead early in third quarter.

Ahead 14-13 and facing a 2nd-and-30 from its own 8-yard line, Riverhead was on the verge of losing control of the game. But Velys found William Lehmann for a 30-yard gain and a first down.

But East Islip could be a dangerous team down the stretch. Quarterback Mike Rooney completed his first eight passes. He ended the day completing 8 of 11 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. On the down side, tailback Eric Schmidt left the game in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. Stay tuned.

Brentwood takes on Patchogue-Medford in its season opener and learns that things don't always go exactly as scripted.

Showing off its new spread offense, Half Hollow Hills West smacked around Division III rivals Miller Place, 42-14.

Floyd silences its doubters by surviving a tough, rain-soaked opening game against Lindenhurst, 14-12, to extend its winning streak.

The N-Zone spends some quality time with Brentwood's offensive line and finds out if the Indians are ready for their Week 1 game against Patchogue-Medford.

Bob and Gregg preview Hills West vs. Miller Place, Amityville vs. Shoreham-Wading River, Lawrence vs. Glen Cove and Bethpage vs. Floral Park.

Our N-Zone Football picks contest is back for another season.

Compete against Gregg Sarra for a chance to win cool prizes like a 42-inch HDTV, iPod Shuffle, or portable DVD player.

Click here to sign up and play: http://newsday.sportsballot.com/PlayBallot.aspx?sportID=456. (Make sure to bookmark the link so you can play each week!)

Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Bob Herzog will answer your questions about all of the Week 1 high school football matchups during a live chat at 7 p.m. tonight.

DON'T MISS:
*Bob & Gregg's Week 1 picks
*N-Zone Football Pick 'em: Beat Gregg, win prizes!

Watch video of a five-team scrimmage between Harborfields, Smithtown East, Sachem East, Connetquot and Miller Place.

BY BOB HERZOG

Best thing about my Saturday afternoon? Well, yes, it was nice that Hanna didn’t turn into a hurricane and wipe out our beloved beaches. But better yet was watching a real high school football game in person, my first in many years.

After three weeks of observing practices and scrimmages, it was nice to see a scoreboard with its lights turned on and view some lights-out hitting. For my debut on Newsday’s high school football beat, I covered Chaminade’s non-league opener against upstate Kingston. Not a great game – the Flyers rolled, 35-9 – but it was the real thing and that brightened my day. The weather didn’t turn nasty until the game was over, so Chaminade’s relatively new turf field in Mineola allowed for some nice action.

Most of it went Chaminade’s way: a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown; a long touchdown pass on a deep sideline pattern; another long touchdown pass on a screen. Bill Basel’s squad, seeded No. 2 to perennial powerhouse St. Anthony’s in the CHSFL, unveiled its new spread offense and appears to have a smart, athletic quarterback to run it in senior Steve Chmil.

I asked Basel if he was thinking about St. Anthony’s and the Catholic league race this early. The veteran coach just laughed and said, “I’ve still got two weeks to worry about that.” The Flyers have one more non-league game before they begin CHSFL play and try to dethrone the seven-time defending champion Friars.

Next weekend, scoreboards will be flashing all over the Island with a full schedule of games in all four public school classifications plus the Catholic league. Gregg Sarra and I will be heading Newsday’s expanded football team coverage. So look for us at games in Nassau and Suffolk all season, read our blogs and web columns and get your season off to a rousing start by reading Newsday’s High School Football Preview special section in next Sunday’s editions.

In this week's episode, Floyd's Steve Murphy talks about the pressure of replacing All-Long Island quarterback Joe Sidaris.

Gregg Sarra answers your high school football questions in a live chat today at 6 p.m.

BY GREGG SARRA

Give the coaches at Riverhead and Floyd a lot of credit for scheduling the best possible competition for the pre-season. And the same can be said for the coaches at Elmont and Wantagh for getting together last night for some quality reps. Look at Riverhead's scrimmage opponents - Sachem North and Floyd, arguably two of Suffolk's better teams.

So now Floyd has scrimmaged against St. Anthony's, Bellport and Riverhead.

What did I take from the Riverhead-Floyd game scrimmage in Mastic Beach yesterday? Well, for one, I think Riverhead is all that and played with Floyd step-for-step. I thought Floyd threw the ball very well and quarterback Steve Murphy is very elusive. He'll be the difference in some games this season. He's a lacrosse kid with great vision and extraordinary moves in the open field. The coaches had a quick whistle whenever Murphy broke into the open field so who knows how many times he might have scored.

The Floyd running game looked like it was still under construction with some major line renovations and some guys missing due to injury.

Remember this name: Andrew Smith from Riverhead (above, center). He is one of Long Island's top linebackers and he made his presence felt yesterday. Smith had a few tackles for a loss and a sack and his play was very noticeable. He is a big-time D-I prospect.

The Floyd defense was solid. Riverhead was playing without starting quarterback Tim Velys (above, right) and that made it difficult to gauge the Floyd defensive unit.

Riverhead made an impressive defensive stand at its own goalline and took over on downs as far inside the 1-yard line as possible. The parents in the stands were rooting for a safety, which was definitely a possibility. But Riverhead went quick pitch right on first down. Miguel Maysonet (above, left) took the ball four yards deep in the end zone and darted into the first level of the defense. He was hit hard and bounced off the tackle and worked his way upfield before breaking another tackle. It was then that we all realized in the bleachers that this could be the longest TD run in scrimmage history. And it was -- Maysonet broke into the open field and it was all over. Riverhead was officially on the board.

What did it really mean? It meant Maysonet is the real deal -- which we already knew. There were a lot of good plays on both sidelines. The scrimmage was well played and it was a treat for all who attended and had the opportunity to watch two of Suffolk's powerhouse teams. Check out the video of Maysonet's TD run tomorrow at newsday.com/nzone.

BY GREGG SARRA

So what is the most asked football question this pre-season? Very simple! Will Floyd finally lose a game this season? The Colonials have had one of the more impressive runs in high school football history. They've won 33 straight games and three consecutive Long Island championships. It is one of those cyclical things that sees Floyd as unbeatable, constantly reloading and virtually unstoppable.

As was the case with other dominant Long Island programs, Floyd will lose again. When that happens is anyone's guess. I've covered the great North Babylon, Bellport and Freeport teams over extended periods of time. Sayville, Lawrence and Babylon have always been on the cusp of dynasty greatness. And of course, it would be very tough to match what St. Anthony's has done over the past seven seasons, winning seven straight CHSFL crowns.

But as the old adage goes -- all good things must come to an end. Not even the great coaching at Bellport and North Babylon and Freeport could stop the inevitable. Floyd is a very good football team and could very well win the Suffolk Division I title again. But, with all due respect to the Colonials, I do believe the 33-game win streak will come to an end during the regular season. And -- hold on to your hat -- they might even lose two or three games this season. The opponents across the landscape of this division want a piece of Floyd.

With heavy losses through graduation, inexperienced line play, injuries to some key players, a very tough first few weeks, and a running game that has been non-existent in the preseason scrimmages, this isn't a reach. Of course, scrimmages don't mean too much and coach Paul Longo is very smart. He's not showing all of his cards and he knows his team is the hunted. A tremendous coaching staff will do everything in its power to help stave off the inevitable.

There will be a celebration somewhere in Suffolk during the regular season. Lindenhurst plays a beast of an opener in Mastic where a few winning streaks are on the line. And the Bulldogs are a nasty bunch. They looked very physical against Freeport, Brentwood and Deer Park Tuesday night. There's a lot of enthusiasm in Lindy in Coach Rich Biancaniello's final season at the helm.

Brentwood was athletic and physical as well. The Indians are also primed for a shot against Floyd, which has given them the beatdown for a few years. Brentwood looks very good.

Longwood, well... Longwood and Floyd is not about a love story. And the Lions would love the honor of knocking off the top dog. Those neighboring communities pack the place when their teams meet.

Connetquot is in a three-year win cycle that starts now. The Thunderbirds are a very strong sixth seed who, along with Lindy, are going to make serious noise in the division. The team that everyone in the division should fear is at Sachem North. They're big, fast, and ready for a run at the Long Island crown. They've shown strength in line play, speed at the skill positions and an aggressive, yet, disciplined defense.

So the answer is yes, Floyd will lose a game this season. They are good enough to win it all -- just not unblemished.

A quarterback goes down and things get a little rough as the Indians go through their first scrimmage of the season.

Watch previous episodes from the "In the Huddle" series!

The first scrimmage of the season provides coach Paul Longo with a chance to see how his team performs in game situations against St. Anthony's, Bellport and Wyandanch.

And don't miss Kimberley A. Martin's feature on the always-difficult Floyd football tryouts.