High School Football

Hello,

Longwood HS VS Sachem on FoxTV

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Art Flynn

I am writing to you today with regard to the All Long Island Football team that is selected by Newsday each year. I would like to know why there is no Kicker. Every football team has a kicker. Just last weekend, Seaford won their game and extended their unbeaten streak because of a field goal, executed by the kicker.

My son is a junior in high school and is a kicker/punter for his team. He has been a kicker since he was 7 years old. He trains all year long for this position. We constantly travel out of state for clinics, training and competitions. He also trains with someone here on the island. It is something that he and many others take great pride in and also take very seriously. They are very often under tremendous pressure during games at one point or another. Whether it is to gain better field position, hit a PAT or score a field goal. Theirs is a job of precision and consistency.

I would like to respectfully ask that Newsday consider adding a kicker to the All Long Island Football team roster. There are many talented kickers/punters on our high school teams that deserve a chance to be recognized.

Thank you for your time.

Our company produced a documentary called "Perfect Effort" about De La Salle High School's national win streak. Our film gives an intimate look at De La Salle's success - pre and post game - in the locker room and at practice. I work closely with the director who is a former player. We have a very special story that serves as a great resource for football players, coaches, and fans of all levels (youth, high school, college, & pro). We want to see if you would be interested in doing a film review on your website.

To date, we've received great feedback from John Madden, Tom Flores, and Tony LaRussa. Recently, we received personal notes from Bill Belichick, John Gruden, and Jack del Rio.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Hi >. My Question is why is Matthew Bates not plaing football for Malvenre High School he is one of the best LB in long island last year please find out why he is not playing he is the best in long island please find out wanna see him play

hi why is Matthew Bates form malverne not playing football he is one of the best football player in longisland please find out why he is not playing

Gregg,

A great human interest story might be why Walt Whitman HS is the only school in Suffolk that refuses to play games on 9-11. There must be a reason.

Gregg,
You have to double check your stats for the Top Football Statistical Leaders listed in Newsday on 9/16. As a Cougar Fan from St. John's, I don't see QB Matt Pryzby among the QB passing leaders and he's had 335 yards passing, which would put him at the top of the list. Also, the SJB receivers should be on as well....Sutton, Gangitano, Kraft. Tom Beverly is listed as he should be with 337 rushing yards. I'm sure it was just an oversight. Thanks fo the great HS Football coverage.

Cougar Fan and old Newfield Alum.

Cougar fan,

The stats have to be forwarded by the coach and we never got an email from Coach Schweers. With all those great players, I should expect an email from Keith this week. The Cougars are looking very good and yes, they should have some leaders.

Coach Schweers probably had other issues to deal with after being ejected from the game.

Gregg,

On Sunday 9/21/08 I replied to your blog "Will St Anthony's ever lose a CHSFL Game". You have yet to post my comment or reply. I have a problem with that.
However with the interest of good banter in mind I will repost my comments here.

On Friday night St Anthonys beat up on Holy Trinity 62-13. Newsday covered the game and wrote a flattering article of how St A's played. Yet back in 2006 Molinet wrote a scathing article and blog when Bellport beat Newfield 67-13. Molinet attacked the character of Bellports football program and its coaches for running up the score. You supported the article and even defended Molinets position. Why is it ok for St A's to run up the score and they get a way to go yet Bellport gets their character questioned? This is a classic example of double standards.

I believe you and Newsday owe the kids, coaches and fans of the Bellport Football program an apology.

I look forward to your response.

Joe,

Long time. I just saw your post -- I was away. Your post is up and here's your answer. There is a huge difference between the Bellport circumstances of two years ago and the St. Anthony's blowout Friday night. There is an enormous difference with scoring with the first team and throwing passes late in the fourth quarter blowouts and scoring the final touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a blowout by a fumble return and a scout team halfback. In fact, Holy Trinity trailed 34-13 with under a minute to go in the half and threw an interception in the end zone. St. Anthony's came out and scored twice in the third quarter to go up 48-13 with 8:22 left in the third quarter and pulled all the starters on both sides of the ball. They have that luxury with 94 kids on the roster. You wouldn't know all of this and I'm glad you asked. FYI: No way is this comparable to the Bellport blowouts in the past. And as you know, I didn't write either story. But since you asked . . . Keep writing and I'll see you at Bellport this year.

Why isn't Connetqout listed as being a large school and how is that figured out?

Gregg,

thank you for responding to my post. Bellport has never been a prolific passing team. So when Bellport is scoring late in games when they are on offense its on the run. Now, I attached the St A's vs Holy Trinity Game box score and I believe it speaks for itself.

SCORING
Team……………..1……2…..3…..4 — F
Holy Trinity………7……6…..0…..0 — 13
St. Anthony’s…..21….13….21…..7 — 62
SA — Schreiber 27 run (Ferrara kick)
SA — Schreiber 16 run (Ferrara kick)
HT – Johnson 46 pass from Morrisey (Dreiss kick)
SA – Lucas 90 kickoff return (Ferrara kick)
SA — Lucas 50 run (Ferrara kick)
HT — Walsh 12 pass from Morrisey (run failed)
SA — Schroeder 35 pass from Schreiber (kick failed)
SA – Carberry 12 run (Ferrara kick)
SA – Fiorvanti 33 pass from Schreiber (Ferrara kick)
SA — Corley-Woods 43 run (Ferrara kick)
SA — Peccia 19 fumble recovery (Ferrara kick)

St A's is up 41-13 in the 3rd quarter and Their STARTING QB throws a 33 yd touchdown strike. In my opinion that is a perfect example of running up the score. Show me where Bellport threw a TD pass when they were up by 28 points in the 3rd quarter.

By the way I do happen to know St A's has a large roster which affords them depth. I have watched St A's play Farrell and St Joes by The Sea on Staten Island. However that is a different converstaion

Dear Gregg, if Newsday is going to post weekly statistics for football you have to include every game. Mike McCabe, QB for Port Washington passed for 235 yards aand 2 touchdowns against Syosset. For the season he has passed for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was the leading passer in Nassau County last week and I believe 2nd in the county behind Von Bargen through 2 games. Please update your statistics. Thanks.

Joe,
That TD pass came with 8:13 left in the third quarter to make it 47-13. All the starters were pulled at that point -- that's depth more than anything and we know that. See you at Bellport soon.

Footballdude,

Connetquot plays in Class AA in all sports. They are in League II in almost every sport because of a lower enrollment than the biggest schools. But in football there's 14 schools forced into Division I and Connetquot with the 9th largest enrollment is up there.

Hi Gregg,
I thought I would share with you a great " local boy gets a chance" story. In 2003 you may recall my son Mike LaLuna was a senior and the starting Quarterback for Commack High School. He had a storybook season which culminated in a tremendous win at Longwood HS in which Mike broke the NYS record for passing yards in a game. The win knocked Longwood out of playoff contention. Commack unfortunately, was one game short of making the playoffs. Mike, you may recall, also played baseball for Commack and had a pretty solid season as their shortstop and pitcher. He was recruited by a number of schools for football and baseball,but eventually went on to play baseball at NYIT. He was a four year starter at NYIT as a thrid basemen and shortstop. Michael graduated from NYIT this past May, and when the June MLB draft came and went without a call, he figured his BB playing days were about over.He then received a call from his Coach at NYIT asking him if he would be interested in going out to Michigan to try out as a pitcher for an independant team. Since Michael had pitched some in HS he figured why not. Well, as fate would have it, he was picked up by the Sussex Skyhawks of the Independant CanAm League. He had a great first season! Follow the link: www.sussexskyhawks.com. To make a long story short, yesterday afternoon he received "The Call" that all ballplayers hope and dream for. An MLB team had bought out his contract from the Skyhawks. He is now a Detriot Tiger! He reports to Spring Training at TigerTown in Lakeland FL in February. He has his chance!

nice job #1 passer on LI and #1 rusher on LI for SJB. They were shut down in the 2nd half for a final 38-14 vs. Kellenberg.

Mike S.- SJB was shut down by Kellenberg a week ago in the second half, but they bounced back in a huge win vs Xavier as the Firebirds fell to lowly St. Peter's of SI. Beverly gets all the glory, but Matt Pryzby is lighting it up to his favorite receiver Mike Gangitano. The junior receiver has over 300 yards and 4tds, with some spectacular acrobatic catches as he stretches the field for Beverly. Watch for this kid, he's something.

what about bethpage

Hi Gregg
You are missing the stats for a Glen Cove receiver, Joe Fiorino has 5 TD;s well over 350 yds receiving in only 12 receptions. Who sends in these stats and why arent they accurate. He also has 5 interceptions on defense. Also missing are the stats for their new kicker Chris Horan 14/16 in PAT these stats mean a lot to these kids how do they get updated.

Newfield Alum.

Who do you think is the best reciever combo in Suffolk division 1 and what are your thoughts on the upcoming game against Floyd and Connetquot?

Hey Gregg

Any chance you could post a blog on how the power ratings are calculated to educate us football parents ?

What is the formula for calculating the power rankings for long island high school football?

gregg,
what do yo think of the whitman vs northport football game?

where can i find the power rankings on newsday? not just the standings by record??

Hey guys

I will find the power rankings and how they are tabulated and post them here on Wednesday afternoon. They are complicated but we can figure it out.
As far as the Whitman and Northport game -- I think that's going to be real close. Whitman is 3-3 and has improved tremendously this season. The Wildcats are young and this is a backyard game where I'm sure a lot of the players are familiar with each other. Northport is 5-1 and looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking overtime loss to Brentwood. The Tigers have an outstanding line and running game. Northport should be able to move the ball on the ground against Whitman BUT they need to play defense and not get into another one of those wild high-scoring games.
Ahh, Connetquot and Floyd? Everyone wants to know what I think about this game for a multitude of reasons. I have the utmost respect for the Floyd program, from its administration, to the coaching staff, to the players, to the parents that have helped cultivate one of Long Island's greatest programs. This is certainly a dynasty. Connetquot is also rich in spirit and talent and they have turned a once proud program back into a winning program. The administration, the staff, the parents and the players are awesome and very similar to Floyd. There is commitment and loyalty. What I see is two programs of equal ability in 2008.
And I think they both know that Longwood is also a huge factor in the Division I title run. My thoughts on the winner . . . they'll be posted on Friday.

Gregg,
When are we going to see you at an SJB game? The games have been great. The Offense is dynamic with Pryzby-Beverly and Gangitano. The defense is pourous, but makes plays when it has too. There's great football in the CHSFL other than St.A and Chaminade. Looking forward to seeing you out there!

Cougar Fan

Hey Gregg

Anything on those power ratings yet, were trying to figure out if we've got a shot at getting in to the playoffs.

Hey guys,
The power rating system is handled by the offices at Section VIII and Section XI. This is the example that is used in the handbook to figure out a teams rating. If you want a clearer look go to the sectionXI.org site and you can read it much better. Good luck.
STATISTIC REPORT FOR VARSITY FOOTBALL - LEAGUE DI
School Record Overall Points Winning Pct
Longwood 8-0-0 8-0-0 145.2 1.000
Patchogue 7-1-0 7-1-0 139.0 .880
William Floyd 7-1-0 7-1-0 134.0 .880
Sachem 5-3-0 5-3-0 119.0 .630
Brentwood 4-4-0 4-4-0 114.0 .500
Northport 4-4-0 4-4-0 102.7 .500
Lindenhurst 3-5-0 3-5-0 97.7 .380
Central Islip 4-4-0 4-4-0 95.2 .500
Connetquot 2-6-0 2-6-0 90.2 .250
Smithtown 2-6-0 2-6-0 81.5 .250
Commack 1-7-0 1-7-0 79.0 .130
Ward Melville 1-7-0 1-7-0 65.2 .130

EXAMPLES
Brentwood (same record as Northport) - Won 4, Lost 4 - Winning Pct = .50
Win Loss Opponent Opponent's Winning Pct Opp. Losing Pct
L Sachem -.37
L Patchogue -.12
L Longwood -.00
L William Floyd -.12
W Lindenhurst +.38
W Northport +.50
W Ward Melville +.13
W Central Islip +.50 _____
+1.51 -.61
Brentwood's own winning pct +.50
+Winning pct of opponents for wins +1.51 2.01
-Losing pct of opponents for losses -.61 1.40
POWER POINTS* 114.0

Northport (same record as Brentwood) - Won 4, Lost 4 - Winning Pct =.50
Win Loss Opponent Opponent's Winning Pct Opp.Losing Pct
L Longwood -.00
L Brentwood -.50
L William Floyd -.12
W Commack +.13
W Connetquot +.25
W Lindenhurst +.38
W Ward Melville +.13
L Central Islip ____ -.50
+.89 -1.12
Northport's own winning pct + .50
+Winning pct of opponents for wins + .89 1.39
-Losing pct of opponents for losses -1.12 .27
POWER POINTS* 102.7
Brentwood and Northport illustrate power point difference even when teams have the same win/loss record.

*Move decimal one place to the right and add 100. This prevents the use of negative numbers, making for better comprehension of the standings.

Why haven't you put the Uniondale Quarterback Greg Hampton stats up and Wide Receiver Jerome Floyd stats for the week 7 game vs. Farmingdale.

Dear Greg:

What do you think about our Big Senior Day against your son's school? Northport Boys want 7-1. This is a big year for us.

Dear Irish,

I guess you could say that this is a tremendous opportunity for both schools. Northport is having a great season and that has to feel good for coach Kip Lukralle -- one of the really great guys in the coaching fraternity. And Connetquot is finally having a great season. It's fairly simple to see that Northport has a strong running game and that has helped the Tigers win six games. Connetquot has won some very close games in a tough schedule and mixes the run and the pass well. I wouldn't say Connetquot has any superstars like Dan Russo. When Jeremy Leggiero is healthy he's one of the best players on Long Island but he was injured against Sachem North and isn't 100 per cent. My son and the rest of his teammates are looking forward to a great season finale in Northport. I have to say it's been an exceptional season and it's been fun to see some of the other programs like Northport and Connetquot win their share of games. Good luck this week and hopefully everyone stays healthy for the playoffs.

Regards,
Gregg Sarra

Where's Joe Fernandez? The video coverage was fantastic last year and now it's gone?

good morning gregggg, Please what ever you do don't pick hills west this week we want to win! I know EH would love to upset us looking for a big game from the QB and RB,WR's. this should seal a four seed for hills with a big W. What do you think?

Hey Joe,

East Hampton spoiled Harborfields undefeated season last week but they can't possibly be that good two weeks in a row. Expect David and Donovan to hook up for two scores and the defense to post a shutout. HHHW gets the four seed and a home game.

Just would like for Justin Mayers, Elmont Halfback, stats to be corrected. He has 15 touchdowns as 10/25... there is an error in the Jericho stats.. you have James Mayers instead of Justin Mayers. He had 3 touchdowns in that game.

Thanks!

Hi Gregg

Sorry to bother you but I don't know who else to write to. My son's picture was in the sunday edition and I would love to buy the original but I can't find a place to buy it. Any help would be appreciated. I also hate to sound like a sports dad but my son's stats are wrong is there a way to fix that. He is only a senior once and he doesn't care but my wife and I would like to see him get credit for what he does. Thanks for the article about Plainedge and keep up the good work.

Ryan Derham (Lindenhurst)

Receiving Stats = 38 receptions, 448 yards, 4 touchdowns

if someone can update that on stats. thank you

Greg,

Why hasnt the Carey team recieved any press this year.
This is a historical season for the seahawks and i feel there not getting the regonition the deserve.

seahawks fan

Dear Gregg,

Who do you believe are the best kick return/punt returners in each conference of Nassau. Also, what does it take to become one of Newsday's All Long Island players.

Thanks

Dear Gregg,

Who do you think are the top kick return/punt returners in each conference within Nassau. Also how do you get picked for Newsday's All Long Island Team. Thanks

Dear Gregg,

Who do you think are the top kick return/punt returners in each conference within Nassau. Also how do you get picked for Newsday's All Long Island Team. Thanks

put lindy in 4 in the top ten polls get floyd out of there they lost you guys most like gardencity for everything there in the newspaper for swimming hockey football.

Hey Gregg,

We just found out that my son's Varisty Football Game (North Babylon) was cancelled aganist Riverhead, because West Islip did not want to play today because of rain. Apparently, Section XI rules are that if 1 team cancels for weather, all games are cancelled once the playoffs start. The weather is not that bad and football is a sport that should be played in all types of weather unless lighting. It's a disgrace that Section XI would allow West Islip to cancel. Sectio XI should have an on site offical cancels games, not the home teams AD.

Hi Greg,

Just an FYI about your article today in which Elmont Football Coach Hegi claims that his program is appearing in its first county final since '86: Elmont has appeared in three county finals in the last 15 years, all losses to Garden City.

-Gerrie