Quarterfinal preview: Copiague makes long-awaited return to postseason
Copiague’s Asante Daniels runs the ball during a high school football game against Northport on Oct. 31, 2026. Credit: Thomas Hengge
Two years after ending the longest losing streak in Long Island football history at 42 games, Copiague is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1994.
Seniors Jaiden Urbina, Asante Daniels, Gregory Brooks and Charles Williams helped second-year coach Phil Fortuno guide the Eagles to a 4-4 regular season. Copiague is the No. 8 seed and will visit Half Hollow Hills East in the quarterfinal round of the Suffolk Division II playoffs at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Urbina was a sophomore on varsity when Copiague ended the streak in 2024. Now the senior offensive lineman makes the blocking calls for the Eagles. He and his classmates grew up watching the losing streak.
“It was always just a thing inside the locker room, we always knew we were going to be great,” Urbina said. “It was just a matter of time when it’d come out.”
For more on the rest of this week's quarterfinal matchups, check out Gregg's Sarra full preview.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
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