Division's Chris Ruggia, passing game clicking at the right time
Constantine Chea of Division, center, gets congratulated by teammates Liam Palmer, left, and Joe Cuciti after making a reception for a touchdown in the third quarter of a Nassau Conference III football game against host Mineola on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. Credit: James Escher
During its three-game winning streak, the Division football team is averaging 31 points per game and has reached the 35-point mark in consecutive games. For what is a team that rushed for over 200 yards in each of its first two wins, getting its passing game right may be exactly what it needs to make itself a contender come playoff time.
“I’ve got the best receiving corps in the county,” said senior quarterback Chris Ruggia, who threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Mineola on Saturday. “They make it easy for me, they’re special guys. … Today felt good, man. I knew this was going to happen eventually, and it feels good to finally see it. This is exactly what we needed for us to have a shot down the stretch in the rest of our games.”
The Dragons (3-2) already know what they have to do to keep their aerial attack firing on all cylinders: feed senior wide receiver Aiden Mirelis. Over the past season-and-a-half, he has caught 76 passes for 1,744 yards and 24 touchdowns across 13 games played. This season, he has made 33 grabs for 569 yards and six scores.
Mirellis has played a big role in their two-game scoring outburst with 15 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns. Five of his catches on Saturday went for 25 yards or more, and four were for over 30.
“We had been running the ball because other teams weren’t contending with our run game,” Mirelis said. “Today, we proved we can pass the ball better than we’ve been, too. I’m very proud of that. I think this is going to help us even more with moving the ball and creating more open spaces for the rest of the year.”
Division’s No. 2 wideout — junior George Gendekos, who caught two passes for 44 yards and a touchdown on Saturday — feels much better about this team moving forward after its dominant passing display.
“We unlocked the passing game; we got our connection back,” Gendekos said. “Wait until you see us in the future. We’re a lot more dangerous.”
For more on this Nassau football game, check out Mike Anderson's full game story.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
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