Newsday's All-Long Island football first team 2025
Newsday's 2025 All-Long Island football first team. TOP ROW, from left: Coach Kevin Shippos, Xavier Bala, Greyson Cabrera, Brian Falk, Patrick Coan, Zach Olson, Aiden Mirelis, Anthony Asaro, Ryan Leary, Hudson Philbrick, Trevon Cole-Jenkins, Coach Rob Hoss. MIDDLE ROW: Kevin Moore, Aidan Winter, Michael Cascione, Luke Garguilo, Dylan Bayer, Declan Miller, Jovan Bonilla, Zack Silva, Justin DePietro, Ethan Lawless, Coach Dave Ettinger. BOTTOM ROW: Joe Nicholson, Tommy Steyert, Luke Martini, Luke Neugebauer, Tristan Tarasi, Anthony DiNello, Jake Simmons, Jeru Hall. Credit: Dawn McCormick
OFFENSE
Luke Martini of Wantagh. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Nassau Player of the Year: Luke Martini, Wantagh, RB, 5-11, 200, Soph.
It’s rare for a sophomore to have the season that Martini had.
He rushed for 1,968 yards and 21 touchdowns on 167 carries, caught 27 passes for 329 yards and four scores and threw two TD passes to lead Wantagh (8-4) to the Nassau Conference III title. He became the first sophomore to win the Thorp Award, presented to Nassau’s most outstanding player.
At outside linebacker, Martini led Nassau with six interceptions. He also made 97 tackles, including 18 for a loss and five sacks.
Ja'Quan Thomas of Floyd. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Suffolk Player of the Year: Ja’Quan Thomas, Floyd, RB, 6-1, 225, Sr.
Since debuting in the playoffs as a sophomore, Thomas was nearly impossible to tackle. His senior year was no different. He ran for 2,082 yards and 31 touchdowns on 187 carries to lead Floyd (11-1) to the Suffolk Division I final and earn the Hansen Award, presented to Suffolk’s most outstanding player.
In the county final, Thomas ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns and completed 6 of 7 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown out of the wildcat. He was a co-winner of the Cipp Award as Suffolk’s most outstanding running back for the second year in a row and finished his career with 4,986 rushing yards.
He had six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four pass breakups as a linebacker.
QB – Patrick Coan, Sayville, 6-4, 190, Sr.
The Lehigh commit completed 133 of 178 (74.7%) passes for 1,937 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 1,082 yards and 13 TDs on 133 carries to lead Sayville to the Long Island Class III title. He earned the Boomer Award as Suffolk’s top quarterback and was a finalist for the Hansen Award.
QB – Hudson Philbrick, Ward Melville, 6-2, 185, Jr.
He completed 112 of 162 (69.1%) passes for 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 495 yards and seven TDs to lead Ward Melville to the Suffolk Division I title. He threw for 230 yards and two TDs in the Suffolk final.
QB – Luke Garguilo, Massapequa, 6-0, 165, Jr.
He completed 66 of 94 (70.2%) passes for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 66 carries for 738 yards and eight TDs to earn the Snyder Award as Nassau’s top quarterback. He led Massapequa to its third straight Long Island Class I title.
RB – Xavier Bala, St. Anthony’s, 6-1, 215, Jr.
He rushed for 1,318 yards and 26 touchdowns on 254 carries and earned the Reichert Award, presented to the CHSFL’s top player from Long Island.
RB – Jake Simmons, East Islip, 5-11, 180, Sr.
He rushed for 2,032 yards and 22 touchdowns to lead East Islip to the Suffolk Division II title. Simmons ran for 244 yards and two TDs in the county final. He was a Hansen Award finalist.
WR – Luke Neugebauer, Sayville, 5-11, 175, Sr.
He caught 38 passes for 738 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Long Island Class III champs. He had seven catches for 148 yards and three TDs in the Suffolk Division III championship game.
WR – Aiden Mirelis, Division, 6-3, 170, Jr.
Mirelis was a jump-ball machine. He caught 43 passes and led Nassau in receiving yards (808) and touchdown receptions (14). He also threw a 50-yard TD pass.
WR – Zack Silva, Long Beach, 6-0, 170, Sr.
The shifty route-runner caught 52 passes for 639 yards and five touchdowns to help Long Beach reach the Nassau Conference II final. In two games against Garden City’s vaunted defense, Silva caught 17 passes for 264 yards and three TDs.
OL – Zach Olson, Garden City, 6-6, 285, Sr.
The Harvard commit won the Martone Award as Nassau’s top lineman for the second straight year. He drew a ton of attention from opposing teams and was still unstoppable. He had 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks and led the Trojans to their fifth straight LI title. He is the only player in Long Island football history to win four LI titles.
OL – Dylan Bayer, East Islip, 6-2, 280, Sr.
Bayer was a game-changer on both sides of the ball. He had seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and was a finalist for the Zellner Award as Suffolk’s top lineman.
OL – Jeru Hall, Floyd, 6-2, 265, Sr.
He won the Zellner Award as Suffolk’s top lineman and was a mauler on the offensive line that paved the way for Floyd’s potent rushing attack.
OL – Declan Miller, Chaminade, 6-3, 295, Sr.
A punishing blocker with great mobility for his size, he was a force on both sides of the ball for the Flyers.
K – Tommy Steyert, Bayport-Blue Point, 5-9, 145, Jr.
He kicked the winning 47-yard field goal as time expired to deliver the Phantoms the Long Island Class IV title. The boot was the longest in the history of the Long Island championships. He made seven field goals and 54 PATs.
DEFENSE
DL – Tristan Tarasi, Massapequa, 5-11, 225, Sr.
He was an impact player on both sides of the ball and the best lineman for Massapequa during its run to a third straight LI title.
DL – Jovan Bonilla, East Islip, 6-2, 230, Sr.
He had 13 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles and was a finalist for the Burnett Award as Suffolk’s top defensive player.
DL – Trevon Cole-Jenkins, Half Hollow Hills East, 6-3, 280, Sr.
The two-time All-Long Island first team selection was the RedHawks’ key to securing the trenches on both sides of the ball on their run to the Suffolk Division II final.
LB – Ethan Lawless, Huntington, 6-2, 220, Sr.
A hard-hitter, Lawless totaled 87 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. He earned the Burnett Award as Suffolk’s top defensive player.
LB – Anthony DiNello, Massapequa, 6-0, 195, Sr.
He was named the winner of Flatley Award as Nassau’s most outstanding defensive player and the Piner Award for the county’s most outstanding linebacker.
He also ran for four touchdowns, caught a TD pass and threw for a score.
LB – Joe Nicholson, Wantagh, 6-0, 190, Sr.
He rushed 125 times for 944 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 617 yards and four TDs.
LB – Justin DePietro, Carey, 6-1, 225, Jr.
He had eight tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He was a finalist for both the Flatley and Piner Awards. He also rushed for 918 yards and 14 touchdowns.
DB – Greyson Cabrera, Northport, 6-1, 205, Sr.
He had 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions, including two that he returned for touchdowns. He caught 36 passes for 798 yards and nine TDs and ran for 206 yards and two scores. He was a finalist for the Hansen and Burnett Awards.
DB – Ryan Leary, Carle Place, 6-4, 205, Sr.
He was a difference-maker for the Frogs in all three phases of the game. He totaled 1,513 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. He had three interceptions and made five field goals and 22 PATs.
DB – Michael Cascione, Smithtown West, 6-1, 190, Sr.
He had 10 tackles for loss, five interceptions, a sack, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery and won the Cassese Award as Suffolk’s top defensive back. He was a finalist for the Hansen, Burnett and Cipp awards. He ran for 1,650 yards and 20 touchdowns.
DB – Kevin Moore, St. Anthony’s, 6-1, 195, Sr.
He had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He added two sacks and five tackles for loss. He also totaled 362 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
ALL – Aidan Winter, Babylon, 6-0, 205, Sr.
He ran for 2,043 yards and 27 touchdowns, caught three TD passes and threw for a score to lead the Panthers to the Suffolk Division IV final. He was a co-winner of the Cipp Award as Suffolk’s top running back. He had eight sacks at linebacker.
ALL – Brian Falk, Seaford, 6-2, 195, Sr.
He had 205 carries for 1,585 yards and 21 touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 553 yards and four TDs to lead the Vikings to the Nassau Conference IV title. He also had five tackles for loss and two interceptions and was a finalist for the Thorp Award.
ALL – Anthony Asaro, Garden City, 6-3, 195, Jr.
He ran for 812 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 59 attempts and added six catches for 220 yards and two scores. He had six sacks, five tackles for loss and a pick-6. He was a finalist for the Thorp Award.
Newsday Coach of the Year: Dave Ettinger, Garden City
He led Garden City (12-0) to its fifth straight Long Island title as the Trojans broke the record for New York’s longest winning streak. The Trojans’ 66-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the nation. Ettinger owns a career record of 121-3 and has led the Trojans to 10 straight Nassau titles.
Nassau Coach of the Year: Kevin Shippos, Massapequa
Massapequa (12-0) became the first Nassau Class I school to win three straight Long Island titles. Massapequa was honored with the Rutgers Cup as Nassau’s most outstanding team. Shippos owns a career record of 119-39 and has Massapequa on a 23-game winning streak.
Suffolk Coach of the Year: Rob Hoss, Sayville
In his first year back as Sayville’s head coach, Hoss led the Golden Flashes (12-0) to the Long Island Class III title. Hoss, who coached Sayville from 2002-2016, owns a career record of 142-29 and has led Sayville to nine Suffolk titles. Sayville earned the Rutgers Trophy as Suffolk’s most outstanding team.
