Plainedge football coach Rob Shaver earns 200th victory as team cruises past North Shore

Plainedge’s first win of the year was unorthodox, but it was a little extra meaningful than most.

The Red Devils’ opened a 40-0 halftime lead in their Nassau Conference IV opener at North Shore, but the second half never started due to lightning and heavy rain in Glen Head Saturday afternoon. The game was called after about a 50-minute delay.

It marked Plainedge coach Rob Shaver’s 200th win.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is that a lot of the people I hang out with now are former players that I forget even played for me,” Shaver said. “(Assistant coach) Ryan Bauer played for me and we’re friends now and we go out to dinner . . . That’s the important part. The relationships between coaches and kids.”

In his 30th year as Plainedge’s coach, Shaver holds a 200-86-1 record. His teams have won six Nassau titles and two Long Island crowns. Shaver is the 14th coach in LI high school football history to reach 200 wins.

“We tell our guys, ‘You win by accident.’ You train really hard and the wins just take care of themselves,” Shaver said. “We don’t concentrate on winning, we concentrate on the process.”

“As a sophomore, he gave me a chance to come up and play varsity, so I’m grateful for that,” senior Taylor Nitsch said. “He’s a great offensive mind and a great defensive mind. He always schemes up a great game plan. Today, they gave us a different look and he was able to make a call on the fly and give us a play that worked.”

Despite missing star running back and linebacker Dylan Fella, Plainedge dominated both sides of the ball.

Niko Dimakopoulos intercepted a pass on North Shore’s opening drive to set Plainedge up on the Vikings’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, Mike Ranaudo ran in a 2-yard touchdown.

On the first play of Plainedge’s second drive, Jaxson Torres aired it out to Nitsch for a 61-yard completion. Jonny Cynar punched in a 2-yard TD run on the next play.

Torres connected with Nitsch for a 62-yard TD to give Plainedge a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“Me and Jaxson have been playing together for a long time,” Nitsch said. “Even in the backyard, just throwing the ball around. It feels like we’ve been with each other forever. We’re always on the same page.”

Cynar returned an interception 55 yards for a TD early in the second quarter. Plainedge’s defense forced a punt on North Shore’s ensuing drive, which Dominic Agovino returned 79 yards for a score.

Agovino is no stranger to North Shore football. His father, Dan, is now on Plainedge’s coaching staff after spending the last 23 years as the Vikings’ coach. Agovino also had a 13-yard TD run with seven seconds left in the half.

“It felt weird because I used to be here all the time. I was a waterboy for them as a little kid,” Agovino said.

Last year’s Nassau IV runner-up, Plainedge is off to a hot start as Shaver and the Red Devils look for their first title since 2022.

“It’s great being a part of this program,” Agovino said. “He’s obviously a great coach and we’re all very proud of him. We feel very accomplished that we got to be the team to get him to 200.”