14 new head coaches will grace LI's football sidelines this weekend

A full slate of high school football is scheduled this weekend. A total of 14 new head coaches will grace the Long Island sidelines. Some inherited powerhouse programs at Longwood, Seaford and North Babylon. Some take over programs on the rise like Half Hollow Hills East and look to continue the momentum toward the playoffs and a shot at the Long Island championship.

And others will bring their vision and work ethic to rebuild programs like Connetquot, Eastport-South Manor and Amityville.

It’s the biggest turnover in coaches in the past 25 years according to Newsday records.

"I took off for my son’s senior year at Mepham in 2019 and I loved watching him play, basically the best year of my life," said Elmont head coach Jay Hegi, in his 38th year coaching. "I can see the increasing turnover in coaches because it’s tougher coaching now than in the past, especially in the COVID era. I wish all the newbies the best of luck except of course anyone we play."

Here’s a look at some of this week’s top games;

SUFFOLK III

Amityville at Eastport/South Manor, Friday, 6 p.m. Two new head coaches as the bottom seeds in the division do battle. Amityville is the 12 seed and Eastport the 13, a nice opportunity for an opening game win.

NASSAU IV

Seaford at Cold Spring Harbor, Friday, 7 p.m. Both teams lost in the semifinals in the spring. Michael Corcoran takes over as the Seaford coach. He replaces Rob Perpall, who won 165 games, nine Nassau titles, and two Long Island crowns in 21 years.

SUFFOLK I

Whitman at Longwood, Friday, 6:30 p.m. Whitman won its first league title in 37 years as it tied for the Suffolk League II crown in the spring. Longwood will be playing in honor of teammate Darrius Jones, who died in a car accident last week.

SUFFOLK II

West Babylon at Newfield, Friday, 6 p.m. Newfield was 1-4 in the spring with those four losses by a combined 14 points. West Babylon moves up to Division II after playing the last five years in III.

SUFFOLK IV

Miller Place at Babylon, Friday, 5 p.m. These teams are meeting for the first time since 2017. Babylon, a perennial power in IV, will be tested in this opener. The Panthers have won nine of their 17 meetings with Miller Place.

NASSAU II

Mepham at Carey, Saturday, 2 p.m. These teams missed the playoffs in the spring, the first time that’s happened since 2003. Carey’s next win will be coach Mike Stanley’s 100th career win.

NASSAU III

Manhasset at Bethpage, Saturday, 2 p.m. Manhasset won its first conference title since 1996. Bethpage is a perennial playoff contender. A win here is a positive step toward the playoffs.

SUFFOLK I

Bay Shore at Central Islip, Saturday, 2 p.m. These two programs had a fierce rivalry in the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Both teams have fallen on hard times recently. A win here gets one team’s season going in the right direction.

SUFFOLK IV

Mt. Sinai at Glenn, Saturday, 1:30 p.m. This is one of the best small school football rivalries on Long Island. Mt. Sinai has won 19 of the 32 meetings since the team’s first met in 1991.

CHSFL-NON LEAGUE

St. Anthony’s at Delbarton, N.J., 2 p.m. The Friars travel to play Delbarton, who went undefeated (6-0) in the super-competitive New Jersey Catholic School League last season. They’ll have their hands full in this one.

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.