Long Island high school football games to watch for Week 6, plus picks

The sixth week offers fans some of the finest matchups of the regular season. One of the most intriguing comes in Suffolk Division IV, where the defending champion from Bayport-Blue Point hosts Babylon in a showdown of undefeated squads.

Both teams are off to 5-0 starts and meet at 6 p.m. on Friday.

“This game is the measuring stick for both teams,” Bayport-BP coach Mike Zafonte said. “They have one of the best players in the county in Aidan Winter. But they’re more than one player. Babylon is a very aggressive team, and it’ll be a true test.”

Bayport-BP has been the class of the division, winning three consecutive Suffolk IV titles. The Phantoms have a 37-game winning streak against Suffolk opponents. Senior quarterback Colin Clark and sophomore halfback Josh Franchak have totaled more than 1,100 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Clark has also passed for 505 yards and five scores.

“Colin Clark worked his butt off on our scout team as a junior and this year he’s emerged as a leader,” Zafonte said. “He’s really taken over.”

Babylon will counter with Winter, who has 772 yards rushing and 11 scores. He averages 16.7 yards per carry. Bayport has beaten Babylon in the last four meetings and outscored the Panthers, 108-20.

SUFFOLK II

East Islip (5-0) at Half Hollow Hills East (3-2), Friday, 3 p.m.: Hills East, the defending Division II champion, got off to a rocky start by losing its first two games of the season. The RedHawks righted the ship winning three in a row. But now comes the acid test when undefeated East Islip rolls into town on Homecoming Day. Hills East upset East Islip, 41-14, for the schools’ first Division II crown last year. An East Islip win on the road would be a sweet way to return the favor. Halfback Jake Simmons rushed for 839 yards and 10 scores thus far, and EI quarterback AJ Ierardi is coming off his best start of the season. The emergence of Hills East halfback Jayden Bryan has given defensive coordinators fits. The preseason top two seeds face off in what has become an intense rivalry.

NASSAU I

Hempstead (3-2) at Syosset (2-3), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: The winner of this game can still host a first-round playoff game. The loser will be fighting just to qualify for the playoffs. Syosset has won the last six meetings. Syosset QB Ethan Dizon has thrown for 1,072 yards and 13 TDs. Hempstead likes to play ball control and run all day with Seth Montgomery, who has six TDs.

NASSAU III

Floral Park (4-1) at South Side (3-2), Friday, 6 p.m.: Two of the better teams in the conference and coming off big wins. Floral Park took down the high-scoring Division, 38-33. South Side dominated defending Long Island Class IV champion Wantagh, 28-14. Floral Park can air it out with QB Justin Mallo, who’s thrown for 785 yards and eight scores. South Side held first-place Bethpage to one score in an 8-2 loss.

NASSAU III

Bethpage (5-0) at Wantagh (3-2), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: A backyard rivalry that lost some of its luster over the years as Wantagh blossomed and Bethpage swooned. The Golden Eagles are back and on the verge of being 6-0 for the first time since 2011. Wantagh has beaten Bethpage the last five meetings, but this one could be different. Wantagh has lost two in a row after being shut down by South Side.

NASSAU I

Massapequa (5-0) at Farmingdale (5-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.: This is, perhaps, the most intense high school football rivalry on Long Island. These teams first met in 1975. They are playing for the 49th consecutive year and Farmingdale leads the series, 37-24-2. Massapequa has won the last three meetings, including last season’s 35-34 overtime thriller in the Nassau I final. Massapequa also won in overtime (15-14) in 2023. Dalers halfback Josh Kama leads LI in rushing and scoring with 1,164 yards and 18 TDs. With Kama injured early in the first half last week and held out for precautionary reasons, Jovens Theodate rushed for 191 yards and five scores in a win over Hempstead. Massapequa is led by QB Luke Garguillo, who’s thrown for 640 yards and 10 TDs.

NASSAU IV

Lynbrook (4-1) at Seaford (5-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.: They haven’t met in 25 years, and it could be a high-scoring affair. Seaford halfback Brian Falk rushed for 651 yards and 10 TDs and QB Michael Spinella passed for 774 yards and 10 scores through a 5-0 start. But Lynbrook can find the end zone also. The Owls have QB Chase Samelson, one of LI’s top passers, with 1,024 yards and 11 scores. He’s also rushed for 445 yards and five TDs.

SUFFOLK I

Ward Melville (5-0) at Floyd (5-0), Saturday, 12 p.m.: This is the third straight year these teams have played with undefeated records and sole possession of first place on the line. Floyd is the two-time defending Division I champion and Ward Melville won the title in 2022. The teams have split the last four meetings. Floyd won last year’s Division I final, 34-6 behind halfback Ja’Quan Thomas, who rushed for 261 yards and five scores. Thomas leads Suffolk in rushing again this season with 1,061 yards and 13 TDs. But Ward Melville is much deeper on offense and has multiple options with QB Hudson Philbrick, and halfback Joe Benedetto, who’ve combined for 19 scores.

SUFFOLK II

Northport (5-0) at Huntington (4-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.: Northport QB Simon Blissett and Huntington QB Jacob Guzik have been outstanding. A possible first-place finish and home playoff games are at stake in this one. Northport hasn’t started a season at 6-0 since 2009. Huntington hasn’t started a season at 5-1 since 2006.

Newsday's Andy Slawson contributed to this story

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.