DJ Gordon, Freeport football team face a tough test vs. Syosset

Sophomore DJ Gordon was thrust into the quarterback position as a freshman this spring. Gordon is a fabulous athlete and what Freeport coach Russ Cellan calls ‘a work in progress’.

"We love him and what he can do," Cellan said. "But it’s all so brand new for him. He’s learning and improving as we go. We accentuate the things he does better. And we work on things and scale back things he hasn’t had the time to develop. He’s getting better every week."

Freeport is off to a 2-0 start but face a stiff test when they travel to Syosset for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday.

Syosset (1-1) is a playoff contender and has All-Long Island wide receiver Luca Cutolo, who caught a scoring pass last week against undefeated Massapequa.

"Cutolo is a big play guy and a very good receiver," Cellan said. "We’ll play our coverage and do what we do. We won’t rearrange our whole defense to stop one guy. We’ll see what happens. Syosset is a very good, well-coached team and we’re anxious to see what we can do."

In other key games;

NASSAU III

Hewlett at Wantagh, Friday, 7 p.m.: These teams have met only three times in the past 30 years. Hewlett hasn’t beaten Wantagh since a 13-12 win in 1977. Wantagh is 9-0-1 since. Wantagh halfback Tyler Martini is the playmaker, scoring twice in last week’s big win over Bethpage.

SUFFOLK I

Floyd at Longwood, Friday, 6 p.m.: This game is called the "Parkway Bowl" because six miles of William Floyd Parkway separates the two schools. Floyd leads the all-time series, 36-19-2 and has won the last seven meetings. Longwood halfback Terrance Robinson exploded for 223 yards and three scores last week.

Sachem North at Ward Melville, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Sachem North defense was torched by Whitman quarterback Nick Bottoni, who passed for three scores last week in a 20-point loss. They can rebound here but Ward Melville also has a talent at quarterback in Chris Prussen, who threw for 182 yards and rushed for 54 in a big win over Riverhead. The teams have split their last four meetings.

SUFFOLK IV

Bayport-Blue Point at Babylon, Friday, 5 p.m.: A marquee matchup of two of Long Island’s top quarterbacks. Mighty Joe Young leads the Babylon offense and was a second team All-LI selection. Junior Brady Clark has accounted for eight touchdowns for Bayport through two games.

CHSFL

Cardinal Hayes at St. Anthony’s, Friday, 7 p.m.: This rivalry has seen these teams split their 14 meetings. Hayes has eliminated the Friars from the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. That’s plenty of motivation for a big win here.

With Andy Slawson

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.