Port Washington vs. Farmingdale and more Week 4 football games to watch

The Port Washington football program is on the rise. But just how high can the undefeated Vikings go? They’ve already beaten the preseason three seed at Freeport, 40-36, and now they’re ready to take the next step against another upper-echelon perennial playoff contender in Farmingdale.

Port Washington (3-0) will host Farmingdale (3-0) in a battle of unbeatens in a Nassau Conference I game Saturday at 3 p.m.

"They’re a very good team, very physical,” said Port Washington coach Kevin Cloghessy, in his fifth year. “Farmingdale is very disciplined defensively and they do a lot of things very well.”

Farmingdale has a powerful running game behind halfbacks Tomaso Ramos and Trevor Gayron. The Dalers have scored a conference leading 131 points. But the Dalers' success lies in a defense that has shut out all three opponents this season.

Port Washington exploded for 40 points in the opener but has also relied on defense for its past two wins, including a 15-14 overtime win over Westbury.  

“We have over 70 middle school kids playing football and we had to go to two teams,” Cloghessy said. “We have more than 40 players on the junior varsity. The program is growing as the numbers have gotten progressively better the past few years.

“I’m a health and physical education teacher in the middle school and that helps get the athletes out to play,” he said. “And the support from the administration and being able to highlight the positives about football has helped.”

It wasn’t long ago that Port Washington labored badly in Conference I and asked for relief to play in a Developmental League in 2012 and 2013. They finished 7-1 in both years and were placed back in Conference I, where they went 3-13 over two years.

In 2016, Port Washington left Section VIII football, became an independent football program and had a 2-4 record. In 2017, they joined the Hudson River League and went 9-0.

The Vikings came back to Conference I in 2018 and were 4-4. In 2019 and 2021, they were playoff qualifiers and finished 5-4 and 3-5, respectively.

"The new coaching staff has engaged the kids in the district and built the program back to respectability and a high level of competition,” said Frank Luisi, a member of the Section VIII football committee. “I’m very happy that they’re back in Section VIII and what head coach Cloghessy and his staff have done.”

But this is a huge hurdle. Farmingdale has won 11 straight games in this series. Port Washington has not defeated the Dalers since 1970.

SUFFOLK II

NASSAU I

SUFFOLK I

SUFFOLK IV

CHSFL AAA

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.