Paulie Genovese, Mepham like being the under-the-radar team in Nassau Conference II
Paulie Genovese of Mepham rushes in the first quarter and is taken down by Brody Riedel of Long Beach in a Nassau Conference II semifinal on Nov. 16, 2025 at Hofstra. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Mepham might not be drawing the same level of preseason attention as some of the other top teams in Nassau Conference II, and the Pirates are fine with that.
Defending champion Garden City enters with the nation’s longest active winning streak at 66 games. Carey moves up to the conference and is led by Justin DePietro, one of Long Island’s most dominant players. He helped Carey win the Nassau title against Mepham in 2024.
Then there’s Long Beach, which returns plenty of talent after reaching the county title game for the first time in 39 years after defeating Mepham in the semifinals.
Mepham, though, is seemingly always in the hunt. The Pirates have reached the semifinals or further in four of the last five seasons.
“We kind of like not being talked about a lot because it definitely motivates us and gives us drive,” senior running back/linebacker Paulie Genovese said.
Mepham, seeded fourth in the preseason, returns plenty offensively. Genovese played through an injury last season that limited his carries, and now he expects to take on a larger role in the backfield.
“I love having the ball in my hands,” Genovese said. “I kind of always think to myself, ‘I determine what happens this play.’ ”
Three starters return on the offensive line, along with two players who saw time in the rotation last season and are expected to move into starting roles.
“Our offensive line is huge,” Genovese added. “They are some of my good friends, and I’m gonna follow some great blocks this season. The line has definitely helped me become who I am as a running back.”
Senior wide receiver/defensive back Lucas Eagleston also expects Mepham’s offense to be dangerous. Last season, he caught 28 passes for 415 yards and six touchdowns. Adam Erlichman threw for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore.
“I think people should expect a fast, explosive offense all around,” Eagleston said. “We have a lot of depth on this team this year. And with me and Adam, our chemistry grew every game last season. Every practice, we’ve been growing as teammates as well.”
If the preseason attention is elsewhere in Nassau Conference II, Eagleston doesn’t mind.
“The 4 seed isn’t where we wanted to be,” he said. “But I feel like with that and last year’s playoff loss to Long Beach, we have extra drive.”
