Nassau Conference III football: What to watch for

MUST-SEE GAMES

Sept. 10, Manhasset at Carey, 2 p.m.: Carey’s first Nassau III game in over two decades and they draw seventh-seed Manhasset. They’ll have to find a way to block Manhasset’s Jack Mulholland, who is one of the best linebackers in Nassau.

Sept. 17, Wantagh at Bethpage, 2 p.m.: This is a rematch of one of Nassau’s bigger playoff upsets last season, when Bethpage beat a 7-1 – and mostly dominant – Wantagh squad, 34-27. Sean Smith threw a 56-yard touchdown pass in the win and Bethpage racked up 231 all-purpose yards. Do the Golden Eagles have an encore in them?

Oct. 8, Bethpage at Plainedge, 2 p.m.: Not only is this one a classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 seed and a rematch of the Nassau III title game, but it also has a great positional battle as well. How will Plainedge linebacker Shane Mosia’s speed match up with Bethpage’s wishbone offense? Can the quick linebacker hit the holes fast enough to spot this tricky offensive system?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Quarterback Dan Villari, who won the Thorp Award at Plainedge in 2019 and began his college career at Michigan, was seen taking snaps at wide receiver for Syracuse late in fall camp, according to reports. Villari, who announced his transfer from Michigan to Syracuse in January and is a redshirt freshman, played a total of 26 plays in two years with the Wolverines.

GOOD VENUE

Want some recent high school football history? How about Plainedge? The Red Devils have been one of the top programs in the county for a dozen years and some of the top high school performances have happened here. Want to see where Davien Kuinlan rushed for so many of his yards on the way to Nassau scoring and rushing records? Or how about where Villari caught Miichigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s eye? Head over to Wyngate Drive in Massapequa.

SOUND OF MUSIC

It’s tough to beat the sweet sounds of halftime at Division. Just ask the rest of the state. Division placed eighth at a New York State Field Band Conference show in Syracuse last Halloween. This group travels far and plays well.

WHAT A CHARACTER

If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see the Roosevelt Rough Riders' horse streaking across the field before a big Nassau III game. The horse doesn’t come to every game, coach Joe Vito said, but when he does it’s an event. It’s a horse with no name… for now. “Maybe I’ll name him Teddy, for Teddy Roosevelt,” Vito said.

COACHING SPOTLIGHT

Wantagh’s Keith Sachs is entering his 30th season. Since 1992, he’s 186-93-2 (.665). Sachs has won two Long Island championships (2001, 2016) and four Nassau championships. His teams have appeared in 14 Nassau title games, according to Newsday records. Sachs’ most recent championship came in May 2021 when Wantagh upset North Shore, 26-13, in the Nassau IV championship game.

Sachs took over the program in the midst of a 19-game losing streak. He said he still thinks back to when it began to turn around in the middle of the 1990s.

“Winning a game for the first time in four or five years was an amazing feeling,” he said. “Just to appreciate a game. Then making the playoffs [25 out of 26 years], you always want to go back and feel that way. We constantly watch highlights from ’96, ’97, '98, just to appreciate every time we go to Hofstra.”