Paul Longo named head coach of the Shoreham-Wading River football team
Paul Longo is back on the sidelines.
The former William Floyd High School football coach will take over the Shoreham-Wading River program after the school’s board of education approved his hiring on Tuesday night. Coaches are appointed on a year-to-year basis by the athletic director and then must be approved by the school’s board.
Longo stepped down in December after 31 years at Floyd, a move that caught many on Long Island by surprise. At first, Longo was unsure if he would return to coaching, but he changed his mind after multiple schools reached out to express interest in hiring him.
"I liked the Shoreham opportunity because they have such a storied past,” Longo said. “They have winning tradition and the program has so much potential. I want to build a youth league as a feeder program for our middle school. And the biggest challenge is to restore the junior varsity team and get the varsity back into the upper echelon of the division. It’s a challenge I’m excited about.”
Longo, 68, is the winningest coach in Suffolk County history and has a career record of 253-67 for a winning percentage of .791. He led Floyd to 15 Suffolk Division I titles, the most in playoff history, and guided the Colonials to five Long Island Class I championships.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue coaching,” Longo said. “I really love coaching, and I didn’t think when I stepped away from the Floyd job after a lifetime of great memories that it would hit me the way it did. I really want to thank all the schools that expressed an interest in me as a coach — it was quite flattering. I know we can put something special together here at Shoreham.”
Longo takes over a Wildcats team that finished 3-6 in Division IV last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Longo as the new head coach of Shoreham-Wading River football,” said Debra Ferry, the director of athletics for the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District. “Coach Longo brings a championship pedigree and, more importantly, a community-driven vision for our program."
Longo, who coached Floyd from 1995 to 2025, led the Colonials to 26 playoff appearances in 31 years and a Suffolk County record 42-game winning streak from 2005-08. The team earned the Rutgers Trophy, presented to Suffolk’s most outstanding team, three times.
“It’s a great fit for everyone,” said Hans Wiederkehr, the interim director of athletics in Riverhead Schools, who coached Shoreham football from 2010-17. “He knows the task before him, and he’s a smart man. The community is blue collar and they love their sports.”
Wiederkehr was part of the Shoreham coaching staff that guided the Wildcats to three straight Long Island Class IV championships from 2014-16. He noted the keys to success.
“We had a powerful youth league and built it up with our head coach Matt Milheiser,” he said. “We were all involved — it was a community effort. And Aden Smith came in and continued what we started.”
The Shoreham-Wading River position was open after Aden Smith, who coached the team for the past eight years, retired last month. He had a career record of 57–23 (.713 winning percentage). He led the Wildcats to four Suffolk Division IV titles and three Long Island Championship appearances, winning one title.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Coach Smith for all of his years of dedicated service,” Ferry said. “His commitment to our student-athletes over the last decade is appreciated and we wish him the very best.”
First flag football coach named: The Shoreham-Wading River board of education also approved the appointment of Robert DeSilva as the school’s inaugural girls flag football coach.
“It is a historic moment for Shoreham-Wading River Athletics . . . ” Ferry said.
“Coach DeSilva brings tactical knowledge and enthusiasm to lead our student-athletes . . . Coach DeSilva is committed to growing the footprint of flag football within both our schools and the broader SWR youth community to ensure the program's long-term success.”
Ferry said Tuesday night's appointments are among the highlights of her 30-year administrative career.
“Coach Longo and Coach DeSilva represent a bright future for SWR football,” Ferry said. “Their prior accolades speak volumes about their ability to lead a successful program. We look forward to the leadership and passion they will both bring to our sidelines as they inspire the next generation of Wildcats.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
