LI's top high school football players of the 2010s
Sayville quarterback Jack Coan (9) stiff arms on a run on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
1. JACK COAN
Sayville quarterback
The decade unleashed a bunch of record-breaking, pass-happy quarterbacks on defensive coordinators. The results were mind-blowing statistics that shattered longstanding passing records.
Coan combined a powerful arm with the vision to run and was a dual threat on every play.
Coan was a three-time Newsday All-Long Island selection from 2014-2016. His resume improved every year. As a sophomore, he passed for 3,431 yards and 40 touchdowns, including a 315-yard performance in the L.I. Class III title game.
As a junior, Coan passed for 2,499 yards and 36 TDs and rushed for 1,275 yards and 17 scores. He had an historic L.I. Class III championship game with 227 yards rushing and 294 passing in a 59-15 win over Plainedge.
As a senior, he passed for 2,162 yards and 33 TDS to earn the coveted Hansen Award as Suffolk’s top player and the Esiason Award given to Suffolk’s top quarterback. His career numbers; 9,787 yards passing, 128 TD passes and 2,551 yards rushing and 23 scores. He’ll be the starting quarterback for Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Jan. 1.
2. JEREMY RUCKERT
Lindenhurst wide receiver/defensive end/kicker
The three-time Newsday All-Long Island selection was unstoppable on both sides of the football. His impact was felt from the defensive end position, wide receiver and as the Bulldogs kicker. His career numbers in four years;178 receptions, 2,718 yards receiving and 21 TDs. He also had 144 tackles, 11 sacks and kicked 101 of 110 extra points and 10 field goals. He was a co-winner of the Hansen Award in 2017 — the same year he led the Bulldogs to the school’s first L.I. Class I title with a 40-23 win over Oceanside. He’ll be one of the starting tight ends for Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
3. JOE CAPOBIANCO
Lawrence quarterback
He emerged as one of Long Island’s top quarterbacks as a sophomore in 2011. His team fell to Sayville in the L.I. Class III championship game, 78-61, the highest scoring game in state history. Capobianco made a name for himself in that title game when he passed for an LIC record 541 yards and a Nassau-record seven touchdowns. In 2012, his junior season, Capobianco passed for 2,609 yards and a Nassau record 38 TD passes, with only three interceptions. He completed 129 of 166 passes for a completion rate of 77.7 percent, leading Lawrence to the first of three straight Class III titles with a 21-20 win over Sayville. As a senior, he threw for 2,987 yards and 33 TDs. He threw for 353 yards and three scores to lead the Golden Tornadoes to the L.I. Class III crown in a 41-32 win over Huntington. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection finished his three-year career with 8,024 yards passing and 100 touchdown passes.
4. STACEY BEDELL
Floyd halfback/defensive back
Floyd's Stacey Bedell (21) puts his shoulder into would be Connetqout tacklers in the first half on Oct. 23, 2010. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Bedell had what is arguably the greatest performance in LIC history. He punctuated a brilliant career with a L.I. championship-record 412 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 54-47 win over East Meadow for the Class I title in 2011. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection ran for scores of 80, 80, 59 and 51 yards — one thrilling run after another. He also had 12.5 tackles in the title game. He shared the Hansen Award and the Cipp Award as Suffolk’s top halfback with Sachem North’s Dalton Crossan. As a junior, he had 1,658 yards rushing and 18 TDs and made 105 tackles and scored two defensive touchdowns. He ran for 5,059 yards and 72 touchdowns in his career.
5. JORDAN FREDERICKS
Lawrence halfback/defensive back
Fredericks was the runaway winner of the Thorp Award, given to Nassau's top player, in 2014. He rushed for 2,156 yards and scored 37 TDs as Lawrence beat Sayville, 40-35, in the L.I. Class III final. With a crowded backfield the Golden Tornadoes moved Fredericks, a four-year starter, to wide receiver for his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2013, he switched to halfback and gained 1,537 yards on the ground and scored an L.I. best 34 TDs as Lawrence defeated Huntington in the L.I. Class III final, 41-32. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island choice finished his career with three LIC crowns, 7,500 all-purpose yards, 2,183 yards receiving and a Nassau record 98 TDs.
6. DYLAN LAUBE
Westhampton halfback/defensive back
Laube rushed for a school-record 2,152 yards and 40 touchdowns as a junior in 2016. He also returned four kicks for touchdowns and led the Hurricanes to the Suffolk III semifinal. Laube had 11 TD runs of more than 45 yards and became only the third player in L.I. history to score 40 TDs in one season. His senior year was a heck of an encore. He set the Long Island record for TDs in a season with 47 and had 2,680 yards rushing as the Hurricanes went undefeated and earned the L.I. Class III championship with a 54-26 win over Lawrence in 2017. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection finished his career with 6,495 yards rushing, 1,234 receiving yards and 120 touchdowns.
7. DAVIEN KUINLAN
Plainedge, quarterback/halfback/linebacker
Plainedge quarterback No. 14 Davien Kuinlan runs during the third quarter of a Nassau Conference III football game against Lawrence at Plainedge High School on Saturday, October 17, 2015. Credit: James Escher/James Escher
He earned the 2015 Thorp Award after setting the single season and career Nassau rushing and scoring records. He scored 40 TDs to set the Nassau mark. And he showcased his running ability with a record-breaking 485-yard rushing performance against Glen Cove in a 56-34 win to capture the Nassau Conference III title. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island pick finished his senior season with 2,781 yards rushing, moving his career total to 6,894 yards. Kuinlan also threw for 1,355 yards and 12 more scores. Expectations were high after his junior year in which he had 2,304 yards rushing and 31 TDs and another 1,200 yards passing and 11 TDs.
8. JAKE CARLOCK
Babylon wide receiver/defensive back
He was the special teams’ player of the decade for a Babylon team that won 24 games in a row in his junior and senior seasons. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection returned two kickoffs, five punts and five interceptions for TDs, leading the Panthers to the L.I. Class IV title in consecutive years in 2012 and 2013. As a senior he earned Newsday’s Rob Burnett Award and the Tom Cassese Award as the top defensive back in Suffolk. In his career he caught 55 passes for 1,013 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was equally important on defense, where he totaled 16 sacks and 18 interceptions.
9. ELIJAH RILEY
Newfield halfback/defensive back
The 2015 Hansen Award winner was impressive on both sides of the ball as well as special teams — he never came off the field. He led the Wolverines to the school’s second L.I. Class II title in five years with a 40-33 win over MacArthur in which he had a three-touchdown performance. He had 1,089 yards rushing, averaging 11 yards per carry and 19 touchdowns. He caught 26 passes for 715 yards and 12 more scores. He earned the Cassese Award as Suffolk’s top d-back with 66 tackles and three interceptions. He was a four-year starter at defensive back for Army.
10. TREVOR YEBOAH-KODIE
Garden City, halfback/defensive back
Trevor Yeboah-Kodie #24 of Garden City leaps into the air to clear a Carey defender and get to within inches of the goal line during a Nassau Conference II football game at Garden City High School on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. Credit: James Escher
The two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection was the leader of a Trojans team that captured three straight L.I. Class II championships from 2016-2018. He never experienced a loss, winning 36 games in a row. Yeboah-Kodie was the catalyst for the Trojans offense, rushing for 1,532 yards on 129 carries and 22 touchdowns as a senior. He also had a pair of returns for touchdowns and a receiving score. In his junior year, he had 1,264 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. He was also a terrific lockdown cornerback and open-field tackler.
11. ETHAN WIEDERKEHR
Shoreham-Wading River offensive line/defensive line
He was the main cog on both sides of the line, leading the Wildcats to three straight L.I. Class IV championships from 2014-2016. The three successive titles also included a 24-game win streak. The two-time Newsday All-Long Island pick was a force off the edge, where he disrupted passing lanes and recorded 19 pass deflections in three years. The 6-5, 290-pounder also totaled 202 tackles, including 44 tackles for a loss and 15 sacks. He earned the Zellner Award given to Suffolk's best lineman and was a co-winner of the Burnett Award presented to Suffolk's top defensive player, in 2017. He is a starting offensive tackle at Northwestern.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
