Extreme weather postpones many high school sporting events Friday night
Bayport RB Daniel Aiello takes the handoff through the middle 80 yards for a touchdown against Elwood/John Glenn in a division IV game, Friday, September 29, 2023 at Bayport high school. Credit: George A Faella
Storms across Long Island wreaked havoc on the high school sports schedules Friday night. Football teams warming up to play in the heavy wind and rains were forced off the fields because of lightning.
“There’s a mandatory half-hour delay when we have thunder, but if we see lightning it’s immediately postponed,” said Tom Combs, the executive director for Section XI, which governs all high school sports in Suffolk County. “This has been by far the worst weather we’ve had through the fall season. First, we had extreme heat and now we’ve had pouring rain with thunder and lightning. It’s been awful for everyone.”
The entire Nassau high school sports schedule was postponed as the county endured heavy rainfall, with some areas getting more than seven inches of rain.
“We’ve had some significant flooding throughout the county,” said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director for Section VIII, which governs Nassau's sports. “All the streets are underwater in some areas and it’s too dangerous to be out there driving.”
All five football games scheduled for Friday in Nassau were postponed and rescheduled for Saturday. Baldwin at Syosset, 6:30 p.m.; Cold Spring Harbor at Seaford at 6 p.m.; Valley Stream North at Glen Cove, 6:30 p.m.; Carle Place/Wheatley at Valley Stream South 7 p.m. and Plainedge at Hewlett 6 p.m.
There were 10 football games scheduled in Suffolk. All needed to be rescheduled but a few of them started and were halted in the first half.
Bayport-Blue Point led Glenn, 20-0, in a showdown of undefeated teams in Suffolk’s Division IV. That game will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Ward Melville led Sachem North, 8-0, midway through the second quarter in Suffolk Division I. And Bay Shore and Connetquot was scoreless in the first quarter and will resume at 6 p.m. Saturday.
“Those games were suspended and will be picked up from the point of interruption,” Combs said.
In Suffolk Division III, host Westhampton led Smithtown West, 34-14 at the half.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
