Will Freeport be able to slow down East Meadow as football postseason begins?
Freeport quarterback Rashad Tucker throws a pass during the second quarter of Nassau I varsity football game against Syosset on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Credit: James Escher
And so it begins -- the football postseason. Farmingdale's Buddy Krumenacker echoed the sentiments of all the coaches in Nassau I.
"This is the deepest league I've ever coached in," said the Farmingdale legend, who has won 228 games and guided championship teams in Hempstead and Farmingdale. "There are seven teams that could win out and be the Nassau champion. And I won't be surprised when some of them get knocked out in the first round. They're all very good."
The Nassau I quarterfinals open in East Meadow, where the Jets host high-flying Freeport, at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Freeport (4-4) is averaging 34 points per game but the Red Devils will struggle against a much bigger East Meadow line that helps the Jets produce 38 points per game behind halfback John Wilson, who has 20 touchdowns. They did not meet during the regular season. East Meadow's (7-1) only loss this season came against Farmingdale, where they turned the ball over three times.
Farmingdale, the defending Nassau I champion, will host (7) Massapequa (4-4) at 3 p.m. Friday. They met in the season opener and Farmingdale (7-1) came away with a 10-7 win. "We played them early and they gave us everything we could handle," Krumenacker said. "We expect the same thing this week."
Suffolk II is also wide open heading into the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
(5) East Islip at (4) Smithtown East, Saturday, 2 p.m.: East Islip (5-3) has lost three games by a total of nine points, one of those losses coming against Smithtown East, 26-22. In that one, Smithtown East (6-2) took a safety with 2:11 left and then recovered the free kick on the ensuing kickoff to run out the clock. East Islip has been to the Suffolk II title game in six of the past eight years.
(6) Deer Park at (3) Riverhead, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.: Riverhead (6-2) struggles on defense and Deer Park (6-2) has dynamic halfback Jasawn Thompson, who has 19 touchdowns and 1,379 yards rushing. The Blue Waves upset previously unbeaten Bellport last week.
(7) Half Hollow Hills East at (2) Half Hollow Hills West, Saturday, 2 p.m.: This will be the second meeting of these intradistrict schools. Hills West (7-1) won the only meeting, 28-7, in 1991. Hills East (5-3) qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Thunderbirds quarterback Derek Merckling and halfbacks Nick Dipietro and Malik Williams-Wells are all scoring threats. The Hills West offense is diverse with the power of Lucas DiGiorgi and speed of Ray Lyte and Alex Filacouris.
(8) Sachem North at (1) Longwood, Friday night, 6 p.m.: Sachem North (3-5), the defending Class I champion, will find it difficult trying to stop the Longwood (8-0) juggernaut of an offense which has posted 62, 62 and 55 points the past three weeks.
(5) Eastport-South Manor at (4) Westhampton, Friday night, 6 p.m.: Westhampton (6-2) won 32-31 in overtime two weeks ago. Expect another epic finish.
(5) Center Moriches at (4) Babylon, Friday night, 6 p.m.: Center Moriches (4-4) opened a 12-0 lead and then Babylon (5-3) reeled off 26 straight points for a 26-19 win last week. They meet again the quarterfinals.
(7) Holy Cross at (2) St. Anthony's, Saturday, 6 p.m.: For the second time since 2000, the Friars (6-3) have lost three CHSFL regular-season games. The loss of quarterback Steven Genova, who was having a terrific season, and Hansen Award winning halfback Jordan Gowins for four games has hampered the St. Anthony's machine.
(8) Christ The King vs. (1) Chaminade, tomorrow, at Mitchel Athletic Complex, 4:30 p.m.: Two years removed from the CHSFL AAA championship, the Flyers will be the top seed in the AA playoffs after a disappointing regular-season schedule in which they finished 2-7. Injuries to key players decimated the Flyers this season.
-- With Andy Slawson
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
