Long Island Gridiron Glory: Week 5 High School Football Roundup Reveals Top Performances

High school football action across Nassau County's conferences delivered thrilling matchups, dramatic finishes, and outstanding individual performances this past weekend. Teams battled fiercely, with several games decided in the final moments, showcasing the talent and determination of young athletes.

Nassau Conference I witnessed Syosset secure a 28-24 home win over Hempstead in a nail-biting finish. George Metaxas sealed the victory with a crucial QB sneak on 4th-and-1 from Hempstead's 40-yard line with 45 seconds left. Metaxas was also instrumental in the air, throwing for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Raghav Ghosh contributed significantly with 113 receiving yards, including a 56-yard touchdown pass. Liam Urrutia and Sebastian Casabianca each added a touchdown reception, while Austin Cohen scored a rushing touchdown and made seven tackles, two for a loss, along with a sack. For Hempstead, Devonte Burton and Noah Smith each caught a touchdown pass from Seth Montgomery.

Farmingdale dominated Freeport with a 35-7 home win, powered by a combined 277 rushing yards. Jack Watrous led the ground attack with 139 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Nicholas Toto had an impressive game, rushing for 53 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, and also completing 3 of 6 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Defensive efforts included fumble recoveries by Dom Martillotti and Jaylen Roman, and a sack by Kyle Eversley. Christian McCravey ran for a 53-yard touchdown for Freeport.

Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK defeated Hicksville 34-14, largely due to the dual-threat performance of Ethan Brake, who passed for 108 yards (6-for-9) and rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Drew Sansobrino added to the rushing dominance with 101 yards and three scores on 11 carries. Erijah Britto and Jaskaran Zloi each scored a rushing touchdown for Hicksville.

Port Washington delivered a commanding 49-15 victory over Herricks/Wheatley/Roslyn. Quarterback Harry Eynon was exceptional, completing 12 of 15 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns. Levi Felix caught four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns, while Max McElhone had four catches for 64 yards and a score, and Eddie Conlon added two receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. Owen Lang also contributed with a 65-yard touchdown reception and five tackles. James McCormack recovered a fumble and made four tackles. Spyro Stellas scored a 75-yard touchdown for Herricks/Wheatley/Roslyn. In another high-scoring affair, Westbury crushed Uniondale 62-12, fueled by Terron Hardy's 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Jason Clarke stood out defensively with five tackles, three for loss, and a touchdown from a blocked punt recovery. Richmond Castro Derosier had five tackles and two forced fumbles, and Wayne Olivier added an interception.

Nassau Conference II saw MacArthur achieve a 19-6 road win against Roosevelt. Ethan Shapiro was key in MacArthur's 19-point third quarter, rushing for 138 yards and a 1-yard touchdown. Tyler Centonze added 42 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Vinny Szucs scored a 25-yard rushing touchdown. Colin McDermott intercepted a pass and Jake Henschel recorded a sack. Roosevelt's lone touchdown came from an 86-yard run by Michael Dawson.

Garden City secured a 38-14 road victory over Mepham. Anthony Asaro led the offense with 99 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, while Brayden Robertiello completed 9 of 12 passes for 115 yards and rushed for two touchdowns. Christian Roddini contributed 92 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. On defense, Gus Galli recovered a fumble and AJ Haffner had an interception. Lucas Eagleston and Ryan McCabe caught touchdown passes from Adam Erlichman for Mepham.

Long Beach dominated New Hyde Park 42-6. Brody Riedel was a standout performer, rushing for three touchdowns and catching a fourth score. Brody Juan threw a touchdown pass to three different receivers, including a 35-yard pass to Joe Henn in the first quarter and a score to Jaron Burns, who also returned a punt for a 75-yard touchdown. Adam Abdullah caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Nacewitz for New Hyde Park.

Nassau Conference III featured Wantagh's 28-19 road win over Manhasset, highlighted by an exceptional performance from Luke Martini. The previous year's Thorp Award winner threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Joe Adamo, ran for 91 yards and a score on 16 carries, and caught four passes for 92 yards. Martini's season statistics are impressive, with 866 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on just 75 carries. Joe Adamo also had three catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. Max Avena completed 8 of 12 passes for 167 yards, including a touchdown to Mike Amodio, and Marty Maniet added a 30-yard rushing score. Brendan Wood was perfect on PATs. Reid Schwartz threw two touchdowns for Manhasset.

Plainedge delivered a decisive 49-6 victory over Elmont, largely thanks to Dom Agovino's four touchdowns and 100 rushing yards on nine carries. Aidan Ryan added 75 rushing yards and a score, and Mike Ranaudo contributed two touchdown runs and 40 yards on three carries. The defense was relentless with Casey Auer and Jonny Cynar recording two sacks each, and Nick Moutsatsos adding a sack and an interception. Sean Maher also intercepted a pass, and Niko Dimakopoulos was 7-for-7 on PATs. Kesaan Thompson scored a 33-yard rushing touchdown for Elmont. Clarke shut out Glen Cove 24-0 with Will Grassini throwing for 164 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another score. Yaya Segura was a key receiver with four receptions for 105 yards and two scores, while Bryan Araujo made a 25-yard field goal. Nicco Carino and Everett Barsauskas each had an interception.

Nassau Conference IV saw Carle Place achieve a thrilling 21-20 victory over Locust Valley with a dramatic finish. On fourth down with 35 seconds left, Jack Ryan completed a pass to Peter Kanios, who then lateraled it to Tyler Marquart for a 43-yard touchdown to tie the score, followed by Justin Escobar's go-ahead PAT. Marquart also caught three passes for 59 yards and a score and ran 11 times for 67 yards. Ryan completed 12 of 17 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, also running for two scores. Michael Seglin contributed nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Marcus Houghteling ran for three touchdowns for Locust Valley.

Floral Park secured a 21-14 win over Lynbrook with a critical defensive play in the final minutes. Michael Kowalski and Joe Segota forced a fumble on 4th-and-1 inside Floral Park’s 5-yard line with 1:45 left, which Tommy Imperato recovered. Luke Mulligan returned Rocco Berkery's blocked punt 10 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. Kowalski also ran 14 times for 104 yards. William O’Riordan completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Alihan Simsek for Lynbrook.

East Rockaway/West Hempstead defeated North Shore 30-26 in a hard-fought contest. Tristen Rose was a dominant force, carrying 20 times for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Jayden Romeo scored the go-ahead 2-yard touchdown run with 5:40 remaining, and Merge Pasantez caught the two-point conversion pass from Rohan Mathai and then grabbed his second interception on North Shore’s next play from scrimmage, allowing The Rocks to run out the clock. Terry Hayes contributed defensively with three sacks and three tackles for loss. Joey Cristofari ran for three touchdowns and completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Curran for North Shore.

Malverne secured a 34-6 win over Island Trees. Isaiah Smith had an exceptional game, rushing eight times for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and also completing 2 of 4 passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. Jamir Houston added 60 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries, along with nine tackles. Marcus Bazelais ran for a 40-yard touchdown as part of his 105 rushing yards on 12 carries for Island Trees.

Seaford marched to a 48-12 road win over Cold Spring Harbor, led by Finn Curry's outstanding passing performance: 18 of 25 completions for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Brock Conway caught four passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and Nick Paluzzi had six receptions for 129 yards and two scores. Conall Reynolds threw touchdown passes of 53 and 19 yards to Andrew Ioannou and Louie Talamas for Cold Spring Harbor.

Valley Stream South (VSS) powered past Lawrence 48-18, accumulating 401 rushing yards on just 16 carries. Jeff Thimonte was a key contributor with 157 yards and three touchdowns on six carries, while Aiden Paris added 139 yards and two scores on four carries. Michael Thimonte broke up two passes and Hunter Rush had 11 tackles, three for a loss. Valley Stream North also had a strong performance, defeating Oyster Bay/Friends Academy 33-6. Jerry Thomas scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown and caught two passes for 88 yards and two scores. Justin Gangi made six tackles and recovered a fumble.

Top Individual Performances: Several players delivered extraordinary efforts. Dom Agovino of Plainedge rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns in their win over Elmont. Dodge Alahverdian of Whitman passed for a school-record six touchdowns. Finn Curry of Seaford threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Nathaniel Green of North Babylon recorded four sacks. Jack Halpin of Islip was a dual threat with 275 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 105 rushing yards and a score. Niko Kostas of Smithtown East threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 100 yards and two scores. Michael Kowalski of Floral Park made a crucial defensive play by forcing a fumble to seal a win and also rushed for 104 yards. Jake Kramer of West Islip had 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard punt return touchdown. Kaylib Merchant of Hills East stood out defensively with eight tackles, an interception, and three forced fumbles. Jack Miller of North Babylon rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns. Tristen Rose of East Rockaway/West Hempstead had a massive 327 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Horace Smith of Bellport rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns, and threw a go-ahead 41-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left. Jeff Thimonte of Valley Stream South rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns. The East Islip defense had a phenomenal outing with Parker Redding scoring two Pick-6s, Hunter DePinto returning an interception for a touchdown, and Jaden DePinto scoring on a punt return and a reception. Coach Phil Onesto of South Side was named Coach of the Week for leading his team to a win over previously unbeaten Bethpage, with his defense shutting out the Golden Eagles in the second half.