Bay Shore football celebrates 100 years of program history with a victory
From left: Christopher Bamfo, Carter Wexelbaum and Dario Albin of Bay Shore lead their team onto the field through a receiving line of alumni as Bay Shore celebrates its 100th year of football with a Suffolk Division I matchup against Patchogue-Medford on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 in Bay Shore. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
He was lightning fast and could stick his foot in the ground and change direction as good as anyone in his day. Or anyone in any day for that matter.
It was 75 years ago that his teammates nicknamed Jimmy Jackson "The Rabbit" for his incredible breakaway speed and touchdown runs.
And there was the one they called "The Rabbit" on a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon, making his way to midfield accompanied by 91-year-old Paul Boghosian, another Bay Shore football star, for the ceremonial pregame coin toss on Cliff LaPlatney Field in Bay Shore.
They were there to celebrate the 100th year of Bay Shore football.
The 92-year-old Jackson, moving a little slower than his days as the leading scorer in Suffolk in 1951, smiled throughout the ceremony. He scored 11 TDs as the Marauders finished 8-0 and won the Suffolk title his senior year.
“I’m loving every second of this,” Jackson said. “It’s a special moment in time and I’m soaking it all in. All these Bay Shore players coming back and reminiscing old times — there’s nothing better. I loved this community, the Leggio family, and my time in this field. It’s an honor to represent my school one more time.”
The day was made even more memorable when Jayden Herbert hauled in a diving catch in the corner of the end zone off a Caleb Leichtman pass for the two-point conversion and Bay Shore held on for an 8-7 come-from-behind win over Patchogue-Medford in Suffolk Division I to improve to 2-0.
Kevin Parker had given Patchogue-Medford a 7-0 lead with a 40-yard TD run. Taylen Cole-Jenkins scored on a 15-yard run late in the second quarter to get within 7-6.
Before the 2026 Marauders started on their victory, Boghosian, a 1955 graduate who played offensive guard, enjoyed the revelry and atmosphere that surrounded him.
“I had to be here and represent my guys who played in this great program,” he said.
Bay Shore, with all its storied football history, had representation from every decade. According to Ted Nagengast, the department chairman for Bay Shore athletics and a 1987 graduate, former players from as far away as Florida attended Saturday’s event.
“The response to the celebration was fantastic,” said Nagengast, who was a captain on the 1986 team. “We had just over 100 players in attendance, including guys who came from Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Some guys drove to the island together. It gave our current players a window into the past — to see all these guys who cared about this program and what it represented.”
Bay Shore football has a history loaded with achievement and excellence.
Bay Shore has a record of 408-349-37 for a winning percentage of .538. The Marauders earned the Rutgers Cup in 1944 and then the Rutgers Trophy in 1951, 1969, 1983 and 1984 as Suffolk’s most outstanding team. They’ve won 13 league championships, the first coming in 1930, and the last in 1983.
Tom Howard, 77, who was the head coach of the Marauders from 1981-1987, said it’s always special to come to Bay Shore.
“The school is a special place and the memories never fade,” Howard said. “It was so good to see everyone. I’m an Amityville graduate but this place put me on the map.”
Under Howard’s leadership, the Marauders won four straight Suffolk Division II playoff titles from 1983-87 — the first program to achieve the feat in Suffolk. They earned back-to-back Rutgers Trophy awards in Suffolk in 1983 and 1984.
John Cifelli, a 1972 graduate who earned All-League in 1971, greeted alumni along the sideline throughout the first half.
“I played for coach Joe Erickson, whom the press box is named after,” said Cifelli, one of 13 team captains in attendance. “I came back to the school and taught health and physical education. I coached football and lacrosse. And I’m seeing guys here that I played alongside and some that I coached.”
Bay Shore won the Rutgers Cup in 1944 — the only Suffolk school to ever win the Cup. They had a 7-0 record and outscored their opponents 263-6. The only team to score against the Marauders that season was Patchogue.
It was fitting that Bay Shore played Patchogue-Medford the afternoon it celebrated 100 years of the program. The teams are connected in so many historic ways.
Patchogue-Medford, in its 105th year of football from 1922 to 2026, was the opponent when Bay Shore played its first varsity game on Oct. 15, 1927. Patchogue won 32-0. Bay Shore’s first-ever night game was played in Patchogue, Oct. 27, 1939, and ended in a scoreless tie.
And how about Bay Shore's first homecoming game Oct. 3, 1964, against, who else, Patchogue. That game ended in a 13-13 tie.
“What an amazing experience for me,” said Bay Shore’s first-year head coach Jim Rizzo. “We performed at a high level in front of our alumni and that was cool. The win just punctuated a wonderful day.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
