Oceanside football will forfeit Monday's crossover game against Carey
Chace Morris of Oceanside races for a first down in the third quarter of a Nassau Conference I football matchup against Farmingdale on Sept. 4, 2026 in Oceanside. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Oceanside will forfeit Monday's crossover football game against Carey.
The game was originally set for Saturday, but was rescheduled, as were all athletic events due to the ongoing Nor’easter.
With the schedule change, the Sailors were set to play on Monday and again on Friday against Syosset in a Conference I matchup. The Sailors were trying to move Friday's game against Syosset to Saturday afternoon providing players another day of rest. The athletic directors at the two schools couldn't agree on a start time.
“We exhausted all possible alternatives to reschedule the Friday night game before our decision was made, but we couldn’t get on the same page,” Oceanside coach Rob Blount told Newsday on Saturday. “We’ve played in Nor’easter weather in 2012 and 2018. And this week we were postponed and I thought we could have played today. Having a game on Monday and again on Friday was not feasible for us. My job is to get my team prepared and my responsibility is the safety of my players.”
Scott Stueber, Syosset’s athletic director, told Newsday: “Syosset was willing to move the game. The conversations about the schedule change were ongoing and at that time, we were told Oceanside had decided to forfeit. We had also looked into officials’ availability for a move to Saturday and there was no confirmation that any officials were available. We were willing to make the change to Saturday at 6 p.m. as long as it meant that Oceanside would play Carey on Monday. We wanted everyone to play.”
Now, both Oceanside (2-1) and Carey (3-0) will only play a seven-game regular season. The expectations were high for the meeting between the preseason No. 2 seeds in Conference I and II.
The matchup would’ve added to Friday’s list of exciting crossover games and been a tremendous matchup of two running backs that will be considered for the Thorp Award. Oceanside halfback Chace Morris and Carey's Justin DePietro are off to fantastic starts, two of the best on Long Island, and this game would have been a great way to see the both of them against strong competition.
With Nassau’s tiered power points system, Carey will receive 16 power points and Oceanside will still receive 12, despite forfeiting.
“Any forfeit is not good and not fair to the players,” said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director of Nassau scholastic sports. “Both teams lose a game during the regular season. We had a sectional rule change over the summer that gives the home team the authority to dictate the day and time of a game. Oceanside could have moved the game next weekend and set the time for Saturday - that’s by rule and they chose not to do it.”
