St. Anthony's Anthony Diieso wins 5th annual National Football Foundation QB Challenge
Anthony Diieso of St.Anthony’s wins the most outstanding quarterback trophy during the NFF QB challenge at Northport on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Credit: David Meisenholder
Anthony Diieso looked comfortable from his first snap Saturday morning, but that confidence was built long before he arrived.
The St. Anthony’s quarterback spent weeks studying the playbook and preparing for the pressure that came with being evaluated alongside three of Long Island’s top quarterbacks.
“I think the mental aspect was bigger than even the throwing and physical aspects,” Diieso said. “You’re learning this playbook for one day, and you have to know all these plays and perform against great competition.”
The mindset was there. So was the result.
Diieso was named the winner of the fifth annual National Football Foundation Suffolk Chapter’s Quarterback Challenge, presented by Orlin & Cohen, at Northport High School.
“It was a great feeling to win it,” he said. “I don’t feel this way often. It’s an honor. We were all throwing well, and I thought the competition made us all better today.”
This year’s event featured four all-star 7-on-7 teams with players across Long Island and one quarterback leading each roster. Diieso was the quarterback for the Gold Coast Guardians and impressed from the opening series. He continued to separate himself throughout the afternoon.
“Anthony is a special kid,” Gold Coast Guardians and Hempstead coach Matthew Ali said. “He stayed cool, calm and collected in the huddle, went through his progressions and made the right throws. He knew the playbook inside and out, and once we found the plays he was most comfortable with, he executed them all day.”
Instead of the individual drills used at prior events, the goal was to evaluate the quarterbacks in game-like situations.
“We wanted to move to a true 7-on-7 format because individual drills don’t fully show how quarterbacks process the field, make reads and work through their progressions,” said Len Genova, president of the NFF Suffolk County Chapter. “We wanted to evaluate the quarterbacks in a setting that better reflects how the position is actually played.”
Diieso led his team to two victories and an appearance in the championship game. His receivers, wearing white jerseys with gold numbers, consistently had the ball delivered right into their hands.
“It was great. The passes from him were always right on me,” said Raghav Ghosh, a wide receiver from Syosset. “Even without having any good prior chemistry with him, it was amazing. It was a great experience competing out here.”
Diieso’s high school teammate also earned recognition. Rory McDermott was named the event’s most outstanding wide receiver. He played for the Empire Storm.
“When I got the invite, I was excited to come,” McDermott said. “I wanted to show everyone I’m one of the best receivers on Long Island, and I got to showcase that today. It was a great event. I was excited for Anthony. With both of us being from St. Anthony’s, we got to show everyone that we’re one of the best duos on Long Island.”
The other quarterbacks were Hudson Philbrick of Ward Melville, Sean Carnevale of Chaminade and Mikey Russo of Lindenhurst.
Carnevale and his team, the Post Boyz, won the team title. They were led by coach Tyler Collins, Longwood’s offensive coordinator. The positional honors were named the Bryan Collins Memorial Awards in honor of his father, the former C.W./LIU Post and Stony Brook football coach.
“That’s very special to me,” Tyler Collins said. “I want to thank the NFF for doing that. My dad would be at any Long Island football event. He would be here today building relationships with coaches and players. It means a lot to keep his name here in spirit, and I’m very proud to be here representing this because I feel like I’m keeping his legacy alive.”
The other positional winners were Sayville running back Timmy Holahan, Sachem North linebacker Evan Traola and Smithtown East defensive back Derek Felix.
