Noah Gregorek totals 7 TDs to help coach Paul Longo earn win in Shoreham-Wading River football debut
Shoreham Wading-River quarterback Noah Gregorek breaks a tackle during a football game against Babylon on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, at Rocky Point. Credit: Thomas Hengge
This one will be talked about at Longo family Thanksgiving dinners forever.
Shoreham-Wading River football coach Paul Longo — the former longtime coach at Floyd — made the perfect first impression with his new program in Rocky Point on Friday night.
As the designated hosts of a neutral-site Suffolk Division IV season opener, Longo’s Wildcats defeated Babylon, 52-45. Junior quarterback Noah Gregorek led the way with seven total touchdowns.
Longo, who won 253 games and five Long Island titles in 31 seasons with Floyd, was elated to win his Shoreham-Wading River debut.
“I’ve had a lot of big games, but this one was certainly one of the most exciting ones I’ve had,” Longo said. “It’s great to start off on the right foot. I’m very proud of the way they played tonight.”
Longo’s boys were ready for the challenge at hand, finding the end zone on all five of their first-half possessions. Shoreham-Wading River led 32-7 at halftime, with 26 of those points coming in the second quarter. Sophomore wide receiver Javon Wright then returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to make it 38-7 with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter.
The big start was crucial for the Wildcats, as the Panthers outscored them 38-20 in the second half. With 4:12 left in the fourth quarter, Babylon junior quarterback Nick Longo — Paul’s nephew — rushed for his third touchdown of the night. He followed that with his third two-point conversion run, cutting what was had been a 31-point deficit to 45-37.
Gregorek responded with a 49-yard completion to junior wideout Gavin Cleary, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam Eaton off a play-action fake. That extended the lead to 52-37 with 3:31 remaining.
With 19 seconds to play, Babylon sophomore Tyler Fiedler rolled to his right and threw a 10-yard strike to junior wide receiver Tim Higgins for their second touchdown connection of the night. Nick Longo then ran in his fourth two-point conversion to provide the final margin.
Longo, who was making his first varsity start, finished with 31 carries for 164 yards.
“It was a little Longo-on-Longo violence,” Paul Longo said of his nephew’s performance. “I’m extremely proud of him. He played awesome.”
Despite the loss, Nick Longo was pleased that someone in his bloodline won on Friday.
“This was very, very special,” he said. “It stinks that we had to lose that way, but it was great playing him, and I’m just happy that I got to be here and have some fun with my boys.”
Ultimately, it was Gregorek who made the biggest difference. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 348 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed 10 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Gregorek accounted for seven of SWR’s eight touchdowns. Cleary and senior wideout Brandyn Bland each caught two touchdown passes and Wright and Eaton each hauled in one. Wright also recovered a fumble on defense, as did seniors Jake Davis and Lucas Diamond. Cleary added an interception.
The thought of getting Paul Longo his first win with Shoreham-Wading River gave Gregorek some extra motivation.
“I had so much fire tonight,” he said. “I just played with so much energy. We were just throwing the ball over the top, and it kept working out for us. I have faith in all of my receivers and love them all. Give all the credit to my line. That was awesome.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
