High school football camps: Long Beach's dynamic duo, MacArthur players' reaction and more

Wantagh's Martini has got a lot on his plate, and that's not a bad thing

Luke Martini will spend Sept. 9 hearing from some of the top college lacrosse programs in the country. A day later, his focus shifts completely.

The Wantagh junior, ranked No. 4 prospect nationally in the 2028 class by the National Lacrosse Federation, will enter the college recruiting window just 24 hours before Wantagh opens its football season against powerhouse Plainedge on Sept. 10.

“It’s definitely going to be a lot, balancing both football and lacrosse,” Martini said. “I love both sports equally… I’m extremely grateful to have the chance to attend a school for lacrosse, but it’s gonna be a lot of balancing."

Martini is also coming off a Thorp Award-winning football season, becoming the first sophomore to win the award. He consistently went to summer lacrosse tournaments and football workouts all summer.

This year the NCAA changed the date college lacrosse coaches can reach, and when the football opener lined up on consecutive days, Martini said he initially embraced it.

“I feel like I get calls one night and play an insane football game against Plainedge the next day,” Martini said. “So I was kind of excited. But then it kind of hit me that there’s gonna be a lot to do back to back, but I’m looking forward to it.”

His approach is simple.

“Whatever sport I’m in right now, I put 100% focus on that sport,” Martini said. “If it’s football season, it’s a priority to me. I showed up to everything, and I can’t wait.”

Terwilliger vs. Agwu a friendly competition this season

Floral Park’s Ryan Terwilliger and Lynbrook’s Orji Agwu are very familiar with each other.

The two have gone head-to-head in basketball for several years and both enjoyed breakout junior seasons as wide receivers. Terwilliger caught 37 passes for 579 yards and six touchdowns in Conference III and Agwu totaled 826 receiving yards and five TDs in Conference IV.

With Floral Park’s move to Conference IV, Terwilliger and Agwu will meet up under the lights on Oct. 9 in Lynbrook.

“We’ve always had competition in basketball from JV all the way through varsity,” Terwilliger said. “We’re both athletic, tall and know how to go up and catch the ball. It’s going to be fun trying to guard him and him trying to guard me.”

“I’m excited for that competition,” Agwu said. “We have similar builds and similar play styles. Having him in the conference makes me feel like I have to stay at the top of my game and leave it all out on the field every game.”

Terwilliger stands at 6-5, 185 pounds and Agwu is 6-4, 180 pounds.

The two became friends after a summer league basketball game a few years ago in which Terwilliger said he had a shot blocked through a window by Agwu.

“It gets chippy sometimes, but at the end of the game, we’re back to being friends,” Agwu said.

Terwilliger was a finalist for the Pizzarelli Award as Nassau’s top receiver last year. Could Terwilliger and Agwu both be up for the award this December?

“I would not be surprised if we’re both up there,” Terwilliger said.

Mepham under the radar?

Bellmore JFK's destination: Hofstra

Bellmore JFK went from winless in 2024 to a playoff team in 2025. Now the Cougars want more.

After being voted Nassau’s most improved team last season, Bellmore JFK enters 2026 with a different standard. Just making the playoffs is no longer the goal. It’s about reaching the Nassau Conference II semifinals at Hofstra for the first time.

“Last season felt amazing, but the standard is definitely to do more than what we did last year,” senior cornerback Demetri Christopoulos said. “Our standard is now winning in the playoffs instead of just getting there.”

The turnaround started with a culture shift. Christopoulos credited coaches Jay Iaquinta and Chris Wagner with bringing experience and a different level of preparation to the program, along with the efforts of head coach Johnny McGuire.

That preparation showed up in Bellmore JFK’s conditioning, something the players believe separated them late in games.

“Coaches told us last year, ‘You guys aren’t gonna like all these running drills, but it’s all gonna pay off,’” senior quarterback Dylan Babek said. “And what they said was true.”

Now the next step is clear.

“Definitely making Hofstra,” Christopoulos said. “Our program has never made it to Hofstra. … We’re here to change that.”

MacArthur football players react to coach's abrupt decision to step down

The gravity of the moment was not lost on MacArthur quarterback Vinny Szucs. The two-year captain listened as his coach Bob Fehrenbach informed the team Monday he was stepping away from the program and into retirement.

It was the first day of practice and Szucs, in his third year of varsity, said he was shocked at Fehrenbach's announcement.

“He’s the greatest coach,” Szucs said at Tuesday's Nassau County football media day. “I went over to him to speak privately afterward. I told him it was a pleasure and privilege to play for him these past two years. And we’ll miss him.”

Szucs was just one of many players who shared their feelings with Newsday. For more reactions, check out Gregg Sarra's full story here: https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/football/macarthur-bob-fehrenbach-x1esc1rw.

Long Beach's dual-threat dynamic duo

What happens when a Thorp Award nominee and a CHSFL defensive player of the year team up? Long Beach is about to find out.

Senior running back/linebacker Brody Riedel returns after helping lead the Marines to their first Nassau title appearance in 39 years. Now he’ll be joined by wide receiver/linebacker Joseph Henn, a transfer from Holy Trinity who was named CHSFL AA-II Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.

Henn, who is from Island Park, already knew many of Long Beach’s players from growing up with them in football and lacrosse.

With Holy Trinity suspending its football program this season, Henn felt like it was time to come home.

“I just wanted to reunite with my brothers,” Henn said. “I’ve been playing with them since I was 6. So I’m just glad to reunite with them again, and I’m happy to be here.”

Now Long Beach gets a physical linebacking duo to lead its defense.

“Joe is a great player and people should expect a hard-hitting, physical and aggressive defense,” Riedel said. “In Long Beach, we’re taught to go 100%, dig into them, drive them to the floor till the whistle blows.”

Riedel rushed for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Henn will be a major addition alongside him offensively at wide receiver.

“A lot of people know me as a defensive player, but I want to shock a lot of people this year on offense too, at wideout,” Henn said. “And with Brody, he’s a really great player. So we’re gonna be a dynamic duo on both sides of the ball.”

Long Beach knows Garden City remains the team everyone points to in Nassau Conference II, but Riedel isn’t intimidated.

“They’re normal kids with a different jersey on,” Riedel said. “They are a great team, but that doesn’t mean we can’t beat them.”

Hempstead is 'ready to shock everybody'

Hempstead already had a promising quarterback-running back combination returning. The addition of wide receiver/defensive back Sylas Pratt from Westbury gives the Tigers another threat and one of Nassau Conference I’s most intriguing offensive trios.

Junior quarterback Seth Montgomery enters his third varsity season with plenty of experience. He threw for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 768 yards and six touchdowns last season. Senior running back Lamarcus Parson rushed for 754 yards and nine touchdowns.

“I learned a lot from the past couple years,” Montgomery said. “People can expect a lot with me, Sylas and Lamarcus. I think we’re gonna bring it home this year.”

Pratt transferring in gives them a new deep threat on the outside and a 6-3 presence that causes matchup problems.

“We’re building chemistry every day,” said Pratt, a senior. “We’re on the field every day, putting in the work, and I’m pumped to be here with them.”

Parson believes the group can surprise people and finish higher than its preseason No. 6 seed.

“I’m ready for my senior season,” Parson said. “Me and Seth have been playing together since youth football. My line is ready to block for me. Sylas is ready to show who he is, and we’re ready to shock everybody and bring it back home.”

There is also some history tying Montgomery and Pratt together.

Montgomery’s father, Bobby, and Pratt’s father, Sylas Pratt Sr., played together at Hempstead and won a Nassau championship in 1990. (Hempstead's program also won five straight Conference I titles from 1984 through 1988.) Now their sons are trying to create their own run alongside Parson.

“My dad played with his dad in high school,” Montgomery said. “I’m excited for me and him to play with each other and show everybody what we could do.”

Changes afoot at East Meadow

East Meadow has a new head coach who plans on bringing the Jets back to their old ways.

Matt Castaneda graduated from East Meadow in 2012 and played under Vinny Mascia in 2011, when the Jets last won a Nassau title. Castaneda has spent the last four years on East Meadow’s staff, including last year as defensive coordinator under coach Keith Lizzi.

After running the spread offense the last two years, the Jets will return to the triple option offense that was in place when Castaneda played.

“It’s an East Meadow tradition,” Castaneda said. “It creates problems for defenses to prepare for. A lot of teams run the spread, so it’s a lot easier for defenses to prepare each week for different teams. When they have to play us, it’ll be difficult to prepare for the triple option.”

East Meadow is back in Conference I after reaching the Conference II semifinals last year. Castaneda has high expectations for the seventh-seeded Jets.

“I think that a lot of people are going to be impressed with us after a couple weeks and realize that going back to the triple option was the right idea, even though we have one of the best receivers in the conference in Nick Schwabe,” Castaneda said. “We’re going to use him in the offense like no other team has in the past.”

Schwabe caught eight touchdown passes and added a rushing TD last season.

“I’ve been with coach Castaneda every year,” said Schwabe, a senior said. “He’s coached me in baseball and football and he’s a first-year head coach, but he’s been a guy that we’ve always looked up to, so it’s nothing new. He’s a little more than just a coach to us.”

Dalers want to send coach Krumenacker out on top

Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker is beloved by his players and the Farmingdale community.

With his announcement that his 34th year as the Dalers' head coach -- and his 58th as a football coach on Long Island -- will be his last, his players feel an extra sense of urgency to bring Farmingdale a 10th county title under Krumenacker's leadership.

"He's been a huge part of my life," senior running back and defensive back Patrick Videau said. "He's taught me so much in football and in life in general. He tells us, 'Everything you put yourself into, you have to do it 100 percent. That's how we have to approach this year."

"He's taught us to focus on the little things and emphasized being a good person off the field and good students in school," senior lineman Michael Bilello said. "It's great to see him at lacrosse games in the spring. It means a lot to have his support outside of football."

Farmingdale's last two seasons have each ended with a one-point loss in the playoffs at Hofstra. The Dalers didn't need any extra motivation coming into this season, but they feel it is important to send the second-winningest coach in Long Island history off on a high note.

"Every practice, every workout, you can see it in everybody's faces," Videau said. "We want it really bad this year."

Syosset's conference championship connections

Syosset reached the Nassau Conference I title game in 2023, and this year’s group is carrying a direct connection to that run.

Senior Austin Cohen will be the defensive anchor at middle linebacker, the same position his older brother Jake starred at during that 2023 season. Cohen said learning from his brother helped prepare him for this moment.

“My brother is my best friend,” Cohen said. “He’s mentored me, and even since eighth grade, I was working with varsity guys and learning from those guys at the higher level.”

Cohen was a freshman on varsity when Syosset made its county-final run and still remembers the feeling of getting there.

“After we beat Farmingdale on a game-winning field goal [in 2023], that’s a feeling no one can take away from you,” Cohen said. “Getting bounced at Hofstra in the semifinals [in 2024 and 2025] was a bad feeling, and I want everyone else on the team to feel how I did when we won that game.”

Wide receiver Raghav Ghosh has a similar connection to the 2023 team through former star quarterback Mustafa Mozawalla. Ghosh will wear No. 3 for Mozawalla, who wore it during the run to the title game.

“He was one of the first people to believe in me, and he got me working hard,” Ghosh said. “I saw his work ethic and wanted to emulate that. Watching what he did and watching him play was amazing. The way he dominated is something I really want to do, and that’s what I’m going to try to do in my senior year.”

After falling in the Nassau Conference I semifinals the last two seasons, Cohen and Ghosh want to help this year’s group finish what the 2023 team started.

New turf and new energy at Longwood

As the opening week of training camp continued on Wednesday morning, the Longwood football team wasted no time breaking in its new turf field.

"It's been an experience to be in a new field," said quarterback Ryan Greene. "It's going to bring in a lot of fans, and I can't wait for the energy they are going to bring."

Longwood returns nine starters on offense and five on defense.  The Lions want to set a high standard and make a run for the Suffolk Division I crown.

"The energy in the locker room is amazing," said offensive tackle Ed Princivil. "Coach [Sean Kluber] has been great so far. Two-a-days have been tough, but he's been here with us, even running some sprints. We want to attack every session as hard as we can."

Kluber emphasized strength and conditioning drills during training camp to get his players in shape for Week 1.

"They matured both physically and mentally," Kluber said. "I think a lot of them have put on 20-30 pounds and grown an inch or two. They adjusted to the pace of the game, and mentally, they're ready to handle adversity."

Friars' front line ready to show what they can do

The hype around St. Anthony’s running back Xavier Bala has built tremendously over the last few years, and this season the Boston College commit will have an experienced group paving the way in front of him.

The Friars return four starters on the offensive line, with Bala and returning dual-threat quarterback Anthony Diieso expected to make plays behind them.

“They’re gonna set the tone for us, without a doubt,” St. Anthony’s coach Joe Minucci said. “We have to be able to run the football. … I don’t think we’re fooling anybody by saying that’s not going to be our bread and butter.”

One of those key blockers is junior Justin Joseph, a 6-4, 315-pound offensive lineman. He thrived this offseason, collecting offers from Nebraska, Virginia Tech and others.

“I think the main thing was focusing on the details and getting better mentally,” Joseph said. “The physical is gonna come with the mental. I think that’s the biggest thing in the offseason, just focusing on preparation.”

Senior Nathan Furnell leads the experienced group, and Franklin & Marshall commit Jack Ortiz returns after missing his junior season due to injury.

But the talk wasn’t about the offensive line last season, and Furnell wants that to change.

“Us being overlooked for a couple of years, it’s really been bothering me,” Furnell said. “I think that this year is our time to come out and show what we got.”

St. Anthony's plans ceremony for home opener in Sept. 11

St. Anthony’s home opener will be under the lights against one of the tri-state area’s toughest opponents, but the significance of the date will make that Friday night about much more than football.

The Friars host St. Peter’s Prep of New Jersey on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. St. Anthony’s planned a pregame ceremony featuring an honor guard and honorary captains who are retired FDNY and NYPD members or veterans with ties to the St. Anthony’s community.

“Obviously, 9/11 is a momentous day in our country, especially in this region,” St. Anthony’s coach Joe Minucci said. “Being the 25th anniversary, it makes it that much more special to make sure that we honor and recognize all the lives that were lost and everybody that served.”

After the ceremony, St. Anthony’s will face arguably its biggest test of the season.

St. Peter’s Prep enters the season ranked No. 99 in the MaxPreps preseason National Top 100. Its defense features four-star defensive backs Adrian and Amir Woodward. Offensively they have New Jersey’s top prospect in 6-7, 295-pound lineman Oluwasemilore Olubobola, who is committed to Notre Dame.

Friars junior wide receiver Rory McDermott, who recently received his first Division I offer from Colgate, is looking forward to the challenge alongside returning quarterback Anthony Diieso.

“It’s more challenging against top prospects,” McDermott said. “It gives an opportunity to show how good we are as a team. I’m definitely excited.”

“Those are the games we want,” Diieso said. “High competition, high-level players. We’ll see what we’re about.”

But the meaning of the night will extend beyond the matchup.

“It’s very important to me,” senior offensive lineman Nathan Furnell said. “It’s really an honor to be a part of something like this.”

Hungry Patriots

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Luke Garguilo at full strength for Massapequa

The last time Luke Garguilo took the field, he couldn’t be his normal dynamic self.

Garguilo was hampered by a sprained ankle in Massapequa’s 14-12 win over Ward Melville in the Long Island Class I championship game.

The senior looked explosive in Monday’s practice. He ran option plays, designed runs to the outside and uncorked downfield passes on the run.

“It’s so much better when you can actually run, cut and jump,” Garguilo said. “It makes the job a lot easier. Hopefully, I can stay healthy this year. I felt like I left some personal goals on the table last year, but I don’t care too much about that stuff as long as we win.”

Garguilo won the Don Snyder Award as Nassau’s top quarterback last season. He completed 66 of 94 passes for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 738 yards and eight scores.

“It’s awesome to see him at full strength,” senior offensive lineman Nolan Wieczorek said. “I think he’s probably the best player on Long Island, so it’s great to have him behind you. I would give my all for him and he’d give his all for us.”

The Hudson Philbrick-Joe Karpowicz connection

Ward Melville might have the most entertaining passing attack on Long Island this fall, and seniors Hudson Philbrick and Joe Karpowicz are at the center of it.

Philbrick, a Stony Brook commit at quarterback, and Karpowicz, a receiver who is committed to St. John’s for baseball, have been connecting with each other in the end zone since their sophomore seasons. At this point, finding each other is almost instinctive.

“It’s been a special connection,” Karpowicz said. “We’ve always been growing, you know, after practice every day or before practice. Anything to get that connection flowing.”

Ward Melville coach Chris Boltrek hasn’t had a starting quarterback for multiple years until Philbrick, and he knows this duo is special.

“You’re talking about two Division I athletes,” Boltrek said. “They’re great athletes who have played together for a really long time, and it’s second nature to them now. So everything’s easy.”

Philbrick is committed to Stony Brook for football, and Karopwicz to St. John's for baseball.

Last year, Philbrick completed 112 of 162 passes for 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed 88 times for 495 yards and seven touchdowns. Karpowicz had 37 receptions for 763 yards and nine touchdowns.

In last year’s 31-28 county final win over Floyd, Philbrick threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Karpowicz had six catches for 141 yards and a touchdown.

If Ward Melville’s offense is going to be as dangerous as advertised, the Philbrick-Karpowicz connection will be a big reason why.

“I feel like chemistry carries us a long way,” Philbrick said. “Expectations are higher than ever. The pressure’s on, but that’s what makes us better.”

Ward Melville starts as No. 1 and wants to finish that way

Expectations have never been higher for Ward Melville football.

The Patriots enter the season as the No. 1 seed in Suffolk Division I for the first time in program history, one year after falling to Massapequa, 14-12, in the Long Island Class I championship game. They believe this could be the year they break through and win their first LIC.

“It’s just a really experienced group,” coach Chris Boltrek said. “You have a lot of kids who have been three-year starters on varsity. It helps when you have a quarterback who’s a Division I scholarship athlete and a lot of really good players around him in their own rights.”

Stony Brook-bound quarterback Hudson Philbrick and wide receiver Joe Karpowicz headline a veteran offense. Four starting offensive linemen return, including Quinn Kurtz, one of the Island’s top two-way linemen.

“All four of us have been here since sophomore year,” Kurtz said. “We’re looking to prove ourselves that we’re the best line on the Island.”

The excitement was evident during Monday’s first official practice, even with rain pouring as players flipped tires and worked through intense circuits.

“A lot of times, you would come out to a football practice like this in the rain, coming out and flipping tires right away, and kids shrink,” Boltrek said. “But these guys want to do it. They want to do anything that is going to make them better.”

The chase is officially on for Ward Melville.

“To win it here would be everything for us. Linebacker Austin Sicoli said. "And I think we can take it home.

Flipping tires at Ward Melville

It starts up front for Massapequa

Great programs are built in the trenches. Whether it’s the first day of practice or the Long Island championship game, Massapequa coach Kevin Shippos expects intensity from his linemen.

And just because Monday morning was the first of two practices on day one of the 2026 football season, Shippos demanded the attention to detail of a reigning three-time Long Island champion.

Between reps, Shippos corrected his linemen’s pad levels, hand positioning, pulling techniques, movement to the second and third levels and of course, physicality.

“The kids are very curious as to what they did right or what they did wrong,” Shippos said. “We tell the kids that we’re going to tell them either way. When you do something right, we’re going to coach you up. When you do something wrong, we’re going to coach you up. We don’t win any games without our linemen, so they understand that I put a big exaggeration on them so they don’t feel like they’re being overshadowed by the skill guys.”

With rock music blaring, Shippos was animated after just about every rep, whether he was pleased or displeased.

“It’s good to be back,” Shippos said.

Massapequa’s quest for a fourth straight Long Island Class I title will begin in the trenches.

“Coach Shippos really pushes you to your full potential and makes sure he’s getting every single bit of energy that you have out of you,” senior offensive lineman Nolan Wieczorek said. “It’s awesome. We really embrace that culture and that tough, disciplined mentality.”