Football kicks off

On Monday, all 56 Nassau County high school football teams began preparation for the upcoming season, scheduled to open with a Conference II game between defending champion Garden City and Mepham on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Freeport, Lawrence and Seaford are the other defending county champions. Freeport is the lone defending champ not ranked at the top of its conference. Farmingdale is ranked No. 1 in Conference I, followed by Syosset and the Red Devils. Wantagh is seeded second in Conference II behind Garden City, Lynbrook rates right behind Lawrence in Conference III, and Roosevelt sits second to Seaford in Conference IV.

“It’s the earliest starting day ever,” Section VIII football coordinator Pat Pizzarelli said of the Sept. 7 kickoff. “It’s always an exciting time of year.”  

The first three days of practice are non-contact, with helmets and cleats the only equipment permitted. Protective pads and blocking devises will be used beginning on Thursday, Aug. 19. Scrimmages can be held after the completion of 12 practices. 

Eight-game schedule continues

Nassau went back to an eight-game regular-season schedule in 2008 after playing only seven games from 2003-07. It needed approval from New York State since teams advancing to the county championships play an 11th time. In Conference II, seven teams will play only seven games since Jericho won’t be fielding a varsity squad due to dwindling numbers. “Jericho only has a JV team,” Pizzarelli said. “Hopefully it’s just a one-year situation. Teams that had Jericho on their schedule get a forfeit win.”

Conference hopping

Six teams switched conferences based on enrollment figures, including Calhoun for a second straight year.

Calhoun, which qualified for the Conference I playoffs and lost a first-round game at Farmingdale, returns to its former stomping ground in Conference II and faces a challenging schedule highlighted by Garden City (Sept. 16), Carey (Oct. 16) and Wantagh (Oct. 30). For openers, the Colts travel to Jericho. MacArthur vaults back to the top conference and is ranked ninth. “I wasn’t sure what would happen, and I’m not surprised we bounced back,” Calhoun coach Joe Bianca said. “The difference between us and MacArthur is anywhere from 12 to 20 kids.

“We’ve got some good experience coming back,” he added. “

Calhoun can fire up its rivalry with Mepham, which visits the Colts in their home opener on Sept. 25. The Pirates are ranked ninth and come off a season that saw them make the playoffs. Calhoun won’t be facing sixth-ranked Kennedy, however.

The Colts aren’t the only team new to Conference II for 2010. Westbury takes a leap from Conference III, flipping places with Division. Kennedy, Elmont, Mepham, Valley Stream Central and Long Beach all have Westbury on their schedule. Division will face Hewlett, Lynbrook, West Hempstead and Lawrence during the second half of the Conference III schedule. In other movement, North Shore is back in Conference IV and Carle Place is up to III. North Shore opens at Clarke and closes at East Rockaway. Carle Place will face locals South Side, Valley Stream South and West Hempstead. 

Seven coaching changes

Of the 56 teams in Nassau, seven will be led by a new head coach this fall including Lawrence and Kennedy. Joe Martillotti is set to lead Lawrence after serving as an assistant coach under Lou Andre for three years, while Nick Martone takes over for Frank Sansanelli at Kennedy after spending 2009 as the JV head coach. Three of the six head coaches in the Herald’s coverage area to debut a year ago guided their teams to the playoffs: Oceanside’s Robert Blount, Sewanhaka’s George Kasimatis and Malverne’s Kito Lockwood.