Football practice kicks off

On Wednesday, all 56 Nassau County public high school football teams began preparation for the upcoming season, scheduled to open with a Conference I game between Freeport and Plainview on Friday, Sept. 7.

East Meadow, Garden City, Lawrence and Roosevelt are out to defend county champions. Head coach Vin Mascia’s Jets, seeded at the top of Conference I despite the loss of Thorp Award winner Rob Healy and a handful of other key starters, will attempt to become the first team to win the Rutgers Cup in back-to-back seasons since Hempstead in 1985-86.

All four defending county champs are ranked at the top of their respective conferences and open at home on Saturday, Sept. 8. Hempstead visits East Meadow, New Hyde Park travels to Garden City, Lawrence entertains Glen Cove, and Roosevelt opens its new field against East Rockaway.

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 Monday, and game scrimmages can be held after the completion of 12 practices. 

Developmental League established

Last winter, the executive board and athletic council of Section VIII, Nassau’s governing body, approved the creation of a Relief Developmental League in football for two years. 

The six public schools that comprise majority the league had a combined record of just 5-35 in 2011, but only time will tell if the change helps all. Port Washington finished 0-8, both Great Neck North and South won one game apiece, Roslyn was winless and Friends Academy didn’t even have a varsity program in 2011. Long Island Lutheran and St. Dominic’s will also compete.

No team or individual records will count toward Nassau or the state, and the league will not have a postseason. It is the first time a developmental league has existed in Nassau since the six-team Island Conference in 1991. Section VIII football coordinator Pat Pizzarelli said Conferences I, II and IV will have 12 members and Conference III will have 14 members this coming season as a result of the developmental league decision.

“It’s a two-year experiment,” Pizzarelli said. “We’ll see how it goes and re-evaluate things down the road.”

Only four teams will miss the playoffs this year in Conferences I, II and IV, but squeezing in as a low seed will be compromised by a tougher schedule. For example, those seeded No. 12 would normally play games against two lower-ranked teams. This year that won’t be the case. 

Eight-game schedule continues
Nassau went back to an eight-game regular-season schedule in 2008 after playing only seven games each year from 2003-07. It needed approval from New York State since teams advancing to the county championships play an 11th time. Most games will be played on the traditional Saturdays, beginning Sept. 8. But the list of Friday night games in Nassau continues to grow and stood at 16 at the start of practice.

Few conference hoppers
Only MacArthur and North Shore switched conferences based on enrollment figures. The Generals moved from Conference I to II and will open at home versus Westbury, while the Vikings elevated to Conference II from IV and will travel to Division in Week 1. 

One coaching change
Of the 23 teams slated to appear in the Herald’s 2012 Football Preview special pullout section, only one has a new head coach with Jeff Haruthunian set to lead Calhoun. The Colts are seeded No. 9 in the 12-team Conference II and kick off the season at home against Wantagh.