Nassau County football: Week 6

While a handful of Nassau County football teams remain unbeaten, including East Meadow and Freeport in Conference I, and surprising West Hempstead in Conference IV, most are either fighting for playoff positioning or fighting for their playoff lives.

One team clearly on the bubble is East Rockaway. Tough losses to Conference IV rivals Roosevelt, West Hempstead and Seaford has the Rocks at 2-3 heading into a challenging assignment at Valley Stream North this Saturday at 3 p.m. Quarterback Anthony Martelli and running back Evan Henry are leading a potent Spartans offense.

Also in Conference IV, a battle of unbeatens takes place at Locust Valley when the Falcons host West Hempstead at 2:30 p.m. Malverne will look to keep its playoff hopes alive with a Homecoming victory over Cold Spring Harbor. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

In Conference I, East Meadow, which has scored at least 40 points in all five games, hosts Baldwin (4-1) at 2 p.m. Freeport goes to Uniondale for a 2 p.m. start. At 5 p.m., Oceanside (2-3) will try to snap a three-game slide when it hosts Syosset on Homecoming.

A couple of key games highlight the action in Conference II, starting with Carey's visit to Long Beach. Both teams are 3-2. The Marines come off a 50-35 win over Jericho that saw quarterback Tom Rowley account for six touchdowns -- three passing and three rushing. Mepham (4-1) and Elmont (3-2) battle at 2 p.m. in a rematch of last year's first-round playoff game won by the Pirates. Unbeaten Garden City is home to Calhoun.

In Conference II, undefeated Bethpage travels to Hewlett (3-2) for a 3 p.m. start. At 2 p.m., Lawrence (4-1) is at Floral Park, Lynbrook (4-1) hosts Sewanhaka, and Valley Stream South (2-3) is home to Great Neck North. At 2:30 p.m., South Side (1-4) entertains Manhasset.

Please visit LIHerald.com this weekend for a recap of the Carey-Long Beach and Mepham-Elmont games.

Also, predict the winner and final score of the East Rockaway-Valley Stream North game to win a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant. Email your picks to sports@liherald.com.