Football practice on the horizon

On Aug. 17, all 56 Nassau County public high school football teams will begin preparations for the upcoming season, scheduled to open Saturday, Sept. 12 with 28 games kicking off at 2 p.m.
Carey, the two-time defending Long Island Class II champion and first team since Hempstead (1985-86) to repeat as Rutgers Cup champs, take a 24-game winning streak into this year’s opener at Long Beach in a rematch of last year’s Nassau Conference II semifinal. The Seahawks, the No. 1 seed, will visit Garden City the following week in a rematch of the county final before hosting Elmont on Sept. 26 on their new turf field.
“It’s going to be incredible,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “We used to worry about how the playing conditions would be after it drizzled, but now we’re going to have one of the best fields around.”
Lawrence also made history a year ago, becoming the first-ever Nassau school to capture three straight L.I. titles. The Golden Tornadoes, winners of four consecutive county championships, open at home against Conference III newcomer Roosevelt. Lawrence is seeded second behind Plainedge, while Roosevelt is No. 4. Enrollment bumped the Rough Riders to unfamiliar territory following their fourth straight Nassau Conference IV crown.
“We are excited about this new challenge and feel that we are also the flag bearer for Conference IV football,” Roosevelt coach Joe Vito said. “To open with Lawrence is baptism by fire. We get right into playing the best team in Conference III over the last four years.”
Syosset, coming off its first county title in more than 40 years, opens with a trip to Baldwin. The Braves beat the Bruins in the Conference I final last fall. Seaford, the top seed in Conference IV, opens at home versus Cold Spring Harbor.
The first three days of practice are non-contact, with helmets and cleats the only equipment permitted. Protective pads and blocking devises can be used beginning Aug. 20, and game scrimmages can be held after the completion of 12 days of practice.

Conferences reshaped and unbalanced
After a two-year experiment with a Developmental League designed to create relief for programs such as Port Washington, Great Neck North, Great Neck South, Roslyn, Jericho and Friends Academy, Nassau County returned to its traditional four, 14-team conferences last season with a bit of a twist. Teams seeded No. 14 faced the No. 13 and 12 seeds twice apiece, and played seeds 8-11 once apiece. No. 13 also faced No. 11 twice.
That format will remain in place this season, but only in Conferences I and II. That’s because the number of teams in Conferences III and IV differ. Conference III has 12 teams for 2015, and Conference IV features 16. The team seeded at the bottom of Conference III (South Side) will face No. 11 (North Shore) and No. 10 (Division) twice apiece and plays nobody ranked in the top five. In Conference IV, there are no repeat opponents in the regular season.

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. 12. Each week is expected to include a handful of Friday night contests.

Conference hoppers
Seven teams switched conferences for 2015. MacArthur is on the move again, going from Conference I to II, while Herricks jumped from II to I. Aforementioned Roosevelt replaced Manhasset (II) in III, while Roslyn, Great Neck South and Great Neck North moved into the crowded IV.

Some rivalries renewed
There is no shortage of rivalry games on tap, though despite being seeded fifth and sixth, respectively in Conference I, Baldwin and Freeport won’t meet unless it’s in the playoffs. Freeport also skips Oceanside, albeit the Bruins and Sailors will meet in Week 6. In Conference II, Calhoun will meet local rivals Kennedy and Mepham over a three-week span in October, though the Cougars and Pirates won’t meet. Sewanhaka will battle both Carey and Elmont for a second straight year. In Conference III, Hewlett won’t face Lynbrook but the Bulldogs and Owls will both see Lawrence.