Friday, October 2, 2026
East Rockaway and West Hempstead are bringing their communities together this fall, as the two school districts combine their varsity football programs, giving student-athletes an opportunity to compete at a time when declining participation threatened the future of both teams.
The merger builds on an arrangement already in place at the junior varsity level. West Hempstead Secondary School entered this season with only 10 players returning from last year’s Rams playoff team, leaving the program without enough players to safely field a varsity team on its own. After discussions began late last spring, athletic administrators determined that combining the programs would allow students to continue playing football.
East Rockaway’s longtime coach, Russell Pajer, is leading the combined team as head coach, assisted by West Hempstead coach Dominic Carre and coaches from both schools. The team, nicknamed the Rocks, practices at East Rockaway, but both schools will host games this season.
“We have two communities becoming one, which is awesome,” Pajer said. “They bring up the word family, they bring up the word togetherness, they’re laughing with each other, they’re joking with each other, they’re hugging each other. You would never know they’re from different schools.”
The partnership was made easier by an existing relationship between the coaching staffs. Carre, who coached the Rams for 16 seasons, previously played at East Rockaway under Pajer and later coached with him. Carre is now serving as Pajer’s defensive coordinator on the combined team.
“We want our students to be able to participate in sports,” West Hempstead Athletic Director Dawn Sachs said. “Athletics teaches a lot of things that a classroom can’t teach, and so I want them to be able to have those skills and use those skills later in life.”
The players initially came together at a spring minicamp and continued working through preseason preparations. Players from both schools have practiced together and taken part in activities designed to build team chemistry.
Tristen Rose, a 16-year-old East Rockaway student, also sees the merger as an opportunity for the combined team to exceed expectations.
“We’re just looking to be one of those teams that everyone doesn’t mess with,” Rose said.
Jayden Romeo, a 17-year-old West Hempstead student, is embracing the merger as an opportunity to help build something new.
“We just want to show them that we can be something together,” Romeo said. “We’ve been building good chemistry together and putting everybody in their right spots, so I think we could be successful.”
The merger brings together two programs coming off different seasons. West Hempstead finished 4-4 in 2025 before losing to eventual Nassau County Conference IV champion Seaford in the first round of the playoffs. East Rockaway finished 2-6 after losing quarterback Mike Tizio to an injury early in the season and dealing with depth issues.
The combined roster gives the team additional depth while allowing younger West Hempstead players to remain at the appropriate level rather than moving junior varsity athletes, including ninth-graders, to varsity. It also gives seniors an opportunity to finish their high school careers on the football field.
The arrangement extends beyond football. Cheerleading is also being incorporated into the shared structure.
East Rockaway’s Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 9 against North Shore at 7 p.m.
The coaches see the merger as an opportunity for students to develop relationships and become part of a larger group with a shared goal. Those connections have already begun to develop through practices and media events, while parents from both communities have socialized at events including a team barbecue.
For Carre, the merger also carries personal significance because of his longstanding connection to East Rockaway and its coaching staff. His history with Pajer and other coaches has helped ease challenges that can accompany combining two programs, allowing the staffs to focus on the players.
“Our community has changed significantly, so we didn’t have enough kids,” Carre said. “Now, not only do they have a chance to play, they have a chance to be competitive and be successful as individuals and teammates.”
