The No. 1 William Floyd Colonials varsity football team, led by head coach Paul Longo, continued their undefeated season as they blew out No. 4 Longwood in the semifinal round of the Section XI playoffs by a score of 41-7! With the win, the Colonials advance to their third consecutive Suffolk County Championship game where they will go for their 16th Suffolk County Championship overall and the “three-peat” as they face off against No. 2 Ward Melville in a rematch of last year’s county championship game. The Colonials defeated Ward Melville in week six, 28-21, handing the Patriots their first loss of the season. The county championship game will take place this Friday, November 21 at 7:30 pm, at Stony Brook University’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
Section XI requires an admission fee for the county championship game. The price is $9.40 per ticket ($8 per ticket plus $1.40 service fee). Children 12 and under are free. QR Codes will also be available at the gate to scan for ticket purchase. Section XI will not be accepting cash or check.
41-7 Semifinal Playoff Victory Recap
The Colonials special teams unit picked up right where they left off in the quarterfinals as senior returner Evan Commodore returned a punt for a 66-yard touchdown on the Colonials’ first touch of the game after a defensive stop. Then, after another successful defensive stand, quarterback Matt Taiani led the Colonials on a four-play, 52-yard drive down the field, including a key 28-yard swing pass to Ja’quan Thomas, who then capped off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. Kicker Isaac Monroy added the extra point to put the Colonials ahead 13-0. Monroy kicked five extra points on the afternoon.
The first quarter scoring surge didn’t end there, as the special teams unit continued their great play as senior Josiah Lors blocked a Longwood punt and took it to the house for the third touchdown of the quarter, putting the Colonials up 20-0. Lors also led the Colonials with 35 receiving yards on the game.
In the second quarter, junior defensive back Derek Glock, fresh off of a quarterfinal performance for the ages that included two punts returned for a touchdown, recovered a Longwood fumble and ran it in for six more. Then, with seconds left to go before halftime, Ja’Quan took off for his second touchdown of the game to give the Colonials a 34-0 lead at the half.
In the second half, Ja’Quan punched in his third and final touchdown of the day to round out the scoring for the Colonials. In addition to his three touchdowns, Thomas had 122 rushing yards behind a powerful offensive line, 28 receiving yards and forced a fumble on defense that led to a defensive touchdown. Seniors Jayden Johnson and David Gonzalez, along with junior Rashaun Wright, recorded one sack each.
The William Floyd Colonials varsity football program, with Coach Longo at the helm, has amassed 15 Suffolk County titles including in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024, along with five Long Island Championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012.
The full varsity roster includes senior captains: Ja’Quan Thomas, Joe Melecio, Jeru Hall and Evan Commodore, with fellow seniors Matthew Benjamin, Divine Bennett, Ahmed Fraz, JP Galasso, PJ Gilhauley, David Gonzalez, Jordan Goodwin, Coby Huggins, Cedric Jacques, Jayden Johnson, Spencer Link, Josiah Lors, Daveigh McKenzie, Jack Meyer, Patrick Mitchell, Angyl Palin, Tacari Reece, Alex Rodriguez, Darnell Toussaint, Aisays Wallace and Aidan Williams.
Juniors include: Dominic Agiato, Thomas Alfaro, Zackary Baxter, Gavin Blankenship, Andy Brown, Ronnie Colon, Derek Glock, Jordan Herring, Christian Hobson, Dashawn Jackson, Jayden Klemm, Mason Perez, Jake Rivera, Greg Ross, Brett Shaw, Matthew Taiani, Makai Tricarico, Devin Walker and Rashaun Wright.
Sophomores include: Julius Alvira, Kraig Benson, Arkcady Castor, Brooklyn Cox, Joshua Grandner, Georgios Koulentianos, Ethan McCormack, Isaac Monroy, Ryley Permenter, Aiden Redmond, Dylan Reynolds, Julius Richards, Winston Rountree, Alex Salamone, Nasir Smith, Jamersen Stokley, Luis Soto Jr., and Desmond Weston, along with freshman Da’Vonte Medlock.
The coaching staff includes head coach Paul Longo, and varsity assistant coaches Bill Ashton, Craig Blatter, Bill Krumm, Kyle Connor, Greg Amato, Gary Marangi, Chris Mocera, Ryan Amato and Bobby DeSilva.
Congratulations to all of the Colonial student-athletes and the coaching staff on another outstanding playoff win and best of luck in the county championship game!
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