Impending Nor’easter Impacting High School Football Slate on Long Island

State-ranked Saturday matchup between Garden City and Massapequa is still on as scheduled

NOAA GOES satellite shows Nor'easter building along the East Coast on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The storm is anticipated to impact the Long Island with 2-or-more inches of rain and hurricane-force winds. The impending weather has forced some Long Island high schools to move football games from Saturday to Friday. One football game, a highly anticipated state-ranked matchup between Massapequa and Garden City, is still on scheduled for Saturday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Update (Sept. 25 at 4:15 p.m.): Newsday reported on Friday afternoon that all high school sporting events on Long Island have been postponed, including the highly anticipated unbeaten football game between Garden City and Massapequa, due to the impending heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds this weekend.

The Chief and Trojans' matchup has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. Monday at Hofstra University's James M. Shuart Stadium.

Officials from Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Friday recommended no travel over the weekend as the predicted Nor'easter draws closer to the East Coast.

About 25 Suffolk and Nassau County high school football games on Saturday were postponed. Some Suffolk-based teams will reschedule their games for Monday or Tuesday, according to Newsday.

Patrick Pizzarelli, executive director for Section VIII, told Newsday that the "main priority and responsibility are the safety of our athletes."

"It’s clear that this can turn into a very dangerous situation," said Tom Combs, Section XI director, via Newsday. "This decision keeps our bus drivers and all people driving to games off potentially hazardous roads and safe. It also places the safety of our coaches and student-athletes as our top priority.”

Original story (late Friday morning):

A Nor’easter that will impact the East Coast with heavy rain, hurricane-force winds, flooding and potentially more this weekend has forced some Long Island high schools to postpone and reschedule football games.

Recent weather reports by Newsday show most of Long Island is predicted to receive two-or-more inches of rain, with some parts of the region close to three inches through late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning.

Multiple Football Games off the Schedule for Saturday

According to Gregg Sarra of Newsday, Chaminade (1-3) was scheduled to face St. Francis Prep (2-2) at the Mitchel Athletic Complex Saturday, but the game was moved to Friday at the Flyers’ Gold Star Stadium.

Fordham Prep (1-2) against St. John the Baptist (3-0), and Mepham (1-1) versus Port Washington (2-1) were also rescheduled to Friday in order to get the game in.

One Highly Anticipated Matchup Still on as Scheduled

Garden City versus Massapequa, a matchup of Nassau County powerhouses, was on the schedule for Saturday. The contest was slated to begin at 5 p.m. at Shuart Stadium.

Pizzarelli told Newsday he is “keeping a close eye on the weather” and the possibility of moving the game to Sunday or Monday will be considered.

“One real positive is that Hofstra has agreed to move the game to Sunday if we need to do that,” Pizzarelli said via Newsday. “We have flexibility.”

Garden City (2-0) has secured five Long Island Class II crowns in a row. The Trojans are currently on a state-record 68-game win streak.

Massapequa (2-0) has captured three straight Long Island Class I titles. The Chiefs have won 25 games in a row.

The Trojans and the Chiefs are No. 5 and No. 9, respectively, in this week’s High School On SI New York Top 25 state rankings.

Pizzarelli told Newsday that if the Nassau County Emergency Management issues a travel advisory for Saturday, Garden City-Massapequa and other high school sporting events would be postponed.

“The good news, if there is some, is that the weather might not be as bad as anticipated,” Pizzarelli added. “Some of the models are saying the wind and rain won’t be as severe through the day Saturday. We do have an alternative plan in place should the weather be a factor later in the day.”

Holding Out Hope

Massapequa athletic director Matt McLees hopes the contest between the Chiefs and the Trojans stays put for Saturday. According to Newsday, more than 3,000 tickets have been purchased for the game at Hofstra University.

“We’re hoping the weather cooperates and we get the game in as scheduled,” McLees said via Newsday. “Hofstra has done an amazing job preparing the facility. They installed brand new goal posts, painted the high school hashmarks on the field and are excited to host this event. Unless we hear otherwise, it’s full steam ahead.”