New York High School Football Weekend Recap: Milestones, Grudge Matches and Two Teams Cancel Their Seasons

Long Island-based teams abruptly end their seasons, a handful of teams from various 2025 championship games meet once again, and two records are broken in Section V

Longtime Hilton head football coach Rich Lipani chats with his team following a 56-19 win over Webster Schroeder on Friday. The result led to Lipani becoming Section V's winningest coach with No. 231 in his career. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jericho and Coxsackie-Athens high school football teams have decided to cancel the rest of their seasons, according to reports.

Newsday reported last Wednesday that Jericho forfeited its season due to not having enough healthy players. The Jayhawks join Port Jefferson, Amityville and Holy Trinity as Long Island-based teams to cut their seasons short.

Pat Pizzarelli, executive director of the Nassau County Public High School Athletic Association, noted that Jericho athletic director Brett Kornblum reached out and said the Jayhawks “can no longer field a team.”

Jericho Jayhawks Football/X

Jericho had 32 players at the start of the season but forfeited its opener against New Hyde Park due to some players not meeting the state-required minimum of 10 practices.

“He said too many players were injured,” Pizzarelli said via Newsday. “It’s just awful because now they don’t have football in the entire district (for junior varsity or middle school).”

The Jayhawks were coming off a 2025 season where they went 4-5. Jericho superintendent Robert Kravitz told Newsday he is hoping the school can have football next season.

“We have a lot of younger players,” Kravitz said via Newsday. “The sport generates school spirit, and I hope to do something next year. We have enough younger players and we want to create a program for them and build that pipeline for the district’s future. It’s gone for now but not gone forever.”

As for Coxsackie-Athens, the school forfeited its remaining games due to “roster numbers dwindling due to injuries,” Albany-Times Union reported. The Riverhawks had about 15 players available for their game against Cohoes on Friday before it was called off.

Riverhawks coach Evin Hill and athletic director Curtis Wilkinson confirmed the cancellation last week. 

It’s the second time in the last three years that the team has had to abruptly end its season. Coxsackie-Athens compiled a 4-6 record in 2025.

“We just don’t have enough eligible players to continue,” Wilkinson said via the Times-Union.

According to the Times-Union, Coxsackie-Athens had just 20 players at the start of the season and no JV team, leaving the program “drastically undermanned.”

“It was just attrition,” Hill said via the Times-Union. “As football goes, you’re never 100% healthy during the season. We knew it would only take one more injury for things to happen.”

Coxsackie-Athens could consider 8-man football in the future, but Wilkinson and Hill both told the Times-Union it’s “too early to commit” one way or another.

“I know a lot of our kids would prefer to play 11-man,” Hill said. “One of the things I was trying to drum up support and get some of the other kids to understand is that Coxsackie-Athens was the only 11-man tackle football team in Greene County. As far as moving to eight-man, that’s a different conversation we’d have to have.”

Longtime Coach Now Holds Section V’s Wins Record

Hilton high school football coach Rich Lipani recorded his first-ever win about 40 years ago with Greece Arcadia.

On Friday, Lipani became Section V’s all-time winningest coach following the Cadets’ 56-19 triumph over Webster Schroeder. Lipani, who now has 231 career victories, passed longtime coach Dave Whitcomb (230) as the record holder.

“It's fantastic,” Lipani said via the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. “A lot of the guys I've coached over the years that aren't with the team anymore were back tonight to help celebrate a little bit. It's a great night overall.”

Hilton Head Coach Rich Lipani takes the field with his team for a warmup before a game in the 2025 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Following stints at Greece Arcadia and Greece Athena, Lipani moved onto Hilton in the late 1980s, where he became the head football coach and a physical education teacher. 

In a coaching span that’s lasted nearly 40 years, Lipani has guided the Cadets to four Section V titles.

“Nobody coaches that long anymore,” Hilton assistant coach Andy Forman said via the Democrat & Chronicle. “He's a special guy to be able to do it. He's been able to adapt and overcome. His big message is that he wants football to be the best time of the kids' life when they're here at Hilton. That's what he really strives for.”

The Cadets (5-0) will host Pittsford on Friday.

Section V Quarterback Sets Career Passing Record

Senior quarterback Terrell ‘Pooty’ Cunningham Jr. of James Monroe High School is now the holder of two career records in one season.

In September, Cunningham set the career touchdown pass record with his 77th in Monroe’s 12-7 win over East/World of Inquiry, breaking a tie with former Aquinas Institute QB Jake Zembiec.

“It's something I've worked for, for a long time,” Cunningham said via the Democrat & Chronicle. “Ever since I stepped my foot on a high school field, I knew that it was my turn, it was going to be something special.”

Monroe quarterback Terrell Cunningham Jr. (5) throws deep into the end zone in a regular season game in the 2025 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last Thursday, Cunningham broke another record, this time the career passing yard mark. Following the Red Jackets’ 46-12 win over Gates Chili, Cunningham reached 6,670 career passing yards, leaping Zembiec (6,398) once again for the all-time lead.

“From coverages to defenses, (Cunningham Jr.) has seen pretty much everything you can throw at him,” Monroe head coach Terrell Cunningham Sr. said via the Democrat & Chronicle. “It’s now about him processing. Once he understands what you’re trying to do, he makes the correct call.

The Red Jackets (5-0) are ranked 20th in the latest High School On SI New York State poll and will face Batavia on the road Thursday evening.

St. Francis Escapes with Win over Canisius in Title Game Rematch

Canisius was determined to get its revenge against St. Francis in a rematch of last year’s Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association title game.

However, St. Francis' Evan Greenough blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Canisius' Levi Sisto as time expired, propelling the Red Raiders to a 32-29 win on Saturday.

“We ran what we call the 18 sweep and we didn't get the edge blocked,” Kurzanski said via The Buffalo News. “We had a chance to win the game, we missed and we had a chance to tie the game, we missed. That's our fault. It falls on me.”

Saturday’s contest was a matchup between No. 2 St. Francis and No. 5. Canisius, the teams’ rankings in the latest High School On SI New York state poll.

St. Francis coach Jerry Smith told Greenough before he blocked the field goal, he told him to use “the old Steve Tasker trick: dive for the foot, don't dive for the ball.”

The Red Raiders and the Crusaders traded lead changes for a majority of the contest. St. Francis had the biggest advantage at 22-14 with 10:45 left in the third quarter on a 27-yard rushing TD by tailback Tyrone Clark Jr.

Clark, who finished with 197 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 18 carries, put the Red Raiders up for good on a 50-yard run with 3:15 to go in regulation.

Canisius tailback Elijah Kimble, a Syracuse football commit, had 28 carries for 267 yards and four scores.

St. Francis QB and Rutgers commit Trent Buttles was 11-of-17 on completions for 127 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 76 yards on nine carries.

Senior Lo'Ren Thompson, who told The Buffalo News he saw the kick coming at the end, said the Red Raiders never wavered the Crusaders’ challenge.

“We’re brothers,” Thompson said. “Anytime we're down, we never argue with each other, none of that. We come together, stay together and we fight.”

St. Francis (5-0) will host Erie (PA) on Saturday. Canisius (2-3) will face Huron Heights on Saturday.

Somers Gets Its Revenge in Class A Title Rematch

When the Somers Tuskers entered the 2026 season, they had their Oct. 2 Homecoming game against the Rye Garnets circled.

After the Tuskers lost to the Garnets in last season’s Section I Class A championship game, they redeemed themselves with a 31-13 win in Friday’s grudge match.

The Tuskers and the Garnets are No. 4 and 11, respectively, in the latest High School On SI New York state rankings.

Section I teams have secured the Class A state crown the previous four seasons. The Tuskers grabbed the first three crowns from 2022 to 2024, while the Garnets are the reigning Class A champions.

Somers and Rye battle in football action at Somers High School on Friday, Oct. 2. The Tuskers won, 31-13. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Somers is now well on its way to returning to what it was a couple of years ago.

“I’m definitely more confident in this group after this game but we’re nowhere close to reaching our potential,” Senior wide receiver Cameron Violante said via The Journal-News. “I think we could be 100% better going into sectional playoffs.”

Violante caught two TD passes from senior QB Tristan Iglesias for Somers. Dean Monachelli had a 94-yard kick return for a score and a TD reception, while Danny Hershfield booted a 35-yard field goal.

For Rye, QB Ryan Hess connected with receiver Johnny Shoemaker on two TDs.

Somers (5-0) and Rye (3-2) will have home games against Lakeland and Nyack, respectively, on Friday.

Ward Melville Tops William Floyd in Suffolk County Title Game Rematch

Quarterback Hudson Philbrick, a Stony Brook football commit, had four rushing scores and a passing touchdown in Ward Melville’s 44-27 win over William Floyd on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Suffolk County Division I championship game.

Philbrick had 386 yards of offense for a Patriots’ squad that was at full strength after dealing with some early season injuries.

“It’s just a morale booster,” Philbrick said via Newsday. “Without them, we still have to do what we do best. But with them, it just uplifts everybody because those are guys you want to have around you on the field.”

The Patriots, ranked 16th in the most recent High School On SI New York state poll, also had a 20-yard rushing TD by Chris Retzlaff. 

Philbrick’s lone TD pass was thrown to Angelo Sorbera.

“That touchdown was Hudson’s call,” Ward Melville coach Chris Boltrek said via Newsday. “I called a play, he saw something and called something different at the line of scrimmage. When you have a kid who just operates at a football IQ of that level with the physical ability that he has, you just can’t defend him.”

For the Colonials, Alex Salamone threw TD passes to Davonte Medlock and Derek Glock. Medlock and Rylee Permenter each had rushing scores.

Ward Melville (4-0) goes up against Sachem East on Friday. William Floyd (2-2) takes on Central Islip this Saturday.