Sayville (New York) high school football coach steps down

Reade Sands is departing to spend more time with his family

Kevin L. Smith | Feb 3, 2025

Sayville (New York) football will be searching for a new head coach after Reade Sands, who has led the Golden Flashes since 2017, stepped down. / Reade Sands Instagram

Reade Sands, the head coach of the Sayville High School varsity football team since 2017, recently announced that he is stepping down from the position.

Sands, 49, told Gregg Sarra of Newsday that he made the decision so he can spend more time with his family.

From 2017 to 2024, Sands led one of Long Islands’ winningest programs. He guided the Golden Flashes to eight-straight playoff appearances while at the helm.

Sands led the Golden Flashes to four Suffolk County Division III titles – with the most recent one in 2024 – a Long Island championship crown in 2022 and three Rutgers Trophies. Sands compiled a 74-11 record with Sayville, including a 22-game winning streak between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The last time that the Golden Flashes lost in the regular season was in 2018 against Miller Place.

Sands plans to serve as a defensive coach for the Long Island senior all-stars when they face the New York City all-stars in the National Football Foundation’s All-Star Classic on June 21 at Hofstra University.

Published Feb 3, 2025

KEVIN L. SMITH

Kevin L. Smith, a native of Rochester (NY), has been covering high school sports for over a decade. He started out as a freelance sports writer in 2013. Since then, he’s held sports writer and editor positions for newspapers in Coudersport and Sayre (PA) and Oswego (NY). Smith currently covers high school sports in the Greater Syracuse Area for syracuse.com, a position he’s held since 2021. You can follow him on social media @KevLSmittie. Story ideas can be sent to KLSFreelancing@outlook.com.