Port Jefferson cancels varsity football season due to lack of players

The Port Jefferson High School varsity football season is already over — before the Royals even stepped on the field.

Port Jefferson does not have enough players to field a varsity team this fall, Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs confirmed to Greater Long Island on Thursday.

As a result, all eight of the Royals’ scheduled games will be recorded as forfeits.

But Port Jefferson School District officials are pushing back on how the situation was handled, saying a proposed merger with Rocky Point could have kept its players on the field this season.

“The Port Jefferson School District is deeply disappointed by the unilateral decision made by Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs regarding our District’s football program,” the district said in a statement provided to Greater Long Island Thursday night.

New York state rules require varsity football teams to have at least 16 players on their rosters. Port Jefferson currently has fewer than 12.

The district said it had anticipated 23 returning players and eight incoming freshmen for this year’s team and did not realize until Wednesday that it would fall below the required minimum.

“This is in fact the first time Port Jefferson has not been able to field a varsity team,” the district said.

The news comes just over a week before the Royals, who went winless in 2025, were scheduled to open their season Friday, Sept. 4, against Center Moriches.

The varsity football season officially began Aug. 17, with Port Jefferson inviting students from all grades to participate. The Royals had also been scheduled to participate in a five-team scrimmage Friday in Deer Park.

A school district official previously told Greater Long Island that the team had enough players signed up in the spring, but the roster dwindled ahead of the season. Among the departures was a quarterback who transferred to St. Anthony’s.

Losing that player, the district official said, discouraged other players from showing up for tryouts. That student is playing JV at St. Anthony’s and is no longer a quarterback, GLI has learned.

Port Jefferson and Rocky Point agreed last week to combine their varsity and JV programs while keeping Rocky Point’s schedule and Division III placement intact, according to the district.

Combs, however, told GLI that Rocky Point would have had to give up postseason eligibility if the varsity programs combined.

Port Jefferson officials said Rocky Point pulled out only after being told Thursday morning that it would be excluded from postseason play.

“All Mr. Combs needed to do was allow our request to create the combined team to go through the established Section XI process for such requests,” the district said.

Combs said Section XI rules require schools seeking to combine football programs to declare those plans by February, before teams are placed into divisions.

“This is done in part to prevent a team from gaining an unexpected advantage by adding a large number of players after teams have already been placed into divisions,” Combs said. “We don’t like telling kids they cant play, but we have to keep it fair for everyone.”

Port Jefferson said it did not know until this week that it would fall below the required roster minimum.

The district said it still expects to move forward with a combined JV team with Rocky Point.

Port Jefferson becomes the latest Long Island football program to run into roster issues.

Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville suspended its varsity program for two seasons last month, while Southampton and Greenport/Southold/Mattituck both canceled their 2025 seasons because of low participation.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Port Jefferson School District responding to Section XI’s decision.

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