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Any other year, a football game between Suffolk powerhouses William Floyd and Sayville would draw an enormous crowd.
And yet, in any other season, such a unique matchup would never even happen.
As it is, Floyd will host the Golden Flashes Saturday at 2 p.m. in front of dozens of people, instead of thousands, because of the pandemic that made their game possible.
“I can’t imagine the crowd we would have had if the situation was where anyone could come watch,” longtime William Floyd Coach Paul Longo said, noting Section XI restrictions limiting attendance to two fans per athlete. “It’s a great game for Suffolk County high school football.”
Sayville (1-0) was originally scheduled to host Harborfields tonight, but Harborfields is on COVID-19 quarantine. The Golden Flashes haven’t played since their win over Kings Park on March 12. William Floyd (2-0) originally had a bye on its schedule for this week.
“I was actually the one who asked to play,” Longo said. “When I saw that we both didn’t have a game scheduled, I said ‘Why don’t we play each other?’”
Click here to watch the 2 p.m. Saturday game live.
Over the last 19 years, Sayville has won nine Suffolk Division III titles, while William Floyd, a much larger school district, has captured 12 Suffolk Division I championships.
“It really is an intriguing game,” Longo said, before joking: “I wish I could just sit back and watch it.”
William Floyd and Sayville have not played each other since the early 1980s, and Sayville holds a 3-0 all-time advantage over the Colonials. It’s a stat Longo planned to bring up to his players at Friday’s practice.
“It’s a game involving two of the best programs on Long Island for many years,” Longo said. “Each year, there’s a lot of banter about what would happen if we played each other. This year, we’re actually going to find out.”
Here are some photos taken during William Floyd’s win over Longwood last week.
Photos courtesy of William Floyd School District.
