Suffolk football powers clash in semifinal showdowns, Nov. 15 and 16

All but two of the higher-seeded teams won this weekend in the first round of Suffolk County’s high school football championships, advancing to the semifinals this Friday and Saturday.

No. 5 seeds North Babylon (5-4) and Sachem North (4-5) accounted for the two upsets. Their reward is a semi-final matchup with the No. 1 seeds in their respective divisions.

For North Babylon (5-4) that means a Friday night game against undefeated East Islip (9-0) in Division II. Meanwhile, Sachem North will travel to Mastic on Saturday for a noon kickoff with defending Suffolk Division I champion William Floyd.

This weekend’s schedule includes five Friday night games and three on Saturday. The winners will play the following week in four Suffolk championship games at Stony Brook University. At stake will be a chance to play for a Long Island title.

Of note, one-loss Division I teams, No. 2 Ward Melville (8-1) and No. 3 Longwood (8-1), will battle it out on Friday at 6 p.m. at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. On Saturday, No. 3 Smithtown West (8-1) plays at No. 2 Half Hollow Hills East (8-1) in a Division III semifinal at 1 p.m.

In a particularly compelling rematch from the regular season in Division IV, Babylon (8-1) will host Miller Place (7-2) on Friday at 6 p.m. The Panthers fell to Babylon 57-48 on Oct. 5 in a wild game in Babylon that showcased the best of both teams’ offenses.

Since getting shutout in their opener against Bayport-Blue Point (9-0), Miller Place has put up more than 40 points per game.

Below is the complete schedule for this week’s semifinal games.

_{Top photo: Miller Place started hungry and finished strong in its 36-12 first-round win over Shoreham-Wading River on Friday (Instagram/@mp_sports_and_performing_arts).}