Floyd's Ja'Quan Thomas, Farmingdale's Josh Kama running down same dream

The losses still sting. Championship losses and the disappointment that follows always do. They resonate beyond the normal impact of a regular-season defeat. 

But there’s always the possibility of winning the big one the following year. 

For Ja’Quan Thomas of Floyd and Josh Kama of Farmingdale — two of Long Island’s top running backs entering their senior seasons — those championship losses last year hit hard.

“Losing in the championship is the worst, especially for the senior class,” Thomas said. “There is no tomorrow. That’s why winning that final game, that LIC, is what we want to do. We want to leave the school with a win in our final game.”

Floyd dropped a 42-40 heartbreaker to Massapequa in the Long Island Class I title game last year at Hofstra.

That feeling is echoed 35 miles west of Floyd, where Nassau Conference I powerhouse Farmingdale plays.

The Dalers also lost in heartbreaking fashion when crosstown rival Massapequa converted on a two-point conversion pass for a wild 35-34 overtime win in the Conference I title game at Hofstra. 

In the span of two weeks, Massapequa crushed the championship dreams of both players.

Now they’re back.

And both understand what makes a team work.

“If the guys up front are doing the job, we’re winning games,” Kama said. “I’ll do my part. But this is about the team, not the individual.”

But that one individual can be a game-changer. Kama played in 10 games last season and rushed for 1,717 yards and 29 touchdowns.

His biggest games came under the brightest lights. He rushed for 376 yards against highly-regarded Oceanside and 313 yards and five touchdowns against Massapequa in the final. 

“We worked all offseason with one goal in mind and that’s to win it all,” Kama said. “We’re ready to take care of business. The offensive line has excellent chemistry and that’s a key. They look great.”

Kama is lucky to have five of the six offensive line starters back this year, including Jack McCarthy, Jordan Petzold, Jake Cunz, Aiden Thomas and Matteo Morales. And as a bonus, the Dalers return blocking back Jovens Theodate, who has also looked strong running the ball leading up to the season opener. 

“We have a lot of experience and guys that can really bring it up front,” Farmingdale coach Buddy Krumenacker said. “And Kama is a very physical kind of back. He runs angry.”

Thomas also noted that the key to winning the big games starts with his offensive line. He led Long Island in rushing and scoring last season. He rushed for 2,594 yards and 37 touchdowns. 

“We have some new faces on the offensive line but they’re really coming together and working well,” Thomas said. “We’re growing as a team.”

The road to a potential date in the Long Island Class I championship for Floyd and Farmingdale is blocked by traditionally strong playoff-bound programs. The hurdles for Farmingdale include a Massapequa program that will reload after the graduation of 17 starters from its title winning team. The Dalers will also meet Oceanside, which boasts one of Long Island’s top quarterbacks in Shane Harmon. The Dalers open the season at home against Syosset, another perennial playoff contender with talented quarterback Ethan Dizon, on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

“We must keep everyone healthy," said Krumenacker, whose team was without Kama for two playoff games last season because of an ankle injury. “We need him healthy. You can place all the adjectives on Josh. He has unbelievable strength, agility and balance but his greatest asset is his great vision. He has that jump-cut and can go sideways in a hurry and then turn it up field. It’s not easy to tackle him when he’s coming out of our spread formation in space.”

While Kama wreaks havoc in Nassau, Thomas is expected to do the same in Suffolk. He is a workhorse for the Colonials, posting at least 100 yards rushing in all 12 games last season. He had more than 200 yards in seven games and topped 300 yards twice.

“He’s one of the greatest backs to run in Suffolk,” Longo said. “He has a powerful forward lean and follows his blocks. We’ve had some great backs here in Floyd and I dare throw his name right in there with Stacey Bedell and Brock Jackolski.”

Both Bedell and Jackolski led the Colonials to Long Island championships. It’s something Thomas would like to earn.

But first, it's a Week 1 matchup at Sachem North on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.

“We’ll have to continue to improve all season,” Thomas said. “The biggest change in our team is the size and athleticism of our line. We’ll have a good test in our season opener." 

“I know we got the preseason top seed in the division,” Longo said. “But what does it really mean? We still must go out and beat the top teams like Sachem North, Longwood and Ward Melville.”

Floyd split two games with Ward Melville in 2024, losing 22-21 in the regular season and winning the playoff encounter, 34-6.

Ward Melville returns a wealth of talent, including one of Long Island’s top quarterbacks in junior Hudson Philbrick and 1,000-yard rusher Joe Benedetto.

“They have athletes all over the field,” Longo said. “The coaches have done a nice job, and they’ve become one of the elite programs.”

Farmingdale and Floyd know all about that. Both teams are committed to getting to the Long Island Class I title game. But there is a lot of work to do for Kama, Thomas and their respective teammates to realize that dream of winning the LIC. 

Let's see if they run into each other in a couple of months under Long Island's brightest lights. We'll be watching.