Paul Longo, set to make Shoreham-Wading River debut, is rebuilding football program after legendary career at Floyd
Former Floyd head football coach Paul Longo is now the head coach at Shoreham-Wading River. Credit: James Escher
While football programs around Long Island continue to grapple with low participation, one is making quite a comeback.
The Shoreham-Wading River football program has nearly doubled its numbers in participation over the past year. The reason? The arrival of legendary coach Paul Longo.
Longo took over a program that had 32 players and did not field a junior varsity program last year. Since Longo’s arrival and effort to scour the halls and physical education classes, the total number has grown to 52 players.
“We will have a varsity and a junior varsity this fall,” Longo said. “It’s important to get that feeder system operational.”
Longo, who resigned as Floyd's coach in December, is turning heads and making believers out of colleagues in Shoreham.
“Coach Longo knows how to build a program from the ground floor,” Shoreham-Wading River wrestling coach Joe Condon said. “He’s done a great job recruiting athletes from the middle school and the high school. He’s a great coach that connects to the kids. He also understands that it’s a process, not an overnight shift.”
When Longo took over the varsity program at Floyd in 1995, the Colonials had never won a playoff game. Longo went on to lead Floyd to 15 Suffolk Division I titles, the most in county history. He also led them to five Long Island Class I championships. He accepted the head coaching job at Shoreham in February and immediately went to work.
Longo, 69, is a retired teacher and has spent the past several months trying to recruit more athletes from other sports to play football.
“I was going into physical education classes at the high school and visiting the middle school,” said Longo, who had 253 career wins in 31 years at Floyd. “I was really trying to build it up and change the culture, change the way students looked at the football program. I talked to prospective young players and told them I wanted them working out in the offseason and being committed to the weight room to get stronger – and that can be difficult. No one said it was going to be easy and it’s not. It’s going to take a lot of work by a lot of people.”
In the past week, both Amityville and Port Jefferson were forced to cancel their varsity programs because of a lack of players. Both teams have first-year coaches trying to rebuild their teams.
Amityville coach Paul Mastronardi took over a program that has had 12 straight losing seasons. The Tide will have a junior varsity team, and Mastronardi hopes to have a varsity team next season.
Port Jefferson coach CJ Perrino inherited a team that went 1-16 over the past two seasons and did not have a junior varsity team last year.
Shoreham-Wading River won three straight Long Island Class IV championships from 2014-16 and another in 2019. But in the recent past, the program had fallen on hard times and started to see a steady decline in participation numbers.
The Wildcats were 7-11 in the past two years. The school dropped the junior varsity program in 2024 and moved younger athletes into the varsity program.
“You see what’s happening around football,” said Condon, who teaches physical education at Brentwood and has served as the head wrestling coach for the past 20 years in Shoreham. “The arrival of Longo is breathing life into our program. And the more kids playing multiple sports at Shoreham, the better. I know he’s encouraged his players to join the wrestling team. And I like when athletes play different sports. I’m doing everything I can to support him. He’s an icon and cares about the kids and I love that he promotes multi-sport athletes.”
Longo said he is also a fan of the three-sport athlete and projects that feeling to prospective players.
“I want them to know how one sport can help in another,” he said. “Our varsity boys lacrosse coach Mike Taylor has been very supportive, and he coaches our middle school football team. Some of our best athletes are lacrosse players. They’re difference makers.”
One of those is fleet-footed junior quarterback Noah Gregorek, who is also an outstanding lacrosse player.
“Coach Longo has had a real positive impact on the program,” Gregorek said at the National Football Foundation media day. “The guys are responding to his leadership. You can see the difference when he walks on the field. Everyone likes him and the message he brings.”
Longo said he knows there’s excitement around the program but is cautious.
“I know everyone is fired up but I just hope the community gives us time and understands the process,” he said. “It’s not an overnight rebuild. But it’s going to happen the same way it did at Floyd. We’re going to be in that upper echelon of Division IV again.”
Longo said the opening schedule is challenging but the Wildcats need to compete and not be discouraged.
The Wildcats open against divisional powerhouse Babylon at a neutral site at Rocky Point High School on Friday at 6 p.m. They meet Wyandanch in week two, and then reel off games against three perennial playoff contenders in Glenn, Mount Sinai and Sayville, the defending Long Island Class III champion.
“How’s that for a hearty welcome to Division IV,” Longo laughed. “It’s a very tough schedule. But I’m proud of my guys as they’re really putting in the work. These seniors are showing me so much heart and pride, and I got love for that.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
