It’s kickoff time for North Shore football

Are you ready for some Nassau County high school football?

A six-week regular season kicks off Friday night with three games, including Oyster Bay at Carle Place and Glen Cove at Hewlett, while 46 additional teams will be in action this Saturday for the first time since the fall of 2019.

Only the top four finishers in each of the four conferences will advance to the playoffs. Here’s is a rundown of the four north shore teams in the Herald’s coverage area. For schedules, visit www.secviii.org.

Glen Cove Big Red

Glen Cove has its work cut out as the bottom seed in Conference II. Senior linebacker/O-lineman Phil Aguilar is an outstanding three-sport athlete who led the team in tackles in 2019 with 40. Coach Steve Tripp said senior Darren Bonet is moving from running back to quarterback while remaining at safety on the defensive side. Senior David Milanese is a slot receiver/cornerback, while juniors Gio White (wideout/safety) and Andrew Guster (O-lineman/linebacker) assume larger roles.

Following the opener at Hewlett, the Big Red schedule includes Division, Valley Stream North, Mineola, Roosevelt and Valley Stream South.

Locust Valley Falcons

Seeded fourth in Conference IV, the Falcons boast no shortage of starpower and they’ll look to challenge defending champion Seaford and newcomers Wantagh and North Shore for top billing. Coach Casey Neilly features three returning All-County performers – senior running back/safety Ben Ferrara (15 touchdowns in 2019), senior defensive end Sean Murphy (conference-leading 8 sacks) and senior linebacker Luke Paniagua (100 tackles.) There’s also senior wideout/cornerback Logan Liatonio.

The Falcons will take on Wantagh, West Hempstead, Seaford, Clarke, East Rockaway and North Shore.

North Shore Vikings

The Vikings come off a trip to the Conference III semifinals and will try to do the same against a new set of rivals in IV. The status of senior slot receiver/free safety Jack Ledden (7 touchdowns in 2019) is up in the air but coach Dan Agovino has senior All-Conference fullback/defensive end Aiden Mandell, senior All-Conference linebacker/O-lineman Lorenzo Racine, who had 40 tackles and 8 sacks, and senior tailback/linebacker Phil La Rosa.

North Shore faces Seaford, Carle Place, Wantagh, Cold Spring Harbor, Lawrence and Locust Valley.

Oyster Bay Baymen

The Baymen, coached by Dan Rudkowski and seeded No. 13 in Conference IV, are spearheaded by senior All-Conference slot receiver/safety Zacchary Hornosky, who found the end zone 7 times in 2019. Junior Michael Barbera takes over as the starting quarterback and plays linebacker. Senior Aidan Russo is a two-way lineman, and senior Moises Maldonado will line up as a fullback and tight end on offense and at defensive end.

Following the opener at Carle Place, the Baymen’s schedule includes Friends Academy, Island Trees, East Rockaway, Cold Spring Harbor and Malverne.