Massapequa Coach Shippos Eyes State Championship After Historic Win
Following the snapping of Garden City's 68-game win streak, Massapequa's head football coach advocates for more cross-conference play to elevate Long Island football.
Massapequa head football coach Kevin Shippos believes that scheduling competitive nonconference games, like the recent contest against Garden City, is beneficial for high school sports.
Shippos's Massapequa team ended Garden City's nation-leading 68-game winning streak with a 21-14 victory on Monday night at Hofstra University. The highly anticipated game drew nearly 6,000 spectators.
"To me, high school sports is about putting your kids at the highest level," Shippos stated after the game. He emphasized that these types of matchups push athletes to their peak performance.
This game was a prominent example of a new rule change in Section VIII, which allows top Nassau County teams from different divisions to compete against each other. Several other well-received early-season matchups between teams of varying levels have occurred as a result of this change.
Massapequa is currently on a 26-game winning streak. Shippos expressed his desire for these crossover games to potentially influence a broader change in the Long Island public school football playoff system. Currently, the championship is limited to a matchup between the best Nassau and Suffolk County teams. Shippos hopes for a future where Long Island teams can compete for a state championship against the best teams across New York State.
"I’d like to see it lead to us participating in the state championship one day," Shippos told The Post. "That’s a dream come true for these kids. Who wouldn’t want to play for a state championship?"
