By Ashley Pavlakis
Cover credit – Tim Butler Photography
Second to baseball, football is considered to be one of America’s favorite pastimes. The game has since evolved from having similarities to soccer and rugby to a more modern style of play. High school football is a household sport during the adolescent years. On Long Island, the Sayville Golden Flashes have been on a hot streak to start their 2024 season.
The Golden Flashes are led by head coach Reade Sands, the longtime head coach who has been coaching at Sayville High School for twenty-one years. Sands served fourteen as an assistant, and eight as the head coach when he got promoted in 2017. Coaching alongside Sands are assistant coaches Robert Hoss and James Knote.
Coach Sands has his team off to a solid start, remaining undefeated with four wins. This puts Sayville in second place in the Division III standings in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). The varsity team has had success in the past, having been crowned champions seven times since 1998.
“I think we’re doing a really good job; we have to improve, and we have to [improve] every week. We have a bunch of talented kids on the team, we’re trying to get the young kids up to par so they can rotate in. I’d rather not have as many two-way starters as we do right now. That’s what happens at a small school,” said Sands.
On the Golden Flashes’ forty-three-player roster, there are thirty-seven upperclassmen and five lowerclassmen. The team is heavily made up of seniors, which means graduation is around the corner. For some of those seniors, college football may be on the horizon after they’re finished wearing the purple and gold.
“We have a number of kids that are going to go on to the next level. My son, Mikey Sands, is committed to Franklin & Marshall to play football,” said Sands. “Kyle Messina is not committed yet, but he will be. He’s been getting looks from a bunch of Ivy League schools like Columbia, Brown, and Dartmouth. Dylan Kent is looking at the Coast Guard. There’s a number of kids that are going to be playing.
Sands takes pride in the fact that some of his players will be competing at the next level.
“Absolutely, I like the fact that they enjoy it. Going forward as a head coach you always want to know a kid enjoyed being around the team and the coaches. If they play at the next level that means something got instilled in them,” said Sands.
Sands offered some advice to those who are looking to play high school football.
“It’s definitely a great experience, if you look at it as a grind you’re not going to have a good time. If you look at it as a life experience, then you’re going to have lifelong friends. It’s definitely something that’s worthwhile for them,” Sands told the Messenger. “You have to really love the game and love the people that you’re around to play football because it is a long season sometimes. Kids [sometimes] get a little upset in the middle of the season, or they get tired, so the motivation factor is huge in high school football and college football too.”
