Freeport Red Devils

FREEPORT

Red Devils ranked among title contenders

By ANDREW COEN

After returning to the playoffs last season, Freeport is seeking a return to championship contention this fall. A season removed from missing the postseason with a limited roster, Freeport achieved the fi fth seed with a 4-4 record before narrowly falling in the quarterfi nal round of the playoffs to Farmingdale, 21-20. The Red Devils enter the 2022 campaign as the third seed in Conference I. “We got better as the season went on,” said longtime Freeport head coach Russ Cellan. “We should hit the ground running this year.” The Red Devils return most skilled position players from last year including junior quarterback D’Angelo Gordon, who made strides as a sophomore with AllCounty honors after starting under center during an abridged freshman season played in the spring of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gordon displayed his versatility as an athlete last year when he rushed for 150 yards and completed 5-of-9 passes for 111 yards in a 42-14 win against Uniondale. Senior running back Martese Davenport will anchor the backfi eld after rushing for nine touchdowns and receiving All-Conference accolades as a junior. Nazair Jean-Lubin, also a senior, will provide experience at wide receiver after hauling in 40 receptions with fi ve touchdowns a season ago. Sophomore Jayden Gordon and senior Jaheem Clenant also return as starting wide receivers. Senior Yvan Neas will split time between the slot receiver, tight end and h-back positions. “He moves around a bit and he’s also going to be one of our linebackers,” said Cellan of the 6-foot-2 Neas. “He’s a good athlete.” The offensive line will also be entirely new this fall with junior Jonthan Meza the lone returning starter. Meza played tackle last season, but has enough versatility to move to guard or center if needed. Meza will also be a major force on defense as starting defensive end. A big strength of Freeport’s defense will be in the secondary with Jayden Gordon at cornerback and his brother D’Angelo at free safety. The other cornerback spot could be fi lled by Davenport or senior Javon Edwards. On special teams, Freeport will have a big void to fi ll after the graduation of Dillon DeBourg, who handled kicking and punting duties the last two years. Entering preseason Cellan was still someone who can handle either punts, kickoffs or fi eld goals and said it is possible the team may try for more two-point conversions. As the three seed, Freeport will tackle a challenging schedule that includes a Friday night home game against two-time defending Conference I champion Massapequa at 6 p.m. The schedule is also highlighted by a Oct. 7 road game at second-seeded Farmingdale and home game versus Oceanside in the regular season fi nale on Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. Freeport’s roster size has creeped up since losing a number of players during the pandemicplagued spring 2021 season when the Red Devils went 1-4 and was in the high 30s entering preseason practices. While an improvement over the last couple seasons, Cellan said it is far cry from the high 40s he saw during the 2019 season and is on the low side for a Conference I school. The 2019 season when Freeport went unbeaten and captured a Long Island Class A title was the last time the program appeared on the big stage at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium in the playoffs. While the goal is to end up at Hofstra and beyond, Cellan said his team isn’t looking that far ahead. “We tell that stuff will all work itself out and just concentrate on this week,” he said. “Always take care of the week ahead and that stuff will all work itself out.”

a Conference I school. The 2019 season when Freeport went unbeaten and captured a Long Island Class A title was the last time the program appeared on the big stage at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium in the playoffs. While the goal is to end up at Hofstra and beyond, Cellan said his team isn’t looking that far ahead. “We tell that stuff will all work itself out and just concentrate on this week,” he said. “Always take care of the week ahead and that stuff will all work itself out.”

JONATHAN MEZA

D’Angelo Gordon

MARTESE DAVENPORT

Schedule

September 9 Port Washington 6:00 p.m. 17 @ East Meadow 2:00 p.m. 23 Massapequa 6:00 p.m. October 1 @ Hempstead 3:00 p.m. 7 @ Farmingdale 6:30 p.m. 15 Syosset 2:00 p.m. 22 @ Baldwin 2:00 p.m. 28 Oceanside 6:00 p.m.