Liam Cronin said it best. The senior middle linebacker for host Ward Melville said the season opener against rugged Longwood would be a statement game. It was.

Ward Melville and Longwood ushered in the 2025 Suffolk Division I football season in grand style. On military appreciation night, the Patriots honored war veterans and military personnel at midfield before Owen Salemi (Ward Melville Class of 2038) flipped the first coin toss of the 2025 season.

On a beautiful Friday night under the bright lights in East Setauket, two of the top three seeds in Division I played to a packed house of more than 3,000 fans.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first four minutes before kick returner Joey Karpowicz electrified the crowd with the go-ahead 87-yard return for a touchdown as Ward Melville sc

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