The William Floyd Colonials football program received multiple awards at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association annual dinner held on December 8 at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge. Student-athletes from William Floyd won several top honors, including the Carl A. Hansen Award, Joe Cipp Jr. Award, Bob Zellner Award, and the Bryan Collins Award. These accolades recognize achievements such as top overall player, best running back, best offensive lineman, and best defensive lineman in Suffolk County for the 2025 season.
Senior running back Ja’Quan Thomas was awarded both the Carl A. Hansen Award and the Joe Cipp Jr. Award. The Hansen Award is given to the most outstanding player in Suffolk County. Thomas led the league with 2,082 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns this season, set a school record for career points with 438, and tied for most career touchdowns at William Floyd with 72. Over his high school career, he accumulated nearly 5,000 rushing yards and scored in every game he played.
Thomas also shared the Joe Cipp Jr. Award with Aidan Winter of Babylon, marking his second consecutive year receiving this honor for best running back in Suffolk County. He surpassed 2,000 rushing yards for a second straight season after posting nearly 2,600 yards as a junior.
Coach Paul Longo commented to Newsday: “He has great vision and tremendous balance. He can run away from people but likes to go through them. He would be gang-tackled and pop out of a pile and run for a long TD. We’d be amazed: ‘How did he do that?’”
Senior right tackle Jeru Hall earned the Bob Zellner Award as Suffolk County’s top offensive lineman. Hall was recognized as an anchor of William Floyd’s offensive line that supported Thomas’s success on the field and contributed to an average of 31 points per game during regular season and playoffs.
Coach Longo described Hall to Newsday as a “dominant right offensive tackle” and “tough player,” noting his suitability for the award.
Junior Jake Rivera received the inaugural Bryan Collins Award as Suffolk County’s top defensive lineman after recording 71 tackles (18 for loss), 13 sacks, and one fumble recovery over his second varsity season.
Head coach Paul Longo secured his tenth consecutive Division I Coach of the Year honor—his nineteenth overall—after leading William Floyd to an overall record of 10-1 (8-0 regular season) and another appearance in the Suffolk County Championship game.
Longo has led William Floyd football for 31 years, guiding teams to 21 county title games with 15 wins and five Long Island championships during his tenure.
Five student-athletes were named All-County: Ja’Quan Thomas, Jeru Hall, Jayden Johnson, Joe Melecio, and Jake Rivera.
Coach Longo is inducted into both the William Floyd Athletic Hall of Fame (2019) and Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame (2022).