14 years ago there was nothing for advanced opportunities in football for young football players. There was an array of travel and competitive options for kids in Lacrosse, Soccer, Baseball, and other sports, but nothing for football. You could travel to Pennsylvania and New Jersey for programs like Football University, but there was nothing in Long Island.
Long Island Elite Football was born and gave kids who choose football first an option to develop their skills and compete at a level that far superseded fall town ball. The program naturally attracted all of the passionate young football players, their families, and most experienced coaches in the region. People said “it’s crazy”, “too intense for 7 year olds”, “too competitive”, “too expensive” and other nonsense. Interestingly it went against the double standard of Lacrosse, Soccer, and Baseball that charge $3,000-$5,000k a year for Box Lacrosse, Futsal and other skill-building activities. Those similar programs in Lacrosse, Soccer, and Baseball travel to Annapolis Maryland, Richmond Virginia, and Cooperstown at 7 years old. They also have numerous success stories because of the development at a young age.
Long Island Elite Football provided similar opportunities for young kids in football. The single biggest strength of the Long Island Elite National Team program was the combined energy and like-mindedness of the people. These were kids who chose football as their favorite and primary sport, coaches from college and NFL backgrounds, and families that were unconditionally supportive and willing to travel wherever the sport would take them. The people of the new program were also patriotic Americans deeply committed to good character values and raising good men.
Fast forward and the Long Island Elite Football shield is recognized as a symbol of excellence across the country from the youth level, at nationally ranked high schools like IMG Academy, St Frances Prep, Dematha, Delbarton, Bergen Catholic, Grayson, American Heritage, St Thomas Acquinas, Bishop Gorman, St Thomas More, and many others. The Red, White, and Blue shield is also recognized now in the ACC, BIG TEN, AND SEC!
The sole purpose of the program is the same as it was 14 years ago. It’s not a recreation program, there’s no trophy chasing, and there’s no daddy ball.
The sole purpose of the Long Island Elite National Team program is to prepare kids for the highest level of high school & college football, educate them on recruiting, NIL, & character development, and to raise the level of Long Island, NY Football overall in the entire region.
Thousands of players have come through the program and over 100 have gone on to play college football, some having been involved since they were 5 years old. Many of the players on our alum page have achieved unprecedented success.
The majority of Public and Private High School coaches who understand our program have been very supportive of it. They embrace the preparation we put in before handing off players to them. Compared to their counterparts, coaches know when one of our players enter 9th grade at their school they:
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- Are polite, respectful well mannered gentlemen with hard work ethics.
- Have high football IQ’s and understand advanced schemes.
- Have refined position skill-sets .
- Have been hardened by a national travel schedule and going against top players around the country.
- Are more educated on the modern process of recruiting and NIL than 99% of adults and players in the region.
- Have a vast support network that will follow them through college.
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We receive a ton of praise from High School coaches for what we are doing. Raising the level of Long Island, NY football took a very long time, but there are signs of success everywhere. It is not only because of the efforts of LIE495, it is more about the movement and drive that the program created, and the never before seen levels of football collaboration from youth through high school. The combined ideologies, processes, and like-mindedness of so many players, coaches, and families has raised the tide!
In 14 years we have only heard of a couple high school coaches not fond of LIE495. They are the same coaches running schemes from the 1980’s, they only care about what’s going on under their roof, and they thrive on selfishness and local politics. They do not understand the modern age of youth football development and recruiting. Decades ago for example the most athletic kid at the park played quarterback. Those days are long gone. Kids are training with specialized trainers from 7 years old. One can easily spot a 7 year old for example that has trained with James Brady just by looking at his footwork and the way he moves compared to a kid that has never done any training.
The best high school coaches in Long Island work from an abundance mindset. They are 100% focused on their program, they don’t knock youth football or private trainers, and they don’t lose kids to private schools. These type of coaches are passionate about the sport and often help kids across the region not just in their own town. They understand the positive impact of the Long Island Elite National Team program and the many trainers who help develop kids for success at the higher levels.
Here are some young freshmen & sophomore Long Island Elite National Team players from just this past 2025 season that played Varsity from day 1 or were pulled up to Varsity at some point during the season:
Long Island Elite National Team 2025 High School Honor Roll:
8TH GRADER Knox Mellert, Freshman QB, Long Island Lutheran HS
Stephen Martines, Freshman WR, Centereach HS
Mike DeCicco, Freshman, Miller Place HS
Max McElhone, Freshman WR, Port Washington HS
Harrison Kashetta, Freshman, St Anthony’s HS
Tony Keahey, Sophomore, Half Hollow Hills East HS
Ray Gonzalez, Freshman, Patchogue Medford HS
Jordan Cruz, Sophomore,
Jair Rashid, Freshman DB, Long Island Lutheran HS
Jack Kugler, Freshman WR, Hauppauge HS
Giussepe Calabrese, Freshman WR, Hauppauge HS
Nolan Tenety, Sophomore, Center Moriches HS
Dylan Tuthill, Sophomore, Northport HS
Christian Bordeaux, Sophomore, St Anthony’s HS
Brayden Wood, Freshman, St Anthony’s HS
Anthony Tsiolis, Freshman, St Anthony’s HS
Jabari Muhammad, Freshman, St Anthony’s HS
Jayden Bryan, Sophomore, Half Hollow Hills East HS
Shay Sykes, Sophomore, Chaminade HS
Michai Crump, Sophomore, Half Hollow Hills East HS
Christian Monfiletto, Freshman, Ward Melville HS
Mark Rutledge, Walt Whitman, HS
Lamier Lamorissiere, Sophomore, South Shore HS
Martin Koppelman, Sophomore, Eagle Academy HS
Joe Devita, Sophomore, Chaminade HS
LJ DePaul, Sophomore, Ward Melville
Vincent Banculli, Sophomore, Half Hollow Hills East HS
Jack Cromeyn, Sophomore, Northport HS
Vincent Amato, Sophomore, Comswogue HS
If you know of a Long Island Elite National Team player who played Varsity as an 8th grader, freshman, or sophomore, let us know and we’ll update our list!