North Babylon football's Jovan Greenhill leads Team Long Island in Rising Stars Bowl against NYC
Long Island's Jovan Greenhill of North Babylon celebrates his touchdown in the second quarter of the Rising Stars Football Bowl against NYC at LIU on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Greenvale. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
A high school football game in May?
That’s exactly what took place at Long Island University on Saturday.
Some of the top junior football players from Long Island took on New York City in the third annual Rising Stars Bowl.
“This is an opportunity for guys to get exposure,” said Diondre McFadden, founder of the Rising Stars Bowl. “I wanted to help kids with recruitment and that’s why we did this game and it’s been working out these last few years with kids getting offers.”
Team Long Island fell short to Team New York City, 21-13.
North Babylon’s Jovan Greenhill led Team Long Island with 154 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Christian Jean-Francois of Kellenberg earned offensive lineman of the game. Jason Clark of Westbury received defensive lineman of the game, and Justin DePietro of Carey was named defensive player of the game.
“It was amazing to build bonds with other guys from Long Island,” DePietro said. “It meant a lot to represent Long Island and to showcase my skills in front of these coaches. To play with guys who are now my brothers is awesome.”
A crowd of over 1,800 people gathered at LIU, including 27 college coaches in attendance. There was an underclassmen showcase before the game. The Rising Stars Bowl also featured a cheerleading competition at halftime with schools from New York City, along with a marching band and a DJ.
On the first play from scrimmage, Lindenhurst’s Mikey Russo found Greenhill for a 66-yard gain. Four plays later, South Side’s AJ Magaraci scored on a 9-yard rushing touchdown with 10:41 left in the first quarter.
Team NYC took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
The same duo then delivered for Team Long Island. Russo connected with Greenhill for an 81-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to one with 1:28 left in the second quarter.
“It was a great experience, and everyone meshed together well,” Greenhill said. “It felt really good to do well in front of college coaches.”
The third quarter was scoreless. In the final frame, Isaiah Smith of Christ the King scored a 6-yard touchdown to give Team NYC an eight-point lead with 3:24 remaining.
Brody Riedel of Long Beach ripped off a 39-yard run on the next play from scrimmage. Team Long Island then turned it over on downs with just over a minute left, and NYC sealed the win.
The series record is now 2-1 in favor of Team New York City.
