High school football players and coaches from public schools across Suffolk County met the media Friday at the National Football Foundation’s Media Day at Ward Melville High School.

The purpose of the event was to promote high school football in Suffolk County and give players and coaches a chance to meet before the season starts on Sept. 5.

The participating teams included defending Long Island champions East Islip and Bayport-Blue Point and defending Suffolk County champions William Floyd and North Babylon.

Other teams included Patchogue-Medford High School, which is looking to improve after going winless last season, and Bellport High School, whose assistant coach Sean Chavious died unexpectedly last month at age 47.

Bellport head coach Jamie Fabian said that when the Clippers take the field this season, they’ll have Chavious in mind.

“We’re looking to play some inspired football this year,” said Fabian, who begins his seventh season as head coach. “He had high standards and high expectations, and the best way we can honor him is through our style of play.”

Pat-Med head coach Tom Piccirillo and his team are focused on getting some wins under their belt after going 0-8 last year.

“Last season was a rough one,” said Piccirillo, who begins his second season as head coach. “Our staff and players have been together for a year and the chemistry is unbelievable. We’re way ahead from where we were last season.”

Suffolk County is a hotbed of high school football talent. Several area players have gone on to play in the NFL, including most recently Eastport-South Manor’s Matt Goncalves, an offensive tackle with the Baltimore Colts, and JJ Laap, a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, who played at Ward Melville High School.

The media day was organized by the National Football Foundation’s James A. Metzger Suffolk County chapter.

It was an expansion on last year’s media day put together by Westhampton Beach head coach Bryan Schaumloffel, which included only teams from Division III.

“For the first year countywide, I think it went very well,” said NFF Suffolk County president Len Genova, who was an All-Ivy League offensive lineman at Columbia University. “Obviously, we want to improve, and we’ll ask the coaches for feedback. I have a couple of things I know we’re going to improve upon next year, but I’m super excited for how well it went this year. Most importantly, it gave the young men a chance to meet each other and bond before they get on the field when it’s super competitive.”

Genova said he’s benefited from having played high school football.

“I don’t think a day goes by that I haven’t drawn upon my experiences playing high school football,” said Genova, who played at St. Anthony’s High School. “The experiences I had, the discipline I learned, the ability to manage a problem and know that was the last down, let’s put it behind us and we have another opportunity to make a play—just that alone taught me enough to help me in life.”

In addition to media day, NFF’s Suffolk County chapter also organizes the annual Long Island Quarterback Challenge for football and flag football players, among other events.