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Ward Melville Girls Swimming Team Caps Off Its Season with More Silverware

by David Luces - December 6, 2019

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three-village-girls-swimming-team — From left, Jessica Chen, Isabel Xu, Riley Gavin, Kaitlyn Ehlers and Hannah Lin from Ward Melville’s girls swimming team competed in state championships in November. Photo from Riley Gavin

The Ward Melville girls swimming team has a storied history in Long Island high school sports, at one point winning 23 straight years county championships. The 2019-20 team capped off another successful season by securing another league and county crown for the school.

Chris Gordon, head coach of the swimming team for 26 years, couldn’t have been prouder of how the team did this season.

“The team has done a great job this season, the mix of the team was really good … we had some young swimmers and some with a lot of experience,” he said.

The head coach said he was unsure how the season would play out as they lost some important swimmers to graduation. He pointed to their league victory against Northport as a turning point in their season.

“They are always stepping up at the biggest meets, all the credit goes to them,” Gordon said.

He also credited the Three Village Swim Club for helping in the development of the swimmers as many of them go there for additional practice outside of school.

After winning the county championship Nov. 9, Ward Melville went on to compete in states. Riley Gavin, Hannah Lin, Jessica Chen and Kaitlyn Ehlers competed in the 200 medley as well as the 400 free relay along with Isabel Xu. Gavin also qualified and competed in the 200 individual medley and the 100 back. She went on to finish in the top 10 in all her events.

Gavin, senior captain, who will continue her swimming career at the U.S. Naval Academy said the nine-member team finished the season on a strong note.

“There were a lot of unknowns going into this season,” she said. “I think this was arguably one of the best seasons we’ve had in the four years I’ve been on the team.”

Gavin said they kept improving throughout the season and in turn grew closer with each other. She thinks the team has potential to be even better next season.

“It is bittersweet,” Gavin said. “I remember when I was a freshman it was always tough to say goodbye to the seniors back then. Two freshmen [Lin and Xu] came to states with us, I thought it was a good experience for them … I think they have the potential to win counties again and compete for states.”

Bulls Boys Basketball Bests Blue Devils

by Bill Landon - December 6, 2019

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Huntington’s boys basketball team trailed by two after the first eight minutes of play but then the Bulls of Smithtown East dropped the hammer and outscored the Blue Devils by 28 points to put the game away 66-36 in a non-league matchup at home, Dec. 5. Zac Chandler had the hot hand for Smithtown East draining four triples, three field goals andthree3 points from the line to lead his team with 21 points. Jared Borner followed with 12 points and Nick Lardaro added 11.

Huntington seniors Omari Stephen and Daniel Danziger topped the scoring chart for the Blue Devils with 10 points apiece. Huntington has another non-league game at Cold Spring Harbor Dec. 10 before they open league Dec. 12 when they host Harbor Hills East. Game time is 5:45 p.m.

Smithtown East will host Roslyn Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. before their league opener Dec. 12 at home against East Islip. Tipoff is 4 p.m.

Wildcats Pummel Seaford 49-7 in LIC

by Bill Landon - December 2, 2019

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Xavier Arline breaks free for one of his 4 touchdowns in a Shoreham Wading River rout of Seaford in the Long Island Championship game Nov. 30. Bill Landon photo

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The Wildcats of Shoreham-Wading River’s football team have been sprinting towards success for the past six years, and now this year’s Long Island Championship adds another tally to their streak.

SWR senior quarterback Xavier Arline did what he’s done all season long leading his team to victory where the Wildcats pummeled Seaford 49-7 in the D-IV championship game at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium Nov. 30.

Arline ran for four touchdowns in the game with carries of six yards, 54 yards, 64 yards and 67 yards, while throwing a pair of touchdown passes to tight-end Jake Wilson and senior running-back Mike Casazza. Seaford managed to find the end-zone with 29 seconds left as the Wildcats claimed their 4th Long Island Championship trophy in six years.

Rocky Point Eagles Basketball Best Cougars 56-41

by Bill Landon - December 2, 2019

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Rocky Point senior Gavin Davanzo drives by a defender in a non-league matchup Nov. 29. Photo by Bill Landon

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Rocky Point struck first and often in their 2nd non-league game of the pre-season against visiting Centereach, besting the Cougars 56-41 at home Nov. 29. The Eagles hit the road for another non-League contest against Comsewogue Dec. 4 with a 5:45 p.m. start, before their home opening league debut against Hauppauge Dec. 6. Game time is 6 p.m.

Centereach will play Ward Melville at home Dec. 3 and travel to Commack two days later for a pair of non-league starts, with both game tip off at 5:45 p.m. They will conclude its pre-season when it travels to Sachem East Dec. 10 for a 6:15 p.m. start. League play for the Cougars begins on Dec. 17 with their home opener against Smithtown West. Game time is 6 p.m.

Around 750 Take Part in Frigid Plunge for Special Olympic Athletes

by Kyle Barr - November 25, 2019

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Individuals and groups dived into frigid waters last Nov. 23 for the 10th annual Brookhaven Polar Plunge. Photo by Kyle Barr

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The icebox temperature of the coastal waters of Long Island Sound keep most away from any bathing activities, but on Nov. 23 the Suffolk County police and other volunteers could barely contain the crowd who rushed in wave after wave to bathe themselves in the frigid Sound off Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai.

Close to 750 participants joined in the 10th annual Town of Brookhaven Polar Plunge, raising a projected $150,000 for the Special Olympics. Diane Colonna, the regional vice president of development for Special Olympics New York, said it costs about $400 to provide training and to sponsor one athlete per season, though many train and compete over multiple seasons.

“Most people are not really into jumping into freezing cold waters, but people are doing it — they’re doing it for our athletes,” Colonna said. “What’s really cool is our athletes are doing it as well, and it’s something they can do together.”

She added that the number of participants has been relatively steady over the past several years and is one of the biggest fundraising events for the Special Olympics in New York.

“Our athletes live to the extreme every day in showing they are part of things and want to be included,” she said.

Plungers participated alone or in teams, with some raising several thousand dollars. Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) along with the team Frozen Eagles have raised $2,555 so far. The Port Jefferson High School Varsity Club announced it had 70 students intending to participate in this year’s event, which is about 25 percent of the total population of grades 9 through 12. By the end, the group raised over $11,000, according to club co-adviser Deirdre Filippi, and that donation will help to sponsor approximately 27 athletes.

“We are incredibly proud of our student athletes and their efforts,” Filippi said. “It truly was a rewarding experience for all.”

Wildcats Win Div. IV Suffolk County Championship

by Bill Landon - November 25, 2019

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Shoreham-Wading-River-Mount-Sinai-football-county-final-112419-Joseph-Spallina-Landon-WJL_2608 — Mount Sinai sophomore Joseph Spallina powers his way out of the back field against the Wildcats in the D-IV county finals at Stony Brook Nov. 24, 2019. Bill Landon photo

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Shoreham-Wading River looked to avenge their only loss of the season back in week five to the Mustangs of Mount Sinai in the Suffolk County D-IV championship game Nov. 24. Avenge it they did, handing Mount Sinai their first and only loss of their season in a 35-14 victory at Stony Brook’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium to punch their way into the Long Island Championship round.

Despite leading 14-13 with two minutes left in the opening half an unsportsmanlike penalty extinguished the Mustang drive, and it was all SWR in the 2^nd half with Xavier Arline leading the way with 26 carries covering 195 yards.

It was the Wildcats fifth Suffolk County title, and the team will face Seaford Nov. 30 at Hofstra University at 12 p.m. for the Long Island crown.

SWR Girls Soccer Stamp Off First-Time State Champ Win

by Kyle Barr - November 21, 2019

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Shoreham-Wading-River-Glenn-soccer-102419-celebrate-Landon-WJL_4269 — The Shoreham-Wading River girls soccer team won its first state championship Nov.17. File photo by Bill Landon

The Shoreham-Wading River girls soccer team broke new ground Sunday, Nov. 17, as it came ahead of Spencerport in the Class A final, culminating an effort that has included years and years of hard work.

The Wildcats came ahead of the other leading teams during games upstate at the SUNY Cortland campus. Head coach Adrian Gilmore said the game on Saturday started late in the evening, and while Long Islanders complained about the weekend cold, the SWR girls upstate played in temperatures well below freezing, with two games back to back Saturday and Sunday, first in the semifinals against Jamesville-Dewitt winning 1-0, and then against Spencerport with a 2-0 victory. Through it all, they had only the heat of the moment and their individual drive to warm them. The team returned to Shoreham late at night with a Suffolk County police escort, making them the first Wildcats soccer team to make state champs.

“We didn’t feel the cold, we were so excited,” Gilmore said.

“We didn’t feel the cold, we were so excited.”

– Adrian Gilmore

The team has previously won eight league championships, won the county final four times, one Long Island championship and earned three Suffolk County crowns, according to the head coach.

She said it was the girls “offensive weapons” that won them the day. The only goal on Saturday was scored early by junior striker Ashley Borriello, who also scored the Sunday game’s second goal after a Spencerport corner kick, with the goalie stranded upfield. Sophomore defensive Maddy Joannou rushed after the kick — the coach saying she had been angry the kick was awarded in the first place — and passed it to Borriello for a 60-yard shot into an unattended net. Elizabeth Shields scored the first goal.

Borriello ends her season with 20 goals in total, according to her coach, a great mark considering the team scored a total of 40 goals.

A few days after the state championship win, Gilmore had many of her team to compliment. She called senior midfielder Gianna Cacciola “the heart and hustle of the team,” with her drive to run down field to assist on a goal with the same passion to run back and break up a defensive play. She was named MVP of the tournament and is an all-county soccer player.

Junior midfielder/defender Lydia Radonavitch was called a “huge asset” by her coach. Senior Sara Hobbes and other members of the defensive team, including junior Brooke Langella, who was “willing to throw her body in front of everything,” and senior keeper Alison Devall, who let in only nine goals throughout the season. The goalkeeper was party to 14 shutouts throughout the 2019 season.

The season started as an uphill battle before turning into total success. The team was defeated by Northport, 1-0, in its first game. The Wildcats won the first divisional game at Kings Park, 1-0, later taking a 2-1 loss to Half Hollow Hills West, then going on a 13-game unbeaten streak. The Wildcats knocked out West Babylon, Hauppauge and Harborfields at the county level, and won the Long Island championship against MacArthur, 2-1.

Though the season ends on a high note, the varsity soccer team will be losing many of its heavy hitters come graduation, six in total. This includes Cacciola, Devall and Hobbes. Gilmore said many of the juniors have made strong impressions and she expects several of them on the team to rise to the occasion and become team captains next season.

Though the team will have enforced changes next year, at least they have made a milestone. Around Halloween, Gilmore said she was in the high school gym and saw an empty space above the girls locker-room door in between banners of football and lacrosse state wins. She sent a picture of the empty space to all her players, circling it to let them know it was their team next.

After the win, the coach said, junior midfielder Lakin Ciampo shouted out for all to hear, “Yes, our picture will finally go up in the gym.”

Kings Park Finishes Its Season with County Title

by Kyle Barr - November 20, 2019

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Kings Park girls volleyball took the first set 25-19 against South Side in the Class A regional finals Nov. 16 at Hauppauge High School. But the Cyclones showed why they’re the Nassau County champions when they rallied back to win the next three sets 25-20, 25-19 and 25-14 to take the Long Island Championship to SUNY Cortland for the state finals Nov. 23 to 24. The loss dealt Kings Park its only loss of the year to finish its season 13-1.

Mustangs Outpace Babylon, Punch County Championship Ticket

by Kyle Barr - November 18, 2019

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Mount-Sinai-Babylon-football-playoff-semi-final-111519-Brandon-Ventarola-Landon-WJL_1389 — Quarterback Brandon Ventarola in traffic in the Mustangs semi-final playoff win against Babylon Nov. 15. Bill Landon photo

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The No. 1 seeded Mustangs of Mount Sinai outran Babylon, the No. 4 seed, in the Division IV semi-final round overwhelming their opponent 28-6 to punch their ticked to the County Championship. Mount Sinai quarterback Brandon Ventarola led the way for the Mustangs with two rushing touchdowns and a 45-yard touchdown pass to Derek Takacs. Sophomore Joseph Spallina scored on short yardage to keep the Mustang’s undefeated record intact at 10-0.

The County Championship will be a rematch of week five where Mount Sinai will replay the No. 2 seeded Wildcats of Shoreham Wading River at Stony Brook University Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. Tickets at the gate are $10.00 or are available for $8.00 online here: https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI

Ward Melville Boys Soccer Wraps Up 2019 Season

by Rita J. Egan - November 15, 2019

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Ward-Meville-Boys-Soccer-2019-John-Dielman — Andrew Cerquira, left, plays midfield for the Patriots boys soccer team. Photo by John Dielman

This season Patriots soccer player Ben Perez, No. 26, played with an injury. Photo by John Dielman

The season may be over for the Patriots boys varsity soccer team, but they have a lot to be proud of this fall.

On Oct. 29 Ward Melville, the No. 15 seed, made it to the first round of the playoffs where the Patriots took on Commack, the No. 2 seed. This year marked the second year in a row that the boys soccer team made it to the playoffs. The Patriots lost the game, 3-1, against the eventual losing finalists. Ward Melville ended the season in third place in League I at 6-4-2 and 6-7-2 overall.

Despite the Suffolk AA playoff elimination, the team had some high points this season.

Senior Christian Bell, a co-captain who played defense, said a highlight of the year was when the Patriots were on the road playing against Patchogue-Medford on their rival’s senior night. Ward Melville scored a winning goal to make it 2-1 with under two minutes remaining. Another memorable event for Bell was during the playoff game against Commack when they tied 1-1. He listed senior midfielder Sean McNight and sophomore forward Sean LaPeters as standout players.

Sean McNight, No. 8, became co-captain mid-season for the Ward Melville Patriots. Photo by John Dielman

“McNight did all the right things and was one of the hardest working players on the field,” Bell said. “Sean LaPeters is two years younger so he’s a sophomore, being not as big and as old as the other guys, but he really stepped up big this year for us.”

Giancarlo Serratore, another of the team’s co-captains who was a wide midfielder, also named Sean McNight as one of the top players. Midseason, McNight joined his fellow seniors as one of the team captains.

“He was really consistent at every
game,” Serratore said. “He went out there and played well.”

For Serratore, the highlight of the past soccer season was a win at home, 4-3, against William Floyd Oct. 16. He said the Patriots needed a couple of wins to get to the playoffs at that point, and they had lost to the school earlier in the season. He said the team enjoyed the win especially since their rivals had a big celebration after they beat the Patriots just weeks earlier.

Both Bell and Serratore said they admired Ben Perez for playing this season despite a hip injury. Serratore said the senior defense member showed a lot of courage for his teammates by playing through the pain.

Sean LaPeters, No. 27, has been one of the sophomores on varsity. Photo by John Dielman

Serratore said his team worked well together during the season full of ups and downs.

“I thought the team persevered well throughout the year so I’m proud of the boys,” he said.

Linda Ward, whose son Zack plays defensive, said she has been watching the games for the last two years, and the team’s defensive line, which includes her son, Perez, Bell and Jason Flynn, deserves a shout-out due to their calm temperaments and skills at tracking the ball and anticipating the play.

“They held the line and kept almost every game within one goal,” she said. “They played like a well-oiled machine.”

Both Bell and Serratore said they will miss playing with their team members when they graduate from Ward Melville in June after playing with them for years.

“It was such a great team, and I couldn’t ask for a better team,” Bell said.

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