Sports

by -
0 116

The Newfield Wolverines, 4-3 in the league, hosted the Northport Tigers, who stand 4-2, Oct. 7. 
Both teams looked to move into second place in League III behind Huntington and League III leader Smithtown West.

Sonny Farrell, the junior midfielder, broke the ice for Newfield scoring 21 minutes in when co-captain Lorenzo Selini scored an insurance goal with six minutes left to take it 2-0 into the halftime break.

Northport senior Tage Oster made a game of it heading the ball into the net 10 minutes into the second half but the Wolverines dug and held on for the 2-1 win. Chris Cusimano had four saves in net for Newfield, and Joseph Kearns stopped five for the Tigers.

Northport retakes the field when they host Hills East on Oct. 11, and the Wolverines will try their hand with Hills East on the road Oct. 16. Both games kickoff at 4 p.m.

by -
0 161

Trailing by one score to open the second half Ward Melville retied the game at 21-21 in a Division I matchup on the road against Longwood, but the Lions scored late in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, 27-21, to hold on for the win Oct. 4.

It was all Michael Fiore for the Patriots where the senior running back accounted for all three of the Patriot touchdowns grinding out 182 rushing yards on 35 carries.

The loss drops Ward Melville to 2-2 at the midway point of the season. The Patriots retake the field Oct. 11 when they take on Riverhead at home. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

by -
0 1516

PJ Royals Win in Homecoming Blowout

Port Jefferson homecoming football game against Greenport/Southold/Mattituck Oct. 5. Photo by Bill Landon

The weekend of Oct. 4-6 was one of purple and Royals pride. Hundreds swarmed through Port Jefferson during the annual parade, and more gathered in the Joe Erland Field for fun and games, as the Village of Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson School District, Port Jefferson Free Library and local residents combined their efforts to put on a huge blowout celebration.

When it came to the game at 2 p.m. Oct. 5, it was a Royal’s rout when Greenport/Southold/Mattituck came calling and was blown out by Port Jefferson 62-0. From the opening kickoff it was all Port Jeff as wide receiver Aidan Kaminska proved unstoppable as the senior found the end zone three times, along with teammates Luke Verruto and Luke Filippi who each had a pair of touchdowns. Junior Alex Ledesma split the uprights eight times for the extra point.Senior quarterback Sam Florio, who was healthy after missing last week’s game against Mount Sinai, threw for over 250 yards with four TD passes in the Div. IV matchup.

The win lifts the Royals to 2-3 with three games remaining before the post season and are back in action with a road game against Elwood John Glenn Oct. 12. Kickoff is at 1:30pm.

by -
0 128

Centereach senior co-captain Stephanie Gatto led her team with 10 kills and seven blocks, senior Natalie Walsh killed eight with six blocks, and sophomore Erin Lema had three blocks and seven kills to sweep the visiting Wolverines 25-18, 25-12 and 25-21 Sept. 27.

Centereach Cougars girls volleyball remains undefeated in League III at 5-0, 8-1 overall, where they’ve allowed their play to go beyond three sets only twice this season. Centereach sits atop the League III leaderboard one game ahead of Smithtown West and will retake the court on the road against Hills East Oct. 3. First serve is 4 p.m.

The loss drops Newfield Wolverines to 3-3, and they are also back in action Oct. 3 when they host the Bulls of Smithtown West. Game time is 5:30 p.m.

by -
0 6084

All three sets were close for Ward Melville when Sachem East came knocking but the Flaming Arrows swept the Patriots 25-22, 25-32 and 25-20 in Division I volleyball action Sept. 26. The win lifted Sachem East to 3-4 for the season as Ward Melville slipped to 2-5.

The Patriots look to get back on track to put another “W” in the win column with a road trip against East Hampton Oct. 3. First serve is 5 p.m.

Mount Sinai dominated their homecoming game through three quarters of play out scoring the visiting Royals 33-6 before Port Jeff rallied in the final quarter. Royals’ quarterback Luke Filippi (filling in for the injured Sam Florio) found senior Aidan Kaminska on a pair of short yardage pass plays for his 2nd and 3rd touchdown in the game where the senior set a Section XI record with 17 catches for 233 yards placing him 2nd in total receptions in a single game.

But despite Kaminska’s record the Royals fell to the Mustangs 39-20 Sept. 28.

Mount Sinai sophomore running back Joseph Spallina led the way with a16-yard run, a 23-yard pass reception and an 85-yard interception all finding the end-zone for the Mustangs. Senior quarterback Brandon Ventarola punched in from short yardage, while Matthew LoMonaco scored on a 14-yard pass play and Michael Trepeta found the end-zone on a 3-yard run.

Junior Alex Ledesma’s solid boot put up two PAT’s for the Royals in addition to Kaminska’s record making set of catches.

The win boosts the Mustangs to 4-0, tied with Shoreham Wading River in their division at the season’s halfway point.

The loss puts Port Jeff 1-3 in league. Their next game is set for Oct. 5 for homecoming weekend, where they expect to face Greenport at home with a 2 p.m. start time.

Mount Sinai looks to keep their perfect record intact when they hit the road Oct. 12 to face undefeated Shoreham-Wading River, for sole possession of first place in League IV. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

by -
0 1422
Village, school district, businesses and community come together for new homecoming celebration. Photo by Kyle Barr

“Always a Royal.”

That is how school district and village officials alike are calling present and past residents to attend this year’s homecoming celebration, shifting away from school-centered pride to exulting the whole of Port Jefferson.

The village and district are working hand in hand to create a celebration at Joe Erland Field near Caroline Avenue just west of Barnum Avenue. The celebration will include food, games and music from a DJ, and will take place in between the annual parade that flows down Main Street and the homecoming game set to take place Saturday, Oct. 5.

Port Jefferson homecoming floats make their way through the parade Oct. 21, 2017. File photo by Bill Landon

The change has come in response to district officials last year canceling the annual bonfire. As classic as it was, school district officials said the bonfire was unsafe and a redundant way of gathering school pride. They said it meant children wandering into nearby woods without supervision, adding their own internal pep rally did enough to promote school spirit.

Port Jeff Superintendent Paul Casciano said the bonfire could not continue as it had before, especially considering security and safety.

“We cannot guarantee that when children are dropped off at the high school for this particular night event, that they are in an environment that is safe and secure,” he said. “We are grateful for the conversations that have developed among community members, our board of education members and staff to come up with a carefully considered plan as we move forward.”

Not letting themselves get discouraged, community members looked to celebrate Port Jeff pride, and more than that, bridge the gap between school district, village, shops and community.

Jae Hartzell, a Port Jefferson resident and a local photographer, said many residents were upset the bonfire was canceled, calling it an old tradition. She started looking toward creating something new, perhaps even establishing a new tradition in itself. She and fellow resident Paul Braille have worked alongside school and village officials in crafting the new event.

“[This event] is a really enriching tradition and there’s a huge collaboration to increase school pride and school spirit that will continue for generations,” Hartzell said. “It’s all about creating traditions in the community — a way to stay rooted with your community.”

Along with several food trucks, the field will also be littered with games of Can Jam, Cornhole and giant Jenga, all provided through the Port Jefferson Free Library. There will also be face painting on behalf of the school art department.

Beyond the celebration at surrounding Caroline Avenue, the school district has connected with multiple businesses to emphasize school spirit and the community as a whole, including alumni. PJ Brewery is promoting live music by the band Damaged Goods, while throughout the weekend businesses will be promoting happy hour and brunch specials specifically for alumni. Prohibition Kitchen will also include Mayor Margot Garant as guest bartender Oct. 5. Participating restaurants include Nantuckets, Joey-Z, Prohibition Kitchen, Junior’s Spycoast, Billie’s 1890 Saloon and Old Fields Restaurant, just to name a few.

The Joe Erland Field will play host to an upcomming homecoming celebration. Photo by Kyle Barr

In the first meetings looking to create the new homecoming event, village trustee Kathianne Snaden was brought on board to give the village’s point of view. She said she immediately took to the idea. The village has put up the funds to pay for the food trucks, the DJ, physical and online promotions and has allowed the use of the field. Meanwhile, Port Jeff students will be creating a banner to go up along the football field at the high school, each letter being done by a different grade from Kindergarten through fifth grade, spelling “Royals.” The event, she said, has the possibility of doing much to bridge a gap between village and school district, one that has existed from each entity “doing their own thing.”

“When this came up, I said I wanted to take this up and make this work, because for the village this bridge has been broken for so long for whatever reason,” the trustee said.

“This is the best way to bring that back.”

School board Vice President Tracy Zamek said once the district established there would no longer be a bonfire at homecoming, the idea of bringing the community together in celebration, off school property and hosted by the village, immediately appealed to them. 

“We’re really excited about waking up the village and bringing the school and village together as one entity — as a tight-knit community,” Zamek said.

Those involved said they hope the new event will bring in more people for the annual homecoming game, which all said has had relatively little attendance for the past few years.

In regard to the food trucks, Snaden said the businesses were contacted first to see if they would be available to set up stalls, but according to the trustee none had the correct permits. Having them host specials throughout the weekend was a way in which they could contribute, she said, with Hartzell adding she hoped they may be able to get the permits to participate in the future. 

Festivities start Oct. 4 at the PJ Brewery with Damaged Goods playing at 7 p.m. The following day will include an 11 a.m. parade that rolls down Main Street and crosses over West Broadway onto Barnum Avenue, letting people move onto Joe Erland Field for the days’ activities. The football game is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. Alumni will receive complimentary mimosas at village restaurants for brunch that Sunday, Oct. 6.

Quest to remember the Royals fight song

In preparation for the upcoming homecoming, Port Jeff music staff wanted to bring back the classic “fight song” played at homecoming in the decades past.

However, there was a problem, said Christine Creighton, the middle and high school band teacher. The music sheets were nowhere to be found. 

Mike Caravello, the director of music and fine arts at PJSD, gathered together music teachers from across the district, including Creighton, middle and high school chorus teacher Jeffrey Trelewicz and middle school band teacher Edward Pisano, to find a way to bring back the fight music. 

It came from an unexpected place. One of the security staff at the district, Amy Goldstein, is an alumnus and told the staff she was part of the marching band when she was in school in the ’80s and knew the fight song by heart. It is a jaunty tune, a classic marching theme that’s short and to the point. 

“We’re really excited about waking up the village and bringing the school and village together as one entity — as a tight-knit community.”

— Tracy Zamek

Creighton said Goldstein recorded the song for her. Taking that, she transcribed  it on piano while the music staff helped her with the harmony. They then put it into music writing software. 

They played it back for Goldstein, and she reacted with glee. 

“She said, ‘It’s just like the real thing,’” Creighton said.

Alumni, the music staff said, are “coming out of the woodwork,” to help bring the song back for the upcoming homecoming game. 

“They can all sing the fight song, they know it by heart,” said Caravello.

The middle school marching band will be leading this year’s parade, while the pep band will play the fight song at the end of the midday celebration at Joe Erland Field and during the homecoming game itself. Residents can expect to hear the song Oct. 5.

It was a scoreless game Sept. 23 for the first 60 minutes as the Comsewogue boys soccer team looked to put more points on the win column in the early season, but the Bulls of Smithtown East peppered the scoreboard with three unanswered goals in the final 18 minutes to put the game away. Senior Noah Lavrenchik scored for the Bulls as did junior midfielder Nicholas Zodda. Sophomore forward Liam Stanley rounded out the scoring to lift the Bulls to 4-0-1 in league IV, 5-0-1 overall. The Comsewogue Warriors currently sit at 2-3.

Comsewogue hit the road Sept. 25 against East Islip. Smithtown East looked to build on their winning momentum when they took on Deer Park at home — also on Sept. 25. Game times are 4:30pm and 4:00pm respectively.

by -
0 1565

Looking to parlay their season opening win, Ward Melville was overwhelmed by visiting William Floyd when the Colonials crushed the Patriots, 45-6, Sept. 20.

Senior running back Michael Fiore provided the only spark for the Patriots when he covered 76 yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown late in the opening quarter.

After their season opening 35-14 blasting of Brentwood, the Patriots look to get back to their winning ways when they hit the road against the Bay Shore Marauder’s Sept. 28. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

by -
0 1538
Rocky Point senior Dakota Strong leads his team onto the field in a homecoming football game against Amityville Sept. 21. Photo by Bill Landon

Despite three Rocky Point touchdowns being called back on offensive penalties, the Eagles hammered visiting Amityville in a 35-0 shutout victory at their annual homecoming game Sept. 12. Rocky Point running back Devin Cline led his team when he powered his way to the endzone on three superate occasions as the junior carried the ball 15 times covering 170 yards. Quarterback Gavin Davanzo threw for 34 yards on six attempts and found the endzone on a 1-yard run. Matt Sweeney, a junior, punched into the endzone from short yardage while junior Sean Bernhard was perfect on the day splitting the uprights five times.

The win lifts Rocky Point to 2-0 where they blanked Miller Place last week. The Eagle defensive lineup has yet to allow any points against them.

Rocky Point is back in action when they travel to Eastport/South Manor Sept. 28. Game time is at 2:00pm.