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Smithtown West’s Carrie Bodo is Coach of the Year

by Desirée Keegan - July 1, 2016

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Carie-Bodo-team-photo-after-Northport-winw — The Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team took a group photo after beating Northport for the first time in school history. Photo from Carrie Bodo

By Desirée Keegan

On her wall in her office, Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse coach Carrie Bodo has an old photo of one of her Hofstra University teams posing for a group photo, with her lying on the turf field.

Her girls asked her several times about the significance of it. Bodo said her Pride team had never beaten the University of Delaware, and that photo was taken after the first time the team had done it. She has wanted to replace that photo for a long time now. Her Bulls team had also never beaten Northport, so she told the girls that if they did this season, she’d swap out one winning photo for another.

The Bulls made a goal, and achieved it, outscoring Northport 11-7 on April 29, and Bodo took a photo lying down on the turf field with the girls behind her. The girls also had a goal to win the school’s first ever Suffolk County title. Although the team fell one goal shy, dropping the county title game to West Islip, 9-8, in the school’s first appearance in the finals, the team had a postseason success that made all the hard work of a 15-2 season all the more worth it.

Members of the Smithtown West girls' lacrosse team rally around head coach Carrie Bodo after she earned the Suffolk County Coach of the Year award. Photo from Smithtown school district — Members of the Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team rally around head coach Carrie Bodo after she earned the Suffolk County Coach of the Year award. Photo from Smithtown school district

The Suffolk County Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association named Bodo the Suffolk County Division I Coach of the Year. She was also named Smithtown Central School District’s Coach of the Year. Although earning the recognition, she was more excited for her team than herself.

“They wanted it for me more than anything,” she said. “For me, anything I get is truly because of them. It was nice because they were so excited for it.”

Before coming to Smithtown in 2006, Bodo was the head women’s lacrosse coach at Hofstra University for 14 years, and was also the field hockey coach for almost half of her time there. She had played lacrosse since she was in seventh grade, and even played for Hofstra, before becoming a graduate assistant on the team and taking over the helm when she was just 24 years old. When the time came to choose which sport would be her focus, the decision was easy.

“The sport is such a part of me,” she said. “The big joke is I’ve never had a spring break since seventh grade. It goes to show how much I love it. I love everything about the game. I love playing it, I love watching the girls, and being with the girls, seeing them achieve, seeing them go to college.”

Although leaving the sport briefly when she had children — two boys — she began teaching and was soon asked to take over the West team when the school split. Her athletes are happy she agreed to take over the program.

“When it comes to the game, she is smart and always gives us so much motivation to win. One thing that I love most about her is that she loves to have fun and she has a big heart. Even when we lost, she would tell us to keep our heads up and always have a positive outlook.”

— Kayla Kosubinsky

“I have to say I’ve never had such a good relationship with one of my coaches, both on and off the field,” said Kayla Kosubinsky, who has played under Bodo since eighth grade, but knew her from back when she would attend the booster club camp that her coach runs every year. “Bodo has impacted Smithtown lacrosse just like she did when she coached Hofstra. When it comes to the game, she is smart and always gives us so much motivation to win. One thing that I love most about her is that she loves to have fun and she has a big heart. Even when we lost, she would tell us to keep our heads up and always have a positive outlook.”

This sort of parent-daughter relationship she’s created with her girls is crucial to Bodo and her players, and is an integral part in the team’s success.

“We have this joke that I’m their mom,” Bodo said, laughing. “They always call me mom, and I call them my family. I love that part of it more. Just hearing about their boyfriends, and the prom and that kind of stuff. It’s that girl atmosphere I don’t get in my personal life. That’s what makes us closer as a group.”

Although it took some years to get the Bulls to the level they’re at now after the school split, nine of the 12 starters from last year’s squad committed to play lacrosse. The younger kids in the area are seeing the older ones’ success, and want to emulate that, something Bodo hears at camp over the summer.

For players like senior Mackenzie Heldberg, who committed to play at Johns Hopkins University, leaving a coach like Bodo is bittersweet, but she will always be appreciative of what her longtime coach has done for her.

“I couldn’t ask for a better coach — she has taught me so much about not only lacrosse, but life, and has helped me develop into the player I am today,” said Heldberg, who played for Bodo for five years, but knew her for eight because her older sister also played for the Bulls. “As our coach, she always pushed us to our fullest potential and I dedicate our success this year to her, for she was the glue to our team. Having Bodo get this recognition is so heartwarming and amazing because she deserves it. This team has improved tremendously since I’ve been a part of it and the common denominator of it all is Bodo. She led us with pride and fearlessness to a county game and I couldn’t be happier I’ve gotten to play under someone as amazing as her.”

Daniel Claxton sets the bar higher and higher

by Desirée Keegan - June 16, 2016

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Smithtown-East-Daniel-Claxtonw — Daniel Claxton gets over the bar. Photo from Kathie Borbet

Junior high jumper Daniel Claxton’s track and field career has already come full circle.

As a freshman at Smithtown East, he qualified to compete in the state championship, where he finished fifth in Division I and eighth overall, which includes public, Catholic and city schools. Last weekend, he was back at the state championship for the third time, but found himself back at the same Cicero-North Syracuse High School track he competed on two years ago.

“It felt pretty good to come back to this meet two years later,” he said. “The end of the season couldn’t have gone more perfect. It was a whole different story.”

Claxton finished first in Division I and second in the federation.

“You put your time in as a coach and to have the athletes who buy into the sport and are of that quality and come through every week is pretty amazing to see,” Smithtown East head coach Kathie Borbet said. “It makes you feel good as a coach to have some succeed that well.”

Liam Hendricks winds up to hurl the discus. Photo from Kathie Borbet

Teammate Liam Hendricks, a shot put and discus thrower who placed first in every dual meet and invitational in discus, placed third in Division I and sixth overall. Although capable of throwing 178 feet, which is the new school record he set this season — breaking his own previous marks — he threw 168 at the state tournament.

“You don’t always throw your best at the opportune time,” Borbet said. “But he was pretty close to the 178-mark all season. He had one throw that was just foul that would’ve been like a 180 throw. It just missed the mark.”

But throwing coach Mike Schilling, who joined the team just for this season since retiring after 41 years with Half Hollow Hills, said Hendricks was a bit nervous, adding he’s a really good thrower when he can keep calm.

“My job was not really to get him to set records, although he did, but it was more to get him to be able to compete consistently,” he said. His reputation preceded him. I knew who I was going to be able to coach this year and it was really good. He was there every day, he’s a hard worker, and he does all the things he’s supposed to be doing to get to where he is. He’s very talented.”

His team of throwers, including Dominik Oramas, Chris Perrier, Shaun DeGennaro and Kevin Murphy also helped the Bulls excel this season. Especially shot-putter Oramas, who won every dual meet and just missed going to states. The group never lost a meet, according to Schilling, and didn’t give up more than 10 points total the entire season, when throwers can garner a total of 18 points at each meet.

Claxton also finished first in all but one meet this season. According to high jump coach Kurt Margraf, new plyometric training was introduced to help him reach his goal of seven feet.

“When he hits for higher heights, you have to get your hips up at a certain points and kick your legs over,” Margraf said. “Your head has to be positioned in a certain way and your shins have to hit your chest at a certain point. It’s really technical.”

Although he didn’t reach 7 feet, he reached 6 feet and 11 inches this season, to break his own school record. He finished the state meet with a 6-foot-8 mark, so while Margraf said he may be a little disappointed knowing he could do better, he’s adapted well to his new training and he’s focused on continuing to strive for greater success.

“He was that determined back in his freshman year, when he wanted to reach 6 feet and ended up with a 6 foot-4 mark during the state tournament,” the coach said. “And it’s carried over without a doubt. He’s still determined, and that’s huge. He’s focused on getting the higher heights.”

Claxton is hoping to reach his target his senior season, and said his coaches have been providing him with ways to strengthen his body and mind to do it.

“It’s an honor to see my hard work pay off,” he said. “I will continue to strive for goals — ones I have set, others I haven’t set yet, and others I will try to break. The sky’s the limit.”

Smithtown West walks away from finals with empty hands but full hearts

by Desirée Keegan - June 1, 2016

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Smithtown-West-girls-lacrosse-Kayla-Kosubinsky-1-052116_Keeganw — Kayla Kosubinsky races to the ground ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team walked onto the Dowling Sports Complex field Tuesday donning shirts that said “one team, one fight.”

Although senior midfielder Natalia Lynch stole the show by scoring six goals, it’s what her team had been through all season that made the season special.

Natalia Lynch grabs possession off the draw. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Bulls never made it to the Suffolk County finals, and although they were the No. 1 seed with a near perfect record, they were overlooked. Smithtown West battled a tough No. 3-seed West Islip team — the only opponent the Bulls lost to in the regular season — and remained neck-and-neck to the end, when the more experienced team battled back to come out on top, 9-8.

“It was amazing — they played phenomenal all season,” Smithtown West head coach Carie Bodo said of the run her girls had. “We played them much better than we did the first time we beat them. We knew, as much as we were the No. 1 seed, that we were the underdogs because they’ve already been here four years in a row. They know how to play this game.”

Lynch tallied a hat trick in the first half with her second goal off an assist from her best friend and longtime teammate Mackenzie Heldberg.

Jessica English defends against a West Islip attack. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“It’s been unreal since first grade, playing with someone as amazing as she is — it definitely made the game easier,” Heldberg said of Lynch. “We just had a special connection on the field that not everyone else has and she’s made me so successful and brings out the best lacrosse player in me.”

Also scoring for the Bulls in the first half were junior midfielder Kayla Kosubinsky and junior attack Chelsea Witteck. Senior converted-goalkeeper Marissa D’Amico made big stops between the pipes to keep the score 5-5 at the end of the first half.

“We did what we thought we needed to do,” Bodo said. “We covered certain people. We knew that if we played them tight, they’d be forced to make tough shots and miss the cage because we swarm them so good, so the defense did an amazing job. We had opportunities at the end to come up with the goal, but we just didn’t come up with it.”

Lynch gained possession off the draw, like she had done all night, to open the second half, and after passing it to Heldberg, received a feed from her friend in front of the cage and dumped in her fourth goal of the game.

Chelsea Witteck leads the team in celebration of her goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan

D’Amico made back-to-back saves after a West Islip goal to maintain the stalemate, and on a diving play, Lynch fired her fifth goal of the game. She won possession off the next draw, but wouldn’t impact the play again after being sidelined for two minutes, with 2:21 left to play.

“She played an amazing game,” Bodo said of Lynch. “It was a killer, she got that penalty at the end. She played a great game.”

Witteck netted her second goal of the game off an assist from Heldberg, for the only other score of the second half, to put the team up 8-6 with 7:03 left in the game, but West Islip rallied back with three unanswered goals for the 9-8 lead with 1:24 left to play. The Lions raced up and down the field until time expired to seal the victory.

“I’m super proud of them,” Bodo said of her team. “For us it was a win. We were ranked No. 3 in the preseason and Newsday didn’t even rank us, MSG Varsity doesn’t ever give us anything, so no one thought we would do anything. For us, we did it for ourselves. We didn’t do it for Newsday’s publicity or MSG Varsity’s publicity; we worked hard all season to prove it to ourselves.”

The players said they were proud of how far they’ve come.

Mackenzie Heldberg charges toward the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“The loss hurt a lot, but for a team who never got much credit for anything we did — just making it to counties and playing a hell of a game against a team as talented as West Islip, there is nothing to hold our heads down for,” Heldberg said. “Coming here and experiencing this for the first time in Smithtown West girls lacrosse history was truly something amazing and something to be proud of.”

Although she, Lynch and D’Amico, along with three other senior nonstarters will be leaving the team, Bodo is excited for the future now that the Bulls are starting to move in the right direction and continues to make playoff strides each season. Kosubinsky said that after all of the doubt, Smithtown West lacrosse showed what it’s really made of.

“I know I’ve never seen Smithtown West girls lacrosse play with so much heart, and even with a loss, I’ve never been so proud of my team,” Kosubinsky said. “We had an amazing season and every single person contributed to that. Tonight we walked off the field with our heads held high because we know we played our hearts out.”

Northport sweeps Smithtown West to get to county finals

by TBR Staff - May 26, 2016

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Northport-Smithtown-West-baseball-Victory-052516-Landon-WJL_8049w — Catcher DL Rodriguez and outfielder Nick Curcio hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Northport players hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon — Catcher DL Rodriguez and outfielder Nick Curcio hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon

Northport’s No. 8-seeded baseball team blanked No. 5 Smithtown West, 7-0, to advance to the Class AA county championship behind pitching ace Nick Palmerini, who shut down the Bulls by throwing six shutout innings to lead his team to victory Wednesday.

Senior Joe Stockman started off swinging for the Tigers, as the shortstop ripped the ball down the right sideline for a stand-up double in the first at bat. Junior pitcher and third baseman Jake McCarthy drew a walk, and junior second baseman George Sutherland stepped into the batter’s box. A passed ball at the plate advanced both runners into scoring position, and Sutherland smacked the ball through the gap to bring Stockman home for an early lead.

Smithtown West had several opportunities, but stranded all runners on base.

Nick Palmerini pitched six shutout innings. Photo by Bill Landon

Again, Stockman’s bat spoke as he went drove the ball to the opposite side of the field for his second double of the game. Junior outfielder Frankie Stola was up next, and was hit by a pitch and sent to first base.

“The rain delay wasn’t a distraction — we stayed focused, we had a great practice yesterday,” said Stockman of the game being pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday. “[Smithtown West] a good team and great competitors, but we had a great pitcher on the mound both days and we did what we needed to do to get the win.”

Just like in the bottom of the first, Smithtown West’s passed ball pitch put both runners in scoring position in the third. Sutherland had a base hit, plating Stockman, and junior outfielder Matt Lindley found the gap to score Stola for a 3-0 advantage. After Lindley stole second, senior pitcher and first baseman Dan Heller’s bat cracked as his base hit brought Sutherland home. Senior first baseman Tom Neary stepped up to the plate, and after taking the first two pitches, he jumped on the third and kept the rally alive when he rocketed a shot over the right-field fence for a home run and 6-0 lead.

“They had tough pitching in that first game so we had to stay focused mentally at the plate, have good at bats and get the little things done,” Neary said. “We won’t take a day off; we’ll stay focused in practice. We can’t afford to lay back — we’ve got a tough opponent coming up — so we have to work just as hard as we’ve been working.”

Smithtown West had seen enough and a change was made at the mound. The Bulls went through three pitchers on the afternoon in an attempt to stall Northport’s onslaught, which it did.

Second baseman George Sutherland drives in a run. Photo by Bill Landon

Palmerini retired the order in the top of the next two innings, and Northport threatened in the bottom of the fifth. After plating another runner, Northport put runners on first and second, but an infield heater was fielded for a clean double play to retire the side.

Desperate for a run, Smithtown West advanced both runners into scoring position on a passed ball at the plate. With one out, the runner at third took a healthy lead, and junior shortstop Nick Trabbachi drilled the deep to right field for the sacrifice fly. Lindley, the right fielder, caught the ball on the run and fired the ball toward home plate. The runner on third hesitated, and Lindley’s throw to the plate hit its mark in time to force the runner back to third.

“I was hoping he would go, but he held up and we got out of that inning,” Lindley said. “My pitcher just sets it up every time and we’re always ready for the play. It’s pure adrenaline. [We’re] so excited to make it to the counties.”

Although neither team faced each other in the regular season Smithtown West head coach Al Nucci said Northport was everything he thought they’d be, and then some.

“They threw strikes, they didn’t walk anyone, they challenged us, they were very aggressive and they attacked us early in the count,” Nucci said. “They’re a tremendous hitting team and they strung their hits together. I think they have a very good chance to win the county.”

Palmerini pitched his way out of a jam, stranding two runners to retire the side.

“I had to work back in counts — I got into a little bit of trouble,” Palmerini said. “Their one through four batters are very good, so I had to throw a lot of off-speed pitches and mix it up more than usual.”

First baseman Dan Heller attempts a pickoff. Photo by Bill Landon

McCarthy took over at the mound for Smithtown West’s final shot at the win, and sat the batters down in order.

Northport will travel to No. 2 West Islip for the first of a three-game series on May 28 at noon. The second game will be May 30 at Northport at noon.

“These guys are a loose group — they expect to win and they go out and play to win,” Northport head coach John De Martini said. “I thought we played great defense, we hit the ball well, and more than that, we got some awesome pitching. The kids have done that all year long.”

Smithtown lacrosse gets back in the win column

by Desirée Keegan - May 11, 2016

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Smithtown West bounced back from a tough loss to Northport with a 9-7 win over Bay Shore Tuesday.

With one game left in the regular season — a tough matchup against Division I leader West Islip — the boys’ lacrosse team has lost just four games this season, all of them one-goal games. The Bulls’ defense had a target to keep all opponents under five goals this season, and came close with 10 of its 15 competitors scoring six or fewer.

“We’ve been playing some big games lately,” said junior attack Jimmy Caddigan, who tallied a hat trick and two assists in the win over Bay Shore. “I think today we got back on track a little bit. Our defense has been playing great all year. We had some man downs that they played big on.”

Smithtown West senior attack Danny Caroussos got his team on the board first to open the game, and although Bay Shore tied it up, sophomore attack and midfielder Kyle Zawadzki scored with 15.9 seconds left in the first quarter to give his team the advantage.

Being a man down, Bay Shore was able to capitalize on the Bulls’ yellow card to again even the score. But that would be the last time the Marauders would come that close.

“Overall I though we could’ve played better — definitely not up to our potential, but coming off a loss it’s great to get back in the win column and get some momentum going into our last game of the year against a very good West Islip team coming in, especially on senior night,” Caroussos said of the May 12 game, which kicks off at 5 p.m.

Caddigan assisted on Zawadzki’s final goal of the evening, and Caroussos assisted on Caddigan’s first when he passed to the sophomore, who swiveled around the cage from the left side and scored for the 4-2 advantage.

The Bulls led by four goals twice. First, when Caddigan whipped the ball into the netting from two yards out with 30.5 seconds left in the first half, and second, when his younger brother Matt Caddigan found the net off an assist from John Hoffman.

Right before that goal that gave Smithtown West an 8-4 lead, senior midfielder Danny Varello, who won 17 of 19 faceoffs, won the draw and raced into Bay Shore’s zone, rocketing a shot in, in a play that lasted just several seconds.

Despite the showing, Smithtown West head coach Bobby Moltisanti Jr. said his team has some more work to do.

“It was a gritty win,” he said. “I felt we were inefficient on offense. There was an opportunity throughout the game where we could’ve pulled away, but we didn’t. I feel like we can play better, and the boys know they can play better. But I give the boys credit. They fought.”

His athletes agreed, but still think they have what it takes to go far.

“I think this team can beat anyone,” Jimmy Caddigan said. “We’re getting over that hump of finishing the regular-season games and we’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

Although playoffs are looming in the near future, the Bulls are looking to take it one game at a time, with the immediate focus being on their senior night game.

“They’re No. 1 right now, we have a big rivalry between us and them,” Jimmy Caddigan said of West Islip. “We play them every year and we want one more big win.”

Zawadzki said the teams needs to clean up before heading into the next matchup, but added that the win over Bay Shore was important.

“This gives us confidence going into next week and we’ll just keep it rolling,” he said.

Smithtown West was a mixed bag this season, with strong senior leadership but some big contributing underclassmen. Although plenty of strong players will be left no matter what happens this postseason, for seniors like Caroussos, heading into his last few games will be bittersweet.

“There’s definitely mixed emotions,” he said. “We have a lot of potential and the county championship is one of the goals. I think we honestly have a chance to do that. We just need to come together as one unit and keep motivating each other to play better and better, and keep finding ways to win.”

Smithtown softball falls to Brentwood in sixth inning

by TBR Staff - April 26, 2016

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#7 Kaitlyn Loffman behind the plate — Junior catcher Kaitlyn Loffman tries to catch the low ball behind the plate. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Smithtown West protected a one-run lead until the sixth inning, when Brentwood scored three runs on a single play to take the lead, and scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh to notch the 4-1 nonleague softball win Monday afternoon.

The bats cracked on both sides, but each team left several runners on base, leaving the game scoreless through three and a half innings.

Brentwood threatened with runners on the corners with one out in the top of the fourth, and tried to steal second base, but Smithtown West junior catcher Kaitlyn Loffman fired a shot to eighth-grader Sarah Chapman, who cleanly tagged the runner for the second out of the inning.

“They’re in League I, but I thought we could’ve done more to help out the defense,” Loffman said. “On offense, we just have to pick better pitches to swing at.”

Brentwood stranded the lone runner and the Bulls went to work in the bottom of the fourth.

Smithtown West junior first baseman Kiley Magee’s bat cracked next as she found the gap for a lead-off single. Loffman, equally as dangerous in the batters’ box, ripped one deep down the left sideline that went to the fence, plating Magee as Loffman made it to third standing up. Unable to bring Loffman home, Smithtown West had to settle for a 1-0 lead to open the fifth inning.

Freshman utility player Gabrianna Lorefice fires the ball to first base. Photo by Bill Landon

“They’re pretty good, but I thought we could’ve played better,” Magee said. “We’ll work on playing better defense.”

Neither team could find the plate in the fifth, but the tables turned in the sixth inning as Brentwood’s first at batter drew a walk. The next, the go-ahead run, was hit by a pitch and took first base with two outs. The Indians followed with a base-clearing, stand-up double on an error for a 3-1 advantage.

With their backs against the wall, the Bulls threatened in the bottom of the inning when Loffman smacked a lead-off single, and was followed by junior pitcher Maria Caviris, who drove one into shallow left field for a base hit that represented the tying run at first. Smithtown squandered the opportunity though, leaving both runners on base to end the inning.

“We haven’t played them for a long time, but I know some of the players, so I had an idea [of how well they can hit],” Caviris said, adding that she thought she could’ve pitched better.

Although Smithtown was finished scoring, Brentwood was not, and an insurance run in the top of the seventh sealed the team’s fate.

Junior pitcher Maria Caviris fields the infield pop-up. Photo by Bill Landon

“Years ago we faced them when we were one school, and played them regularly in League I,” Smithtown West head coach Dave Miller said. “This years’ schedule calls for mandatory nonleague games and that’s this game against them. We made way too many base-running mistakes in this game, missed signs and you can’t help the base hits on the other team,” he said. “Maria [Caviris] pitched well, but when you can’t pitch your way out of a two-out, nobody on, and walk, hit a batter, [and give up a] double — that hurt us.”

Smithtown West dropped to 2-6 League III and 5-6 overall, with nine games to play. The Bulls travel to take on Central Islip next, on April 27 at 11 a.m., and host West Babylon on April 28 at 11 a.m., in nonleague games.

Patriots lacrosse powers past perfect Bulls

by Desirée Keegan - April 19, 2016

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Ward-Meleville-boys-lacrosse-Dominic-Pryor-1-041816_Keeganw — Dominic Pryor scores a goal for Ward Melville through a ton of Smithtown traffic. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Redemption was sweet for the Ward Melville boys’ lacrosse team.

Not only did the Patriots take down the boys of Smithtown East, who knocked them out of the playoffs in the Suffolk County Class A finals last season, but they also handed the Bulls their first loss of this season, 13-12.

Smithtown East was 7-0 coming into the contest, with one of the strongest faceoff kids in the county in senior Gerard Arceri, and two of the leading goal scorers in junior Connor Desimone and senior Dan Rooney. But that didn’t scare Ward Melville.

“We had that loss to West Islip [9-7 on April 8], which was one of our down games, but we knew we had to come back fired up,” Ward Melville goalkeeper D.J. Kellerman said.

“We knew that they were one of the top teams and we really wanted to take them down.”

The Patriots, 7-1, scored three goals in the first seven minutes of play before Rooney, an attack, found the back of the net with 3:09 left in the first quarter to put his team on the board.

“They’re a rival of ours — they’re right across town from us, so obviously intensity and competitiveness is at an all time maximum,” Smithtown East’s Desimone, an attack, said. “Coming out here and not showing up in the first half really killed us, but we’ll get them back.”

Ward Melville's Liam Davenport leads the chase for the ball at midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Ward Melville’s Liam Davenport leads the chase for the ball at midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Rooney followed his goal with his second score of the afternoon, off an assist from junior attack Michael Latini, and junior midfielder Luke Eschbach helped bring the score to 3-3 at the end of the first.

“Obviously Connor Desimone and Dan Rooney, they’re very dangerous, so we did a couple of game-planning strategies for them, but our goalie D.J. Kellerman played outstanding,” Ward Melville head coach Jay Negus said. “We’ve been waiting to play all four quarters all year, and this is the first game that I really feel we did. I don’t like taking my foot off the gas pedal, and that showed today, too. We played quick. I thought we did a good job of managing the game and really dictating the terms to them.”

Despite Arceri winning the opening faceoff of the second stanza, Kellerman still stopped a diving attempt by Desimone in the crease, and Ward Melville senior attack Chris Grillo faked out Smithtown East junior goalkeeper Thomas Harkin and dumped the ball in up top for a 4-3 edge. Kellerman followed with another stop, one of his 14 saves on the day, to keep his team on top.

The Bulls and Patriots traded scores, but Ward Melville senior midfielder Connor Grippe and junior midfielder Dominic Pryor added two goals in the final two minutes to put the Patriots up 7-4 heading into the halftime break.

“We lost to them in the counties last year, so obviously it’s a significant win for us,” Pryor said. “We moved the ball really well and we were very patient. Our defense stood strong with the amount of times they threw the ball in the crease.”

Ward Melville maintained an 11-9 advantage at the end of the third, but Smithtown East wasn’t going to go down that easily.

Latini opened the final quarter with a quick goal less than a minute in, and although Ward Melville countered, junior midfielder Connor Rowan added his second tally of the afternoon to keep it a one-goal game.

Smithtown's Luke Eschbach dives for the ball to beat out Ward Melville players. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Smithtown’s Luke Eschbach dives for the ball to beat out Ward Melville players. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Bulls gained more time of possession as the game continued, but over the next seven minutes neither team could find the back of the net, as the goalkeepers battled and batted the ball away.

“We won most faceoffs, but couldn’t really take away they’re strong hands on defense, and couldn’t convert on offense,” Desimone said.

Harkin made a save for Smithtown off of Pryor’s initial attempt, but freshman attack Dylan Pallonetti grabbed the rebound in mid air and stuffed it past the keeper for the 13-11 lead. Although the Bulls found themselves down two goals again with minutes remaining, Desimone came through again for his team with another goal off a feed from Latini. Arceri won the final faceoff, but a turnover in the final seconds sealed the Bulls’ fate. The Patriots raced across the field, dropping their sticks and stripping themselves of their gear, and leapt into a pile of victory, smiling from ear to ear.

“We knew that they were going to score goals,” Kellerman said. “We had a feeling it was going to be high scoring, but we scored one more at the end and that’s all that matters. At the faceoff ‘X’ we did a great job neutralizing Gerard Arceri. We weren’t going to win them all, we knew that, but I was confident.”

Ward Melville hosted Riverhead on Wednesday, but results were not available by press time.

Red hot Bulls start lacrosse season 3-0

by Desirée Keegan - April 6, 2016

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Smithtown-East-girls-lacrosse-Stephanie-Burton-2-040516_Keeganw — Stephanie Burton takes a shot between two Commack defenders. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Smithtown East’s Shannon Kavanagh stole the show.

Winning draws and taking the ball to goal, the junior capitalized three times for a hat trick, and added four assists in the Bulls’ 12-9 win over Commack Tuesday.

Kavanagh won the opening draw and after passing the ball around the cage, it wound up in the stick of freshman Isabella Costa, who scored in front of the net for the 1-0 advantage just over a minute into the game.

“I knew that the draws are a really important part of the game,” Kavanagh said. “If you win the draw you can control the game, so I knew I had to do my best in order to get the ball on offense.”

The junior won the ensuing draw for her team, and passed the ball behind her back to eighth-grader Hunter Roman, who scored to make it a 2-0 game. After Commack gained possession, the team scored a quick goal to cut the deficit in half, 2-1, but Kavanagh won the draw again.

Hunter Roman passes the ball to the left side of the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan

She took it to the cage, but her shot hit the left goal post. She set up the next play with a feed to junior Julia Smith, who rocketed the ball to the back of the net. Kavanagh recorded an assist on the next goal, passing to junior Stephanie Burton, who scored up top for the 4-1 advantage.

Costa went around the back of the cage and beat out the defender to stuff the ball in the right side with 17:53 left to play in the first half. Smith did the same thing on the next play, but to the opposite side. She scored in front again off a feed from Kavanagh for her hat trick goal and a 7-1 lead.

“Shannon was winning a lot of draws, we worked on our fast break and slow break, we stayed calm and we ran our plays well,” Smith said. “We’ve been playing for four years together and we’re only juniors, and we’re on the same travel team, so we connect. We’re always look for each other on the field.”

Commack scored twice, but freshman Gabby Schneider bounced the ball in with 3:23 left in between the goals, to bring the score to 8-3. Kavanagh scored unassisted on the following play, and found the cage again off a feed from Burton. Commack scored twice in the final minute, and cut the lead in half, 10-5.

“We were trying some different things, but we still won, which is good,” Smithtown East head coach Ann Naughton said. “There are lots of things we learned today, which we’ll practice and work on. I think draw control was definitely a strength for us, especially in the first half. We changed some things up, so we lost some momentum here and there, and some of our shot placement affected us as well, but they played with composure even though Commack made a run.”

Shannon Kavanagh moves the ball up the middle off the draw. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Naughton told her team at halftime that the Cougars were scoring off her Bulls’ disorganization. Kavanagh tried to redeem the team for its miscues when she scored her hat trick goal for the first score of the second half, but her team still had some trouble handling the ball and making clean passes.

“We played really well in the first half, but we got too comfortable in the second half,” Kavanagh said. “We were a little sloppy, but I think if we work hard on stick skills in practice and our defense, it’ll be a lot better.”

But the team has multiple offensive threats, which will come in handy against tougher opponents.

“If all seven attackers can score, that’d be ideal,” Naughton said.

Schneider scored the final goal for her team, and Commack closed out the game with three unanswered tallies.

Smithtown East hosts West Islip today at 4 p.m. West Islip is the reigning Suffolk County, Long Island and New York State champion from last season, but Smithtown East narrowly fell 9-8 to the Lions last season.

“I think they’re doing a great job,” Naughton said. “We have a lot of speed and a lot of young talent, and some older talent, too, so we’re just trying to put everything together to make it consistently work throughout the entire game. We have a big game on Thursday against West Islip, so hopefully we’ll be ready to go.”

Smithtown West starts off strong with 12-6 win

by Desirée Keegan - March 29, 2016

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Smithtown-West-girls-lacrosse-Natalia-Lynch-1-032816_Keeganw — Smithtown West senior Natalia Lynch makes her way down the field. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Smithtown West junior Chelsea Witteck tallied a game-high five goals and one assist. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Smithtown West junior Chelsea Witteck tallied a game-high five goals. Photo by Desirée Keegan

With help from Chelsea Witteck’s five goals and one assist, the Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team pulled away with a 12-6 victory over Sachem North Monday, putting the group’s first tally in the record book.

The Bulls came bursting out of the gates with senior midfielder Mackenzie Heldberg winning the first draw and getting the ball back to take it to goal for the 1-0 lead just 11 seconds in.

Off the ensuing draw, Heldberg won it again and brought the ball into Sachem North’s zone. A crossing pass was made and a shot missed, but the ball still managed to bounce in just seconds after the first goal.

At the 2:23 mark, Witteck scored off a quick pass in front of the net for a 3-0 advantage.

“In the first half we came out strong — winning the draws, finishing our shots,” the junior attack said. “I’ve been working on my shots and we’ve been working a lot on our plays and getting good looks and everyone can feed and play all over the field.”

Smithtown West sophomore Grace Langella wins up to pass the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The draw wins kept coming, and with them, came more goals. By the 14-minute mark, Smithtown West had an 8-0 lead before the Flaming Arrows put their first point on the board.

“Our offense is our strength,” assistant coach Peter Klement said. “We move the ball around real well when we handle it well.”

By halftime, the Bulls were up 11-2, but came out with less urgency in the second.

Again, 11 seconds in, Smithtown West scored. This time, it was Witteck off a feed from senior midfielder Natalie Lynch.

“I think we were pretty well-prepared for this,” Lynch said. “We worked really hard together in the first half and I think everyone really wanted this. I think we lost our fire in the second half a little bit, but we don’t have a team where just one person can score or two people can score, and that’s definitely a plus having so many different options.”

Smithtown West freshman Taylor Mennella gains control of the loose ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

After the first goal of the final 25 minutes, the Bulls wouldn’t score again. Sachem North controlled the tempo and dominated the time of possession, rattling off the final five unanswered goals, but the Flaming Arrows’ comeback effort was not enough, as Smithtown West’s early lead kept the team ahead.

Heldberg and sophomore attack Grace Langella finished with two goals and an assist apiece, and Lynch and junior midfielder Kayla Kosubinsky each added one goal and two assists.

“I think we got a little too comfortable and once we realized that we needed to play harder defense, get ground balls and run faster, I think we were able to pick it up,” Heldberg said. “On defense, we have a lot of returners so that keeps us strong. On offense, we blend very well and have so many options and we’re able to move the ball well and quick in transition. I’m excited — I think we’re going to have a great season.”

Smithtown athletic director proposes cross-country split

by Alex Petroski - March 10, 2016

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Tullo_Petroski_030816w — Smithtown cross-country runner Matthew Tullo addresses the Board of Education with members of the team and community standing in solidarity. Photo by Alex Petroski

The Smithtown boys and girls cross-country team is facing the possibility of a split, following the release of Athletic Director Patrick Smith’s budget for 2016-17 which includes a recommendation to separate the one unified team to create individual high school East and West teams. Cross-country is one of four sports in the district that includes athletes from both East and West on one unified team. An online petition to keep the team together had more than 1,100 signatures at the time of this publication.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Smith said that Section XI, Suffolk County’s sports-governing body, encourages the district to split any combined teams within districts with multiple high schools that are not under budgetary, facility or participation constraints. Smith said that none of those factors are a problem for Smithtown cross-country at this time. He recommended splitting the teams as a means to create more opportunities for student athletes. Section XI recommends splitting teams when possible, though Smith said it is not a mandate.

“It’s based on the philosophy of the district,” Smith said. “We wanted to provide more opportunities for kids.”

Smith said allowing more athletes the chance to be starters and share in the spotlight if the teams were separated would only increase the community- and family-feel that the athletes have said they fear losing. Smith also said thinking behind the change was to provide chances for more athletes to earn interest, and ultimately scholarships, from colleges.

Members of the team and parents have attended the last two school board meetings, on Feb. 23 and Tuesday, to voice their opinions about the potential split. About 40 members of the team and the community stood in solidarity with the athletes who spoke during the public commentary period of the meeting Tuesday.

“We, as athletes, find this decision to be devastating to our sport,” sophomore runner Matthew Tullo said on Feb. 23. “Our sport has a sense of community we have created by being unified by the Smithtown team.”

Tullo addressed the board again Tuesday night.

“We just want to know why this is happening,” Tullo said. “We don’t understand it. We’re a family. We act as one. We’re closest as friends can be, and to split this up, it’s nonsense. We all, standing here, showing our support, it should be moving.”

Junior cross-country runner Samantha Catalano expressed a similar sentiment on Tuesday, suggesting that East and West are rivals in most sports. Cross-country, gymnastics, swimming and bowling are the only high school sports that have one team for the two high schools.

“The team is a family, yet it is also an identifying aspect of our community, and keeping it combined simply makes sense,” Catalano said.

The district’s Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Karen Ricigliano, and Smith said the director plans to address the athlete’s concerns publicly at a board work session on Tuesday, March 15. The decision to split or keep the team unified will ultimately be decided by a school board vote.

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