Home Authors Posts by Steven Zaitz

Steven Zaitz

145 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

Battle of the unbeatens: Northport vs. Whitman

by Steven Zaitz - January 12, 2023

0 871

1 of 27

When perennial powers Northport and Whitman squared off on Monday evening, not only was it a battle of unbeaten girls basketball teams, but it was also the night of the annual cancer awareness event in Northport called Score for a Cure.

Girls on both teams wore pink warm-up gear and had the names of people in their lives who have been touched by cancer hand-written on their shirts.

Legendary Northport Coach Rich Castellano took the microphone to thank the girls, coaches and fans for their support and fundraising efforts, as he has been stricken — and beaten — the dreaded disease twice in his lifetime. The all-time winningest girls basketball coach in Long Island history is one of the pioneers of the Score for a Cure program.

However, when the brief ceremony was over and the game had begun, there wasn’t a heck of a lot of scoring of the basketball. Neither team registered a point until Whitman Lady Cat Iris Hoffman hit a three pointer for the visitors with almost five minutes gone in the first quarter. Both teams combined to miss their first 11 field goal attempts.

“I can’t remember such a low scoring first quarter,” said the affable Castellano. “I thought we might make history and have a zero-zero game.”

Castellano’s hyperbole aside, he wasn’t far from the truth as the mighty Lady Tigers, who average 65 points a game, had a lonely field goal and a couple of free throws in the first quarter and trailed 8-4 after one.

The second quarter was vastly different.

Hard-nosed point guard Payson Hedges started to find cracks in the Wildcat defense, finding forward Kennedy Radziul inside for a layup and sophomore swingman Claire Fitzpatrick on the wing for a three pointer to start the period. Hedges stole the ball from Hoffman and scored on a driving layup to cap a 10-0 run with three minutes left in the half. Fitzpatrick would make another three-pointer — as would junior guard Kaylee Walsh — and Northport would lead 24-12 at the break.

“We haven’t really been defended better than we were defended tonight,“ Castellano said. “But we started to run some screens down low and Payson was very good at getting the ball to the right person.”

In the first half, starting shooting guard Brooke Kershow was uncustomarily not one of those people, having missed on all four of her field goal attempts.

But during one important stretch in the third quarter, she righted herself and the Lady Tigers in a big way. After the Wildcats trimmed the Tiger lead to just three in the first 5 minutes of the second half, Kershow hit a long bomb from the wing, a driving, two-handed layup and a mid-range jumper for seven straight points in barely over a minute of basketball. It jolted the momentum back to the Blue and Gold and gave them a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“I had a slow start, but it was sure nice to come out in the second half and help the team,” said Kershow.

Castellano, who has been coaching Northport for over 40 years, is a master of pushing the right buttons when he senses that a player would benefit from sitting and watching.

“I saw something was off with her shooting, so I gave her a breather,” Castellano said. “But Brooke is a great shooter and that little run of hers really turned the game for us at the end of the third.”

But Whitman wasn’t done. They whittled the lead down to three when sophomore forward Brianna Verga scored on a Euro-step layup with three minutes left in the contest to cap a 7-0 spree. The Lady Cats were one possession away from potentially tying the game.

But sharpshooter Walsh bagged a bomb from the left corner to give Northport a 40-34 lead with two minutes to go. Whitman called timeout and Walsh’s joyous teammates smothered her with hugs and high-fives.

“We are all so close as a team and never selfish with the ball,” said Walsh, who comes off the bench for Northport on most nights. “It’s great playing with the starters and knowing that they trust me with the ball. I felt pretty confident taking that shot and it felt great to see it go in, in such a big moment of the game.”

“If Kaylee has an open shot, I’ve told her a million times to take it,” Castellano said. “She is starting to not let the moments be too big for her and after making that one, I think it will help her confidence even more.”

Walsh’s three-bagger would be the dagger in what was a 43-36 final that saw no Lady Tiger score in double figures. Fitzpatrick had 9, as did Hedges who also had 7 assists. Radziul scored 8, Kershow 7 and Walsh’s two three-pointers were good for six. Hoffman led all scorers with 12 and Verga added 10.

What they lacked in offense, Northport made up for with defense and clutch shooting. They are now 9-0 in league play and Whitman drops to 7-1.

“Before every game, I write something on the whiteboard for the girls to think about,” Castellano said. “Today I wrote that I wanted them to find a way to grow. We didn’t play our typical game and we didn’t shoot particularly well, especially in that first half, but we were resourceful, played good pressure defense and hit big shots when we needed to steal back the momentum. So I think they read those words and we grew a little bit as a team tonight.”

Northport sports mom and volunteer doesn’t let medical diagnosis deter her

by Steven Zaitz - January 4, 2023

0 861

McNaughton and Boys Christmas Tree — Jennifer McNaughton, center, in a recent photo with her sons Ryan, left, and James. Photo from McNaughton family

A late November day in Western New York saw temperatures drop into the 20s with the wind chill making it feel close to zero.

Jennifer McNaughton with her boys when they were younger. Photo from the McNaughton family

Leftover snow from one of the biggest blizzards in modern history whistled around the football stadium at St. Francis High School in Hamburg in suburban Buffalo and there were no amounts of hot cocoa, blankets or layers of clothing that could make the conditions close to bearable.

Adding to the misery, the St. Anthony’s Friars football team that sat on a cold, dark bus for seven hours in search of a New York State Catholic championship, was getting destroyed — losing by 20 at halftime.

Despite this frozen hellscape of a situation Nov. 30, there was no other place Jennifer McNaughton, a St. Anthony’s Friars mom, would rather have been.

McNaughton, of East Northport, has two sons, Ryan and James. Ryan is a sophomore and plays on the offensive line for the Friars and senior James is currently one of the most successful long-distance runners on Long Island as a member of all three Northport Tigers track and field teams. Jennifer has always been extremely active in their academic and athletic careers from the time that they were small.

There’s a Mrs. McNaughton, or a Jen, in every town in America. You know — the mom who knows the correct link to order the gear, has practice and game schedules committed to memory, and always carts around a well-stocked cooler of Gatorade in the back of her truck.

From Cub Scouts den mother to Northport Tigers cross country booster club president to football mom, she is especially busy during the fall sports season, traipsing around the tristate area every weekend to support both of her boys. She is involved with several charitable endeavors and is one of the most well-liked and respected citizens of Northport.

Around the village, McNaughton cannot walk a short distance without someone stopping her to say hello, ask her a question or just shoot the breeze. But in late August, with the 2022-23 school year just days away, she started to have trouble walking a few feet for any reason at all and would lose her breath doing the simplest of tasks. After a few days of this, she and her husband, James, decided it was time for her to see the doctor.

The news was not good.

She was diagnosed with massive bilateral pulmonary embolism, in which hundreds of tiny clots impede blood flow in her lungs. Left unchecked, this disease is often fatal and even when checked, it can have extremely negative outcomes. Her first thought was about her family.

“It was James’ senior season and Ryan had made it on to one of the best football teams on Long Island and there was so much good coming to our family this year,” McNaughton recalled thinking in the doctor’s office. “Instead, everyone would remember it as ‘the year that mom died.’ That was very difficult for me to come to grips with.”

Her sons were not thinking about their athletic careers when they learned of her diagnosis.

“My mother has gotten me to the place where I am today,” said Ryan, who is one of a handful of underclassman to get starting reps for the Friars in 2022. “She has supported my brother and I for as long as we can remember in every conceivable way. When they told us what she had, it really knocked us off our feet. We weren’t expecting it to be something so serious. We were stunned.”

After a five-night hospital stay, where she was administered a course of blood thinners, McNaughton’s condition started to abate, and she was able to ease into normal activities around mid-September. Many of these activities entail getting her boys to where they need to be. But make no mistake about this — James and Ryan do not just compete at places like Hauppauge, Connetquot or Longwood like most Suffolk County high school athletes.

Jennifer McNaughton with her sons when they were younger. Photo from the McNaughton family

Ryan, who comes in the form of a sandy-haired, blue-eyed wrestler, had a stretch of four straight road football games that spanned September and October. Jen and husband James made stops in Piscataway, New Jersey; Rockland County; and the Bronx — twice. She saw every snap.

For James, who is a wiry and reed-thin 6 feet, 2 inches tall with dark eyes and wavy, jet-black hair, the mother routinely traveled to the Armory in Upper Manhattan; the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island; and even as far as Cicero, which is near Syracuse and is a six-hour drive.

“Whether I run well or don’t run well, it’s always good to know she’s there supporting me,” said Northport senior James, who was the fastest Long Island runner at the New York State cross country championships last month. His mother’s illness “was a huge shock and not something any of us contemplated dealing with. It felt like everything was going upside down.”

Upside down or not, Jennifer McNaughton was determined not to let this setback interfere with her boys and their sports or her other business and philanthropic pursuits. She was moving forward.

“I started to feel better, and I love watching my boys compete,” she said. “I also love being with the other parents who are supporting the teams because it’s like being in a family. These are the moments that I live for.”

Currently on a maintenance program with the blood thinners and her condition improved, she’s intent on organizing cross country team dinners and acting as emcee for raffles at Napper Tandy’s Northport, raising money for charities like the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for pediatric cancer whose Northport chapter has raised over $6 million since its inception in 2002.

She’s also a volunteer for Splashes of Hope, which supports county homeless shelters, veterans centers and children’s hospitals through the appreciation of art; and the Barbara Frost Community Fund, which raises money for underprivileged kids in Northport and is named for the beloved teacher at Bellerose Elementary who was killed by a drunk driver in 1993.

On top of these acts of philanthropy, McNaughton has since rebooted her successful party planning and private bookkeeping businesses that had been on pause.

Her friend and fellow Northport mom, Patricia Campoli, is happy to see McNaughton undertaking the things she loves to do.

“Between running a household, her jobs, volunteer work and her two boys, I really don’t know how she does it, said Campoli, whose two sons, Michael and Christian, are on the Northport Tigers football team. “She is so full of knowledge on everything that happens in the community, and she is a wonderful person and a great friend who does everything with a smile on her face. I’m so happy she’s back because I know she loves doing as much as she can, and we love having her here.”

McNaughton has reasons to smile. “I feel so lucky to still be alive,” she said. “I get up every morning and I cry tears of joy and thank God that I’m still here to do the things I took for granted before my illness.”

For her family, and all the people whose lives she touches around the village, they too feel lucky. As a little bit of added fortune, the St. Anthony’s football team overcame that three-touchdown deficit from St. Francis to win the state Catholic championship, 27-20, on that snowy day near Buffalo — some delicious icy frosting on the 2022 McNaughton family cake.

There are many aspects to Jennifer McNaughton’s benevolent work for the Northport community and her devotion to family, especially in the face of her recent illness, which is why TBR News Media names her a Person of the Year for 2022.

Rich Tomitz thinks big for the St. James-Smithtown Little League

by Steven Zaitz - December 29, 2022

0 669

Rich-tomitz-action — Rich Tomitz, above left and below right, in his element, coaching members of the St. James-Smithtown Little League. Photo by Steven Zaitz

Throughout his tenure as president of the St. James-Smithtown Little League, and over the course of his life, Rich Tomitz has always been a big dreamer.

Rich Tomitz, above left and below right, in his element, coaching members of the St. James-Smithtown Little League. Photo by Steven Zaitz

So much so, that when his friends and associates tell him that he is out of his mind or he is wasting his time with his latest ambitious project or idea, he has a simple response for them: “It’s my time to waste.”

Thanks to this defiant determination, hundreds of Zoom calls and a dash of Tomitz’s legendary enthusiasm and panache, there are now two gleaming artificial turf baseball fields for the kids of Smithtown and beyond to enjoy.

With the help of Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim’s (R) office, the Smithtown Parks, Buildings & Grounds Department and internal fundraising campaigns, Gaynor Park and Veterans Memorial Park in St. James have been modernized. What the naysayers labeled a pipe dream, Tomitz turned into reality.

“Both fields are beautiful,” Tomitz said. “It took a lot of phone calls and favors that I had to cash in, but we got it done. Ed Wehrheim and the Smithtown parks department were very supportive and getting these fields redone was truly a team effort.”

In addition to being more resistant to bad weather, the project resulted in the fields getting enhanced safety features, dugouts and backstops. Even the surrounding playgrounds and landscaping got makeovers, thus improving quality of life for non-baseball kids, too. Personalized bricks adorn the area behind home plate at Gaynor and serve as a nostalgic touch to players and families, past and present.

“There is nothing quite like building a park where our young residents can enjoy and build lifelong memories,” Wehrheim said. “This was truly a private and public partnership and was a great example of what can be done when there is community collaboration.”

Tomitz, a former Wall Street worker, took over SJSLL in 2017, and he has devoted much of his time to the kids of this community for close to a decade as a board member. The league serves over 600 area boys and girls from ages 4 to 13 and competes in the national Williamsport Little League tournaments for baseball and softball every year.

“I’ve known Rich since the sixth grade, and he’s always had the gift of gab,” said Peter Famighetti, who is treasurer of SJSLL and grew up with Tomitz in New Hyde Park.

“To know him is to love him, and I really think that it took somebody like Rich to bring all the necessary parties together along with effective fundraising to get the wheels in motion for the new fields,” Famighetti said.

Tomitz’s wheels didn’t stop turning there.

Rich Tomitz with members of one of the St. James-Smithtown Little League teams

With the upgrade to Gaynor and Veterans Memorial parks, he has been able to realize another dream — having the New York State softball championship tournament held locally.

Tomitz, Peter Russo, Sean Singh and Eric Hanson coached the 11-and-under Smithtown softball team during their state championship run in Rochester this past summer and while there, they had a group epiphany — we could host this tournament in our town and make it extra special.

After four months of negotiating with multiple parties locally and in Rochester and again working closely with Wehrheim, Tomitz and his project team struck a deal to move the tournament here.

In July of 2023, the state softball championships for 10U, 11U and 12U will be held on the new fields in the town, and it promises to not only be exciting, nearly month-long competition, but a family friendly extravaganza for Smithtown and visiting families from across New York state.

“This is a huge opportunity for Smithtown and our league to showcase where we live as well as our new fields,” Tomitz said. “We plan to make it a great family experience and I think that will not only be great for the kids, but also for the restaurants and hotels. Smithtown is the greatest place in the world to live and we can’t wait to show our New York state neighbors what we have to offer: baseball movie night on the outfield grass, ‘50-foot-long subway sandwiches,’ balloon animals … you name it, we’ll have it.”

“I’m ecstatic about the softball tournament coming to town,” Wehrheim said. “Hosting these types of major tournaments was a big part of why we invested in the renovations of these parks. The tournament will be great for tourism and will generate an uptick in commerce and small businesses. It will put our park system on the proverbial map and inspire our community youth to engage in the sport of softball. We’re excited to host so many families and looking forward to welcoming the tournament to Smithtown.”

Singh, whose daughter Jiselle is the starting shortstop for the champion 11U softball team, would love to repeat the triumph in 2023 in front of a hometown crowd.

“I’m honored to be a part of something so special,” coach Singh said. “Rich is a pillar of the community and of the league, and he has gone above and beyond to help our athletes grow and develop. When I moved out here, he shared his vision of rebuilding the Smithtown softball program from the ground up and when he asked me to help him do this, I knew I could not say ‘no.’ The result was the first-ever state softball championship in Smithtown’s history and now we’re hosting it, it’s a really special achievement.”

Tomitz’s daughter Nadia, who just turned 11 and plays second base for the champs, beams with pride over her dad and the efforts he has put forth for the team, the league and the town.

“I love my dad and he’s the best,” Nadia said. “He’s always on the phone, talking about something and trying to do good things for all the kids. He never stops talking about this stuff.”

Even with the tournament secured, Tomitz’s talking has just begun. Over the next few months, he will focus on securing vendors, sponsors, entertainment and housing just to name a few. Plus, he still has the regular business of the Little League to deal with. Despite all of that, he intends to take his place in the dugout as part of the coaching staff of the 11U team that is looking to repeat as state champions.

“We want to win two in a row,” he said. “And I want to be there for every second of that.”

Win or lose, it surely will be time very well spent. For his enterprise on behalf of SJSLL, TBR News Media is pleased to name Tomitz a Person of the Year for 2022.

Close games turns into a rout for Smithtown West Bulls

by Steven Zaitz - December 22, 2022

0 910

A malfunctioning fire alarm caused a 48-minute delay in the middle of the third quarter of the Smithtown West vs. Northport boys basketball game on Saturday.

A close game before the stoppage turned into a rout for the Bulls, as they won 68-41. Northport was ahead 31-27 at halftime and were down by only four with 3:07 left in the third quarter when the alarm bells began to sound.

Smithtown West exploded with 31-8 after play resumed, including an 11-0 run to end the third quarter.

This was a part of a 19-2 run that spanned the end of the first half to the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Jack Melore scored 26, including 4 three pointers, for the Bulls who remain undefeated at 5-0. Center Patrick Burke had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for West. Northport’s Andrew Miller scored 18 points, 14 in the first half, as the Tigers dropped their first game of the year and are 4-1. Brendan Carr had 8 points and Emmett Radziul had 6 for Northport.

As for the delay, first responders from Hauppauge and Central Islip were on the scene within minutes and approximately a dozen fully-uniformed firefighters investigated the premises accompanied by Smithtown Central School District officials. It was determined that a faulty smoke detector caused the alarm — the second time in a week such a situation had occurred.

According to SCSD Director of Facilities Dan Leddy, the fire alert system for the entire district is currently being modernized with Smithtown West High School the first building to have a new fire safety monitoring system installed. This work should be completed district-wide before the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Northport varsity cheerleaders excel in weekend double dip

by Steven Zaitz - December 9, 2022

0 1585

1 of 19

The Northport varsity cheerleaders competed in two separate competitions in two different states this past weekend and came out with two bids to compete on the national stage.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, they boarded a pre-sunrise bus to the Universal Cheerleading Association’s Pocono Regionals held in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where they competed in two separate divisions — Game Day and Traditional. Cheer teams from all over the Northeast strutted their stuff, and Northport placed 3rd in the Game Day category and 9th in Traditional.

Based on this performance, they earned bids to compete in both categories at the U.C.A. championship held in Walt Disney World in February 2023 — the first time an N.V.C team has ever accomplished this.

The travel-weary troupe were back at it early Sunday morning in a Suffolk County competition and placed 4th in their first local competition of the season. Host school Longwood came in first.

The team is made up of seniors Kate Sheahan, Hailey Trudwig, Hailey Smolcnop, Stephanie Downey, Bridget Caulfield, Maddie Cianelli, juniors Olivia Robert, Alexa Ehrlich, sophomores Allie Bartholomew, Alexa Garrison, Emily Nichols, Sophia Stern, Lorena Della Vecchia, Brooke Wenger, Lindsay Grabowski and eighth-grader Marley Caccamo. It is led by Coach Steph Walsh.

Opening night is a whale of a start for Northport boys basketball

by Steven Zaitz - November 30, 2022

0 1522

1 of 23

In an impressive opening night performance, the Northport Tiger boys basketball team crushed the Pierson High School Whalers, 77-44, in a non-league matchup.

Senior guard Emmett Radziul hit seven three-pointers in eight attempts and finished with a game-high 25 points, despite not playing very much at all in the second half against the visitors from Sag Harbor. The Tigers had a 44-19 lead at the break.

Northport junior point guard JoJo Cipollino, making his first varsity start, had 12 points and five assists. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches, he wowed the crowd with entertaining dribble penetration and dishes to open teammates. Despite making his debut as a Tiger starter, Cipollino insists he wasn’t nervous.

“Coach (Andrew D’Eloia) had a great game plan so collectively we all felt we were well prepared,” Cipollino said. “Once the game started, I just concentrated on what I had to do.”

Power forward Andrew Miller had nine points and was rested in the second half. The 6-foot-5-inch Owen Boylan and swingman Timothy Fitzpatrick both had seven.

The Tigers played without stars Brandan Carr and Jonathan Alfiero, both of whom were major contributors to last year’s Tiger team that made it to the Suffolk County Final game against Half Hollow Hills East. The Tigers lost that game to the Thunderbirds, but if this opening night win is any indication, they have restocked the cupboard for another run at that title.

Northport opens its conference schedule at home against West Islip on Friday, Dec. 9.

Tigers end 2022 at county final

by Steven Zaitz - November 21, 2022

0 1057

1 of 17

Despite taking a two touchdown lead just four minutes into the game, the Northport Football Tigers were beaten, 35-14, by Bellport in the Suffolk County Conference II final at Stony Brook University last Friday.

Christian Raio returned the open kickoff for a touchdown, and Andrew Miller took a direct snap for a score after a Bellport turnover. After that, there was not a lot to cheer about for the Blue and Gold.

Donte Phillips ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Clippers, and their defense forced two turnovers and also blocked a punt — all of which led to Bellport touchdowns. Jason Hunt blocked that punt and ran the ball into the end zone three plays later, making the score 14-6 in favor of Northport.

The Tigers fumbled twice more in the first half, and Bellport led, 20-14, at halftime. The second half was all about Phillips and the Clipper’s stifling defense. Northport generated only 110 yards of total offense for the game. Tiger quarterback Macklin O’Brien was 3 for 18 for 18 yards through the air.

Phillips, who is also a key member of the Clipper defense, wasn’t worried about the early deficit.

“After we got down by 14, we all had to take a moment and remember what we set out to do and how and why we got here,” Phillips said. “We never panicked, and in my opinion, we played our best defensive game of the year tonight.”

The Clippers (10-1) will play the mighty Garden City Trojans (11-0) at Hofstra for the Long Island Championship on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Garden City has won seven straight Nassau Championships and beat Bellport, 14-6, last year to win the LIC. The Trojans have won 29 straight games overall, dating back to 2019.

Northport overcame much adversity this year in losing their starting quarterback, Owen Johansen, midway through the season and had key members in and out of the lineup throughout the playoffs. They finished 2022 with a record of 8-3.

Northport Tigers lick Lindenhurst Bulldogs, advance to County Final against Bellport

by Steven Zaitz - November 18, 2022

0 470

1 of 4

By Steven Zaitz

Almost exactly one year ago, the Northport Football Tigers held a two-touchdown lead against perennial power Lindenhurst and were six minutes away from playing for a Suffolk County title.

But a missed extra point, a ton of costly penalties and two late scores by the Bulldogs were all part of a disastrous 4th quarter sequence that ended the Tigers’ season on that cold, wet and dreadful night on the Great South Bay. Northport would need to wait fifty-one weeks for a chance at retribution. They would have it.

In a stirring performance, led by backup quarterback Macklin O’Brien’s three touchdown tosses and a relentless pass rush that registered nine sacks, the Tigers crushed Lindenhurst this past Saturday, 21-7 in Northport, to advance to the Suffolk Conference II Final against the Bellport Clippers. This high-stakes game will be played at Stony Brook University on Friday, November 18.

O’Brien, filling in for Tiger star QB Owen Johansen, who broke his ankle against Bellport and was lost for the season four weeks ago, had his best day throwing the ball. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 149 and three scores and did not turn the ball over — a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3.

Despite the pressure growing with each passing round of the playoffs, O’Brien has remained cool and collected on the field and off. “I just try to stay focused and keep improving,” said the lanky senior. “When I first stepped in for Owen, I had some pretty big shoes to fill but with each week, I’ve gotten more comfortable.”

The Tigers lost that game against Bellport, when O’Brien was thrust into the spotlight midway through the first quarter. Since then, The Tigers are 4-0 in games he has started.

“Macklin works hard, and he’s always worked hard, that’s just the way he is,” said Tiger Head Coach Pat Campbell. “He’s a really good athlete and I know some people felt the sky was falling when Owen got hurt, but nobody in our room felt that way. Good teams pick each other up and rely on the guy next to them and I think having that mentality from everyone —players and coaches — has fostered success for the whole team and for Mack.”

The opening drive of the game was a symbol of this success for O’Brien as well as their All-Suffolk tight end Andrew Miller. Miller took a short rollout pass from O’Brien and rambled 56 yards down the far sideline on the very first play from scrimmage. Miller would score three plays later beating double coverage in the back-right corner of the end zone and the Tigers led 7-0 barely two minutes into the game.

Despite this explosive start, the rest of the first half was kind of a snooze-fest, as the teams traded fruitless drives in and around the middle of the field for the better part of two quarters.

However, with less than a minute to go in the half, Lindenhurst quarterback Christian Capogna scrambled for 20 yards to the Northport 12-yard line. On the next play, Bulldog superstar Chris Carson, who is a finalist for the Hansen award that is given to the Most Valuable Player in Suffolk County, caught a touchdown pass at the pylon with six seconds remaining in the half. This tied the score at 7-7 and took a lot of the air out of the blue and gold balloon going into halftime.

But it would get refilled in short order.

After stopping Lindenhurst three and out to start the second half, the combination of O’Brien to Miller would do damage again as they connected on a 38-yard TD strike down the middle of the field. Miller beat his man, safety Dominick Artale, on a simple post pattern and O’Brien lofted a perfect rainbow to Miller just as he crossed the goal line.

Miller had his second touchdown catch of the day and the Tigers took the lead back with just three minutes gone in the 3rd quarter.

“Macklin has adjusted great, and he’s been very focused since he took over the offense,” said Miller. “On the second touchdown, I made a move to get the defender to flip his hips and Mack threw a great ball that led me right into the end zone.”

Miller had 4 receptions for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. He also had a big third down run with a 12 yard rush up the middle, keeping a drive alive in the third quarter. This led to a 31-yard TD dart from O’Brien to wide receiver Nick Valenti, giving the Tigers a 21-7 lead. It was quite a day for Miller, but his offensive output is only half the story.

The senior is also a big part of the Tiger defense that took up residence in the Bulldog backfield all day. In addition to the nine sacks, one of which was by Miller, Northport limited Lindenhurst to a puny 110 yards of total offense and there would be no blown leads for the Tigers this time around.

Defensive linemen Matt Diaz and Nick Tzimas each had three sacks and All County linebacker Tim Cleary had one. Safety Michael Campoli had nine total tackles, and linemen Thomas Kraus and Matt Lugo had seven each in what was a master class in defensive football. Campbell has pushed all the right buttons this year in increasing reps for guys who had reduced roles before Johansen’s injury. Tzimas, who just started playing organized football this year, is one of those guys.

“It’s been a bit of a learning curve, especially in the beginning,” said Tzimas, who is also a star lacrosse defenseman for the Tigers. “It’s very cool to be able to make an impact and it seemed like every play at least one or two of us was chasing down their quarterback.”

Lindenhurst switched up their offensive alignment on the fly, trying in desperation to find anything to generate sustained drives. Nothing worked.

Carson, who can do anything asked of him on a football field, is primarily a wide receiver. But Lindenhurst Head Coach Nick Lombardo had him running a wildcat-type offense at quarterback for a good chunk of the second half. He was bottled up for much of what must have been a frustrating day, his last in a Lindenhurst uniform.

“We didn’t play Lindy-tough football today,” said Carson. “There is nobody to really point the finger at. It was all of us and there really is no excuse for it.”

The Tigers manhandled the Bulldogs in the regular season meeting, beating them 19-0 in early October. Dominating a team of this caliber by a composite 40-7 is no small feat and thus they are rewarded with their first trip to a final such as this since they won the Large School Championship in 1991. They beat Bellport 28-9 that day and the rematch comes 31 years later with the stakes just as high.

“We’ve had a nice year and a lot of success so far,” Campbell said. “The way the chips have fallen this year, we’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity. The kids are the ones that make it all happen and I’m just interested to see where it all ends up.”

As the Tigers face the team that dealt them their last loss, knocked out their star player and in many ways, set them on their current trajectory, the entire Suffolk County High School Football universe will be watching with interest as well.

Northport wins in overtime playoff thriller

by Steven Zaitz - November 9, 2022

0 1090

1 of 40

When a guy makes a costly error on the baseball diamond and comes up to bat in the ninth inning and gets a big hit to win the game, the broadcaster will invariably say that baseball is a game of redeeming features.

We don’t hear that phrase used in football very much.

Northport senior defensive back Nick Valenti found out on Saturday that the gridiron also can be a place for redemption.

With a minute left in the third quarter of the Tigers opening round playoff game against Connetquot, Valenti was burned in man-to-man coverage for an 80-yard touchdown by Thunderbird wide receiver Tommy Malvagno. It cut the Tiger lead to 28-21 and sent an inconsolable Valenti to his bench to stew.

“I was pretty upset about giving up that TD,” said Valenti, who the week before, returned an interception for a touchdown in the regular season finale against West Babylon. “We just made a huge play to go up by 14, and I gave it right back to them.”

That huge play was an 84-interception yard return for touchdown by Tiger linebacker Matthew Lugo who plucked a pass out of the air that was deflected by teammate Andrew Miller. The momentum was with the Tigers and their roaring fans. After Malvagno’s explosive play, that momentum flipped right back to the Silver and Red, down by only one score heading to the fourth quarter.

“Nick was being aggressive there and jumped in,” said Northport head coach Pat Campbell. “He (Malvagno) gave him a little juke, got past him and they made a play. But Nick makes plays for us too.”

Valenti has made plays all year. He has 13 catches for 185 yards as a receiver, has been very stingy in coverage and also had that game-changing pick against the Eagles on the road in North Babylon. Would he get another opportunity to help his team advance?

Connetquot would tie the score midway through the fourth by the end of regulation, both teams had overcome 14-point deficits. The game would need to go to overtime; the winner advancing to the semi-final round of the Suffolk II playoffs. The loser’s season would die on the Tiger Stadium turf.

Overtime rules dictate that the teams trade possessions until one team outscores the other in the exchange. Each possession starts 20 yards from the end zone.

Northport got the ball first and mustered only a Billy Griffiths’ field goal to take a rickety 31-28 lead. The Thunderbirds could now win the game with a touchdown.

“I wasn’t exactly comfortable with only getting three points there,” Campbell said.

With the way Connetquot moved the ball, the coach’s concern was justified. The T-birds had 366 yards of total offense on the day and only needed another 20.

Pepitone started his counterattack by pitching the ball left to running back Michael Buttino. Buttino was hit immediately by Tiger safety Christian Raio, and Valenti looped around Buttino’s back and batted the ball out of his hand. Northport linebacker Thomas Kraus fell on the ball and the game was over.

But the celebration had just begun.

Led by Valenti and Kraus, the entire Tiger team stormed down the field towards the scoreboard, in a wild, jubilant display — a massive and jumping sea of blue and white. Legendary Lacrosse Coach Carol Rainson-Rose, who also serves as occasional public address announcer, was gleefully saying something over the microphone but was being drowned out by the raucous crowd and blaring marching band.

Valenti was redeemed.

“I really did some thinking on the sidelines and my teammates told me to keep my head straight and make the next play,” said the relieved Valenti. “So, it felt great to force that fumble and send them home.”

One of those teammates was running back Michael Campoli who broke off another huge run — a 54 yard touchdown late in the first half to get Northport on the board. The Tigers trailed in this game 14-0, the second week in a row they were in such an early hole.

“I gave him (Valenti) a little tough love,” said Campoli, who finished with 112 yards on the ground. “I told him to not let that play define who he is and that he is still a great player.”

With Connetquot still leading 14-7 late in the second quarter after Campoli’s TD burst, T-bird quarterback Nick Pepitone, who threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns, floated a long pass against a heavy wind into a crowd of blue shirts. Tiger DB Evan Gaumont picked it off and returned it to midfield. RB Andrew DeMarco scored moments later, tying the game at the half. Miller had a big 30-yard catch and run to set up the score.

“Andrew Miller was flat out dominant on both sides of the ball,” Campbell said. “He was the best player on the field today and I would say it was the best game of his career. He’s just a great, great player and one of the best kids I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach.”

Miller had 103 yards receiving, including a touchdown, sprung Campoli with a kick-out block on his touchdown run, led the way on Lugo’s pick-six, and terrorized Pepitone all day long from his defensive end spot.

“I think this game was one of my personal bests,” said team captain Miller, who will attend West Point Military Academy in September of 2023. “It fills me with joy to continue playing with this group of guys and we have a lot more to give. We have a great opportunity this week against Lindenhurst.”

Ah, yes, Lindenhurst. One of Northport’s oldest and most heated rivalries, this will be a case where both teams will have revenge on their mind. Last year, on a cold, misty night in Lindenhurst, the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes of the game to stun Northport and deprive the Tigers of a chance to play for the county championships. The Tigers are still bitter about this loss.

This bitterness sweetened somewhat six weeks ago when Northport blanked the Dogs, and their all-purpose superstar Chris Carson, 19-0, at Northport.

“Lindenhurst is a very tough team, they are well-coached, and Chris Carson is one of the best players in our league,” Campbell said. “I’ve heard all the talk about how they want payback on us because we shut them out, but we haven’t forgotten what happened in the playoffs last year either. I’m not going to say anything more about that. We’ll let what happens on the field decide it.”

Smithtown West boys soccer on to finals after shootout win

by Steven Zaitz - November 2, 2022

0 1487

1 of 8

In a bitterly fought match that went scoreless for 100 minutes of regulation and overtime, the Smithtown West Bulls beat the Northport Tigers, 1-0, in the Suffolk County boys soccer semifinal on Monday. The game was decided by penalty kicks — the last of which coming from a surprising source.

In a game that saw five yellow cards and countless hard tackles and collisions, West goalkeeper Landon Schneider came out of his net, where he played brilliantly the entire match, to score the game-winning penalty kick. After five successful penalty kicks by both teams, Northport missed on its sixth attempt.

Having been replaced in goal for the penalty kicks by backup Brendan Madden, Schneider stepped in for the sixth and game-winning kick and calmly drilled it into the left side of the net.

Schneider and Northport goalkeeper Tommy Pace both made a number of acrobatic saves, but none was better than Schneider’s save of Richie Bender’s point-blank blast in the 95th minute that would have been a sudden-death victory for Northport.

Smithtown West (12-4-1) will now battle Connetquot (14-2-3) for the Suffolk AA Championship on Thursday Night at Comsewogue High School. Northport finished 12-6-1 on the year.

Prev 1...131415 Next

Page 14 of 15