Photography

Kings Park hosted the Wildcats of Shoreham-Wading River in a girls soccer matchup Tuesday, Sept. 19, when the Lady Kingsmen struggled to find the net in this League III contest.

The Wildcats struck 14 minutes into the opening half when freshman Shealyn Varbero stretched the net to take the lead into the halftime break. The Wildcat defense was able to keep Kings Park at bay when sophomore Mia Mangano scored the insurance goal for the Wildcats with 19 minutes left in regulation to lead 2-0 for the final score.

Shoreham-Wading River goalkeeper Morgan Lesiewicz had five saves and Kings Park goalie Alex Scott stopped 14. The win lifts the Wildcats to 4-1 in the early going, and Kings Park drops to 2-1-1.

— Photos by Bill Landon

After dropping the first three games of this early season, the Comsewogue boys volleyball team notched its first win defeating Central Islip a day earlier and looked to make it two in a row when hosting West Babylon Thursday, Sept. 14. 

Comsewogue led the first set from start to finish, but the team found itself trailing by five in the second set. 

Still, the Warriors managed to rally back to win it and take the match, sweeping the Eagles 25-21, 25-13, 25-16.

The win lifts the Warriors to 2-3 on the season. They will retake the court with another home game against Smithtown East Sept. 19. Game time is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

– Photos by Bill Landon

The Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats kicked off their 2023 campaign looking to continue their winning ways of last season by hosting Elwood-John H. Glenn at Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field Friday night, Sept. 8, but a win wasn’t in the cards as the Wildcats fell, 21-13. 

John Glenn scored three minutes into the second quarter, holding the Wildcats scoreless at the halftime break. Wide receiver Michael Casey broke the ice for the Wildcats off a 10-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tyler Hermanns in the third quarter to trail, 14-7. Glenn answered back in the final 12 minutes of play to make it a two-score game before Sean Casey — Michael’s twin brother — found the end zone on another 10-yard pass from Hermanns for the final score.

The Wildcats will look to put a “W” in the win column with another home game Thursday, Sept. 14, when they host Wyandanch. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

– Photos by Bill Landon

Rocky Point’s Ryan Meyers goes the distance. Photo by Bill Landon

It was a high scoring game when the Hauppauge Eagles swooped in for a road game against the Rocky Point Eagles in the season opener, but Hauppauge exploded in the second quarter and never looked back, securing a 61-22 victory in the League III matchup Friday, Sept. 1. 

John Margolies led the way for Hauppauge with three touchdowns along with a pick six for another score. Teammate Christian Russo had 185 yards rushing on 12 carries for three touchdowns of his own.

Rocky Point quarterback Jeremy Graham scored on a short yardage run and threw a pair of touchdown passes.

Hauppauge retakes the field Friday night, Sept. 8, when they’ll host Amityville at 6 p.m. Rocky Point travels to East Hampton the following day with a 2 p.m. start.

– Photos by Bill Landon

Photo by John Dielman

FREE FOOD DELIVERY

John Dielman captured this amazing shot of a male osprey heading back to its nest with a fish in its talons on Sept. 3 in his hometown of East Setauket.

One of the larger birds of prey, ospreys have an average wingspan of five feet. Fish represent about 99 percent of their diet. According to The National Wildlife Federation, after an osprey catches a fish, it arranges its feet to turn the fish so it faces head-first. This reduces aerodynamic drag, making the fish easier to carry.

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The Comsewogue Warriors hosted the Newfield in their home opener but struggled to gain traction in the nonleague matchup falling to the Wolverines 4-0 Friday Sept 1. 

Newfield’s Jaidyn Schuman led the way for the Wolverines with a pair of goals along with teammates Audrianna Scott and Emily Wall who each scored a goal apiece. Adrianna Francese had six saves for the Wolverines and Comsewogue’s Grace Peyton stopped 10.

– Photos by Bill Landon

The Lady Royals of Port Jefferson, the defending class C Long Island Champions, continued their winning ways when they opened their season at home against the Greenport/Southold Clippers Thursday, Aug. 31. 

With Port Jeff handily winning the first two matches, the Clippers wouldn’t go quietly as they threatened late in the third match, trailing by two points in the set and desperately trying to force a game four. 

The Royals settled in for the final few points in the game to sweep Greenport 25-11, 25-9, 25-22 in this League VII matchup.

Senior co-captain Olivia Sherman led the way with 11 kills as sophomore McKayla Pollard had two blocks and five kills. Lina DeLeo, a freshman, killed three. Libero Ava Reilly had 14 digs, and teammate Bianca Nakagawa notched 18 assists.

The Lady Royals retake the court for another home game against Babylon on Sept. 7, with first service scheduled for 5 p.m.

– Photo by Bill Landon

Photo by Gretchen Oldrin-Mones

MASTER OF DISGUISE

While removing a downed tree on the Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail during a Friends of the Greenway cleanup on Aug. 19, Gretchen Oldrin-Mones of Stony Brook spotted this praying mantis and snapped a photo with her iPhone. She writes, “It was almost invisible on a small brown branch, but as it moved to a green leaf it stopped and posed for this ‘portrait.’

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Photo by Elyse Benavides

TO CACHE OR TO EAT? THAT IS THE QUESTION

Elyse Benavides of Coram spied this blue jay with its favorite food, a peanut, in its beak outside her window on Aug. 13 and snapped this beautiful photo. According to the Wild Birds Unlimited website, blue jays will cache seeds and nuts to retrieve later, and make repeated trips to feeders to gather food and hide it in a safe spot. Research studies have recorded blue jays making over 1,000 trips per day when hiding food, earning them the nickname ‘the Caching Extraordinaire.’

Photo by Chris Bauer

FLY ME TO THE MOON

Chris Bauer of Crab Meadow (Northport) walked down to the Crab Meadow Beach parking lot on Aug 1 to capture the “Sturgeon Moon” as it rose but because of the angle it came up, the parking lot lights, and the trees, was not able to get any usable shots. 

He writes, “I walked back down on the following night but stopped short of the beach parking lot to avoid the lights and set up along Waterside Avenue shooting over the Jerome Ambro Wetland Preserve. Once the moon started rising above the trees I was able to get my camera settings correct for a great shot when I noticed the blinking red lights of an approaching jet airliner. With my remote shutter I waited hoping it was going to cross in front of the moon, as it did. I took about 12 shots in quick order but selected this one where I caught the red lights on. I will be out there again for the Blue Moon on August 30.”