Join the Rocky Point Civic Association for their annual Rocky Point Garden Tour, a self-guided tour through nine beautiful home gardens plus a docent led tour of the historic Hallock Homestead home and gardens, on Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, artwork, plants and garden supplies will be available for sale at several gardens. Held rain or shine. $20 per person. Tickets are available at Heritage Paint & Home Design, 637 Route 25A, Rocky Point and Flowers on Broadway, 43 Broadway, Rocky Point. For more information, call 631-521-5726.
The Rocky Point Unified Basketball team. Photo courtesy Richard V. Acritelli
By Richard V. Acritelli
Smiles, hustling and hard work are the best ways to describe what Rocky Point High School teacher Jessica Gentile has experienced and how she is motivated in her classes. In the transitional support skills course, Gentile and her devoted aides and students carry out an incredibly busy schedule.
Many of these students are almost finished with their second Unified Basketball season that began in late spring. The Unified Basketball team includes athletes with and without disabilities. With an eight-game schedule that features four games at home and four away, the eight-player team and eighteen partners, who assist the players, work together dribbling up the court, shooting and playing defense. Last game alone, Nick Argentieri acted as the “secret weapon” for this squad, as he shot four 3-pointers against the most recent opponent. Bryanna Estevez is legally blind, and she is moved up and down the court by her partner and placed in front of the net, where she has scored many points to help her team during the heat of these games.
Every game, fans intently observe the drive of these players to represent their school through the new seasons for unified athletics. Only within their second season, there is much jubilation on and off the court. Compared to last year’s slow start, they have already won three games, and they will complete their season this week.There are many moving parts in the coordination of the team, uniforms, transportation, student partners and aides who contribute to the course. Gentile appreciates all the care that is provided to her athletes, and they enjoy hearing English teacher James Parker announce this unique competition. She is also thankful to athletic director Jonathan Rufa’s unyielding efforts toward her team and players, calling him “absolutely awesome.”
Gentile stresses the need for comradery between the unified student-athletes and their partners. I Brennan Protosow, Kougar Buehler and Jackson Marte are partners in the program, and frequently visit their disabled teammates in the classroom as they are working on different tasks. Much of their conversation focuses on their upcoming games, basketball strategies and being together as a team. Rufa is excited about the future of unified athletics, and he observed, “Now in its second year under the dedicated leadership of coach Gentile, the Unified Basketball team stands as a testament to the profound impact of inclusion, teamwork and the continuous support of our town and school.” Gentile has had measurable help from teachers Danielle Sohngen and Andy Cooper and aides Deidre Carroll, Deanine DeRosa and Marlo Frascella-Iacona.
Graduating from Rocky Point High School in 1979, Bob Szymanski held various management positions at Cablevision and is currently a permanent substitute teacher. He has watched every game this season with a big smile. He said, “It warms the heart to see the joy in the faces of the players when they make a basket. It is equally heartwarming to see the athletic students assisting the players, demonstrating wonderful patience in helping carry out this outstanding game.”
Not only playing hard during basketball games and bowling in the winter, outside of the athletic lines, this wonderful group serves the high school and middle school community through Rocky Perk. Over the last couple of years, Gentile and her helpers deliver cups of coffee, tea, lemonade, iced tea and Arnold Palmers. They most recently added gourmet tacos to their menu that are prepared by Gentile and students in the classroom. Gentile stresses the need to create these meals from scratch and has established a growing cookbook. At their last taco lunch, over 50 meals were served in the high school and middle school. There were chicken and veggie tacos, chips, salsa, buffalo chicken and red pepper and mozzarella pennies. On June 5 there will be a celebration for the supporters of the Unified Basketball team that will start off with raspberry crumb cake and chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and a taco lunch with all the trimmings.
Next year, Gentile will be working with the gym teachers for unified physical education, with the hopeful future sports oftop golf and volleyball. Some of the students will be attending the Chief Executive Officer Program, which offers real-life job experiences/skills in places like Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Outback Steakhouse. Through all these endeavors, Gentile and her future classes, helping staff and student partners are all looking to the future of all these amazing educational and athletic activities. Summing up the strength of these programs, which are guided by Gentile and her support staff, Rufa said,“In just two years under coach Jessica Gentile’s guidance, our Unified Basketball team has grown into a family — where every basket, every cheer and every high five and fist-pound is a reminder of the power of necessary educational and athletic programs that make our school shine.”
For more information visit the school website: www.rockypointufsd.org
Collin Gerace pushes up-field for the Eagles. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point goalie Brogan Casper with a save. Photo by Bill Landon
David Almeida battles to pass the ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point’s Brennan Protosow looks up-field.
Nick Moore dives for a shot on goal for Rocky Point. Photo by Bill Landon
Collin Gerace pushes up-field for the Eagles. Photo by Bill Landon
Trevor Barrett fires at the cage for Rocky Point. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
The Rocky Point boy’s lacrosse team struggled from the opening face off in a road game against Mattituck on May 16 where the Tuckers peppered the scoreboard with eight unanswered goals before the Eagles could answer.
It was Rocky Point attackman Trevor Barrett’s shot on goal the broke the ice for Eagles scoring with five minutes left in the opening half.
Robert Walker’s shot on goal found its mark late in the third quarter but that was all the Eagles could muster in the 10-2 loss in the division II matchup, to conclude their 2025 campaign.
Rocky Point goalie Brogan Casper had his hands full in net with twenty saves on the day.
Studio 45 ribbon cutting. Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Bonner's office
On Sunday, April 13, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner attended the grand opening of Studio 45 in Rocky Point, a cardio dance and strength training facility owned by Dr. Kimberly Roff, an Associate Professor at Touro University .
Located at 53D Broadway, the studio offers health and wellness classes featuring a full body workout with cardio dance and teach elements of Yoga, Pilates, and kickboxing blended in as well as additional strength training. “I know the Rocky Point community is passionate about rebuilding and revitalizing Broadway and what a great idea to start a fully woman-owned business there,” said Councilwoman Bonner.
Studio 45 can be reached by calling 631-495-5668 or online at www.studio45rockypoint.com.
The Rocky Point High School cheerleading squad. Photo courtesy of Samantha Ferrara
By Rich Acritelli
Rocky Point High School won the New York State championship in varsity cheerleading on March 8 in Binghamton. Led by the big smile and the can-do attitude of their second-year coach Samantha Ferrara, the girls completed a memorable season. Ferrara is a 23-year-old graduate from this school district. During her first season, they won the nationals in Florida and in the previous year as a junior varsity coach the squad went undefeated.Over the last three years, Ferrara has been a no-nonsense, motivated, drama-free and caring coach.
From 2014 to 2019, Ferrara was an extremely capable “flyer.” As a seventh grader on a national championship team, she was one of the finest cheerleaders in this state as she was recognized with all-division and county honors. In 2018, she was picked as Suffolk County Cheerleader of the Year for her excellence in this sport. Ferrara was recruited by the universities of South Florida and Rhode Island but chose to cheer at Hofstra. After an elbow injury and the pandemic, she decided to retire from cheerleading and transferred to St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue to major in teaching secondary mathematics. Ferrara has already gained a wealth of experience as a substitute teacher at Rocky Point High School and had leave replacements at Baldwin High School and Longwood Junior High School.
This year, Ferrara led a combination of an experienced group of varsity girls and newer faces to replace six key graduates from last year’s team. Ferrara identified the will of this team, as keeping matters light and absorbing what they were taught, and quickly implemented it during practice and against opposing teams. Ferrara is thankful to be coaching at Rocky Point and feels that this position has been a “dream job” utilizing the lessons that were taught to her years ago that “nothing would be handed to you” and “we were taught to be the best.” And next to Ferrara is her trusted assistant Jessica Fleischer, a talented cheerleader and graduate of Sachem North. Both were on the 2018 All Long Island team and they cheered together at Hofstra University. Ferrara enjoys working with Fleischer and views her as an experienced coach.
Ava Almeida. Photo courtest Jonathan Rufa
Another feat accomplished during this year’s winter sports season was through junior Ava Almeida’s pole vaulting. Recently, this outstanding athlete earned a 10-foot height score and, for a second time, represented this school at the winter track and field state championship. Impressively, she tied the school winter record and scored first in Suffolk County and on Long Island. Starting this sport in the ninth grade, Almeida has constantly pushed herself to learn about this event and to follow an upper and lower body weightlifting regimen. Almeida looks back on this season and believes that her hardest competition was against Half Hollow Hills High School West and East Islip High School.
Almeida has been training with Apex Vaulting, which she says has been a tremendous support system. She recognizes the important tutelage of Rocky Point varsity girls coach John Mattia, who ensured that Almeida participated in additional meets. Only in her third year of pole vaulting, Almeida started jumping 7 feet and quickly improved to 10 feet last season. Through her daily schedule of lifting weights for the upper and lower parts of the body and conditioning, there has been tremendous improvement over the last year.
One of the strongest student athletes at Rocky Point High School, she is an honor student and has been placed on the principal’s list. Currently, she takes advanced physics, honors algebra and human anatomy; she plans to pursue a college degree that focuses on becoming a physician’s assistant. As she enters the spring season, Almeida is determined to pole vault 10 feet 6 inches for this outdoor track and field event. Almeida will surely return next season as one of the best pole vaulters on Long Island and perhaps in New York State.
Trevor Green. Photo courtesy the Green family
Trevor Green, a two-sport athlete, will return this fall as one of the best runners in all of Suffolk County. An impressive junior student-athlete, Green has already committed to the University of Minnesota for swimming.
Before the state tournament, Green was recognized as the most outstanding swimmer in Suffolk County and is highly regarded among his peers. Last week for two days, the best swimmers from Buffalo to Montauk traveled to Ithaca. During the first day, the boys swam in the time trials to determine if they would be swimming in the finals and for their lane placement.
Hearing the massive support that Green received from his family, friends and fellow swimmers, for two days Green dominated the pool. It was an exciting event, where these swimmers completed many different events and distances in front of a highly charged crowd of fans. Green swam well, but he expected to do better in his final race event.
Since he was nine years old, Green has emerged as a dominant backstroke and individual medley competitor (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle). Green placed second in the state in the individual medley and third in the state for the backstroke. In ninth grade, Green placed 14th in the 200-yard individual medley and second in the 500 freestyles. As a sophomore, Green took second and 14th in these same events. Next week, Green will be racing against some capable competition in the sectionals that are being held again at Ithaca College.
Heading toward his senior year, Green should be pleased with all his numerous achievements in both running and swimming. Looking at the state championships, Green believed, “I knew there was going to be good competition and would push me to good times. I wanted to rebound off my performance from last year and finish in the top three. I’ve been pushing myself hard in practice and it paid off.”
Congratulations to the mighty athletic results of coach Ferrara and the varsity cheer team, Almeida and Green on their abilities to shine against the rest of the state.
Pictured from left, Jeff Brett, Frank Asselta, Joe Cognitore and Jim Henke. Photo by Rich Acritelli
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6249 in Rocky Point will soon have a new roof thanks to a donation from King Quality Roofing and Siding. On March 19, the Long Island-based contractor will install a much-needed replacement roof for the VFW hall located at 109 King Rd., a vital hub for local veterans and the broader community.
The current roof is 20 years old and needs to be replaced. As a nonprofit organization, the VFW can now redirect the money saved on repairs toward supporting veterans and their families.
The Rocky Point VFW provides essential services to local veterans, offering financial aid and fundraising for veteran organizations. The post hosts key annual events, including the Joseph Dwyer PTSD Memorial 5K Run and the Warrior Golf Outing, which raises $45,000 annually to support veterans across Long Island.
When King Quality CEO Jeff Brett received a letter from Commander Joseph A. Cognitore requesting assistance with the roof, he immediately knew he wanted to help. Brett’s personal ties to the military and appreciation for service members made this project particularly meaningful.
“At King Quality, we are honored to support VFW Post 6249 and the veterans who have given so much for our country,” said Brett. “My grandfather was a World War I veteran who helped start a VFW in Port Jefferson Station, and my father served in the Navy during World War II. Their sacrifices inspire me every day, and I’m proud that King Quality can give back in this way.”
King Quality’s support for VFW Post 6249 doesn’t end with the roof. The company plans to donate siding and other materials in the future to assist with the post’s ongoing rehabilitation efforts.
“This generous donation from King Quality is a huge benefit to our organization and the veterans we serve,” said Cognitore. “By saving on roof repairs, we can redirect those funds to better support our veterans and their families. We’re incredibly grateful to Jeff and his team for their support.”
This roof donation is part of King Quality Cares, the company’s charitable arm that supports local charities and community organizations across Long Island. In addition to King Quality’s contribution, GAF and SRS Distribution are generously providing the roofing materials needed for the project.
For more information, visit https://www.kingquality.com.
The Rocky Point girls wrestling team warming up in practice – preparing for the upcoming tournament. Photo by Kristina Garcia
By Kristina Garcia
Rocky Point girls wrestling brought back more than just shiny new armor with them from Albany last week – memories and preparation proved to be even more valuable.
On January 25, Rocky Point girls wrestling took home the Journeymen Girls State Duals Championship Trophy. Photo by Kristina Garcia
And on Monday night, The Lady Eagles faced off in the first ever official Section XI Girls Wrestling Championship hosted at Comsewogue High School, where sophomore Lily Blenk and freshman Julianna Hernandez took first place in their weight class. They will now compete in the first official New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls Wrestling Championship on February 27 in Albany. The finalists also included Ava Capogna and Zoey Hernandez.
“I’m very proud of the entire team this whole season . . . progress in this sport is not always linear and it will include some highs and lows, but the important thing is to keep your head up and keep going on the right path. They all have etched their names into the history books of girls wrestling forever and they should be very proud of their progress as wrestlers, and more importantly the type of people that they are,” said head coach Anthony DeVito.
After their win in Albany, The NYS Journeyman Girls Dual Meet Wrestling Champions gathered Saturday morning to enter yet another week of intensive training for the Monday tournament. “They came together for one cause. The cause is the team,” said head coach Anthony DeVito. “WIT stands for whatever it takes, so whatever it takes for the team and the family.”
Senior captains Bridget Myers and Capogna touched on the importance of both physical and mental preparation heading into such an elite competition. “There were high-energy practices where we couldn’t stop moving, talking, and getting our mindset right, all while making sure that we knew what we had to do to win,” said Myers. “We were doing a lot of talking about our mindset, doing a lot of stuff with the coaches,” said Capogna. “We were working on a lot of technique and making sure it was perfect for when we went to states.”
As the team headed to the mats to compete in their individual duals at states, they brought with them belief. “By the time we were there, they understood that it was their dual meet tournament, they would take someone down and they were looking for points right away,” said coach DeVito.
“We were the loudest team,” said senior Clover Van Der Velden. Rocky Point girls wrestling left their mark in Albany after defeating Phoenix 39-25, Minisink Valley 45-17, and Shenendehowa 38-18; exemplifying discipline, focus, and control over the course of the tournament. Junior captain Angelica Smiech was the first dual of the day, setting the tone for Rocky Point’s championship run. “For a lot of people, including myself, you definitely wrestle more crazy when you’re practicing, but when you get out on the mat you’re so nervous with all the mental challenges,” said Smiech. “I knew I needed to win for our team, so I wrestled for more than me, and now I feel like I can do that again,” she said.
Ranked 17th in the country in her weight class, Julianna Hernandez has made history continuously for this Rocky Point team in just her freshman season. As a seventh grader, Julianna became the first girl to win the league wrestling title in Long Island against boys. A big team goal for this group is for the young ones to build from this experience for the future, and coach DeVito has a great deal of trust they will.
“It brought the team so much closer. We’re all from different schools and don’t always practice together, but when we did, I realized – wow, we are a family. We all put in work to achieve this goal. These are friends I’m going to have forever,” said Van Der Velden. “The support, it was like a family, it was amazing, and when we found out we won everyone was basically crying, it was insane, I will definitely remember that forever,” said Blenk.
Kristina Garcia is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
Trevor Green (left) and Casmere Anthony Leon Morrow. Photo by Richard V. Acritelli
By Richard V. Acritelli
Over the last week, two special students from Rocky Point High School achieved impressive athletic milestones.Trevor Green and Casmere Anthony Leon Morrow are both young men who are armed with big smiles and a can-do attitude to gain their goals in the swimming pool and basketball court.These two student-athletes certainly have a bright future after their impressive sporting moments at Rocky Point.
Junior Trevor Green is a two-time Suffolk County champion “B” runner, where he has been All-League, All-County, All-Conference and All-State several times.He is also a two-time New York State Federation runner who placed 9th this year.
In addition to running, he is one of the finest swimmers on Long Island and New York State. On Feb. 8, Green became the county champion in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.He also established new personal best records in front of a packed crowd and wild cheers.
For his brilliance in the pool, Green was given the Suffolk County Most Outstanding Award for Swimming.Over the next couple of weeks, Green will be training for the New York State swimming championships in Ithaca.Now a junior with several years of swimming experience, Green placed second as a freshman at Ithaca for the backstroke.Green also participates in the Three Village Swim Club, where he holds many swimming records at the Stony Brook University pool.
This past summer, Green traveled to the National Select Camp at Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the Olympic Training Center.Already a verbal commit to the University of Minnesota for swimming, this future engineering student is motivated to compete in the 2028 Olympic trials. Green embodies the true ethos of an athletic warrior. His concentration is established not only through his swimming, but also in his ability to juggle the rigors of athletics and attaining quality grades.A dedicated student-athlete, Green is a kind, considerate and able person who has made the school district proud of his many achievements.Green has a devoted cheering section from his parents and sister at every competition.
Playing in only his third year of varsity basketball, Morrow recently scored his 1,000th point for the Rocky Point Eagles. For the last several years at Rocky Point, Morrow flourished under the direction of his coach and guidance counselor James Jordan, who said, “this was truly an amazing accomplishment that was attained in only three years.He has changed his game to become a better rebounder and has the support of a balanced team around him.Currently in the county, he is ranked in the top five of scoring leaders, and tenth on Long Island.In over 22 seasons, it has been my hope to coach a player of Morrow’s caliber.”
A senior, Morrow is pleased to be preparing for the play-offs with his teammates. Morrow believes his team is usually the “underdog” during many of his games and over the last couple of weeks they have aggressively defeated opposing teams.
During a home game against Amityville, Morrow scored 28 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.An aggressive ball player who likes going to the net to score points, he would like to improve his shooting skills in college.Already with 1,028 points, Morrow wore a big smile on his face as he described the outstanding landmark of reaching the thousand-point mark, and he was happy that it was scored during a home game.
Athletic Director Jonathan Rufa is impressed with the accomplishments of these students and observed, “It feels like just yesterday that Morrow arrived at our school, presenting a new face of potential for this team. Morrow is a talented player that has pushed himself to become a 1,000-point scorer.This basketball triumph demonstrates an immense amount of commitment to this difficult game.”
On February 4, Councilwoman Jane Bonner (right) was at the Fischer VFW Post 6249 in Rocky Point where she led the swearing-in of the new Rocky Point Civic Association board members.
Pictured left to right are Dean Gandley (Treasurer); Quentin Palifka (Trustee); Alicia Palifka (Trustee); Kathleen Weber (Membership Secretary); Jennifer Hald (President); Tina Bogart (Sergeant at Arms); Thomas Buttacavoli (Vice President); Leah Buttacavoli (Trustee) and Councilwoman Jane Bonner (right).
“The Rocky Point Civic Association has worked for many years to help make the community a better place to live,” said Councilwoman Bonner. “I congratulate the incoming officers and look forward to working with them in the future.”
The Rocky Point Civic Association was founded to promote the welfare and quality of life in Rocky Point and the surrounding community. Regular meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month. For more information, go to www.RPCivic.org or email [email protected].
From left, Tracy Rannazzisi (Josie’s granddaughter), Celeste Santini (Josie’s daughter), Councilwoman Bonner, Josie Romano, Supervisor Panico, and Andrea Giampaolo (Josie’s daughter).
Photo courtesy of Dan Panico's Facebook
Councilwoman Bonner and Supervisor Panico stand next to Josie Romano. Photo courtesy Town of Brookhaven
On Jan. 15, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R) and Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) helped to celebrate the 100th birthday of Rocky Point resident, Josie Romano at the Rose Caracappa Senior Center in Mount Sina
Josie was born on January 15, 1925, in Harlem, and was raised in the Bronx. She married Louis Romano in 1946 and together they raised three kids – Celeste, Andrea, and Stephen – and now enjoy 7 grandkids and 10 great grandkids.
Josie spent her younger years delighting audiences across the country with her marionette puppets, did celebrity impersonations, tap danced, and taught line dancing at senior centers up until she was 95 years of age, including at the Rose Caracappa Senior Center.
A longtime volunteer at St. Anthony’s thrift store since 1987, she also cooked meals for seniors at the Sons of Italy and is a beloved part of the community, known for her grace, kindness, and dedication.
Asked what her secret was to such a long life, Josie said, “I love to eat, and once in a while a little drink, when I feel good. That’s about it, and I love to dance.”
