High School Sports

By Bill Landon

Comsewogue, the No. 2 seed, had its hands full in the final minute of the Class B boy’s lacrosse semifinal against its third-seeded visitor, West Islip.

Warrior goalkeeper Adam Wachholder had two clutch saves against a surging Lion attack, holding on to the lead for a 6-5 victory on May 24.  

Midfielder Justin Bonacci had two goals and two assists; senior attack Michael Katz had an assist and two goals; and teammates Thomas Kennedy and Dylan Rocchio both scored. Wachholder, a sophomore, had 11 saves in net on the day. 

The win sends Comsewogue to the Suffolk championship final, where this battle-hardened unit will face off against Smithtown West on Wednesday, June 1 at East Islip High School. 

Gametime is set for 4:30 p.m. 

— Photos by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

It was the electrifying performance of Miller Place pitcher Amelia DeRosa that gave the Kingsmen of Kings Park trouble in the second round of the postseason.

DeRosa displayed brilliance at the mound, striking out 12 in this contest on May 19. Miller Place freshman Brooke Callaghan crushed one over the centerfield fence for a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, lifting the Panthers to a 6-1 victory. 

Miller Place, the no. 3 seed overall, will play a road game against second-seeded Islip on Saturday, May 21 at noon.

Photos by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

The Royals of Port Jeff looked to finish their regular season with a win, and win they did.

The Royals defeated Shelter Island with a 10-run margin of victory May 13. Royals head coach Jesse Rosen achieved a milestone this season, notching his 100th victory as his team cruised to a 16-2 record.

The win clinches the League VIII title, securing a top seeding for the postseason, which begins May 17.

— Photos by Bill Landon

 

By Bill Landon

It was the battle of the unbeaten when the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats collided with Mount Sinai in the final game of the regular season.

Both teams faced off with perfect 15-0 records. Mount Sinai senior attack Joey Spallina did what he’s done all season, topping the scoring charts with six assists and three goals to lead his team to a 12-7 win over the Wildcats at home May 12.

The Mustangs scored two goals in the opening minutes of the game, took a 6-2 lead into the halftime break and kept their foot of the gas the entire way, never looking back as they now to sit atop the Division II leaderboard.

Mount Sinai attack Cole Marsala found the back of the cage four times. Teammates James Carretta and Jake Spallina, Joey’s younger brother, had two goals apiece. Goalie Brayden Wilcken had 11 saves in net.

Liam Kershis and Alec Gregorek both scored twice for the Wildcats and teammates Francisco Cortes, Steven Cain and Liam Gregorek, Alec’s younger brother, each scored. Keeper Jayden Galfano had 14 stops between the pipes. Both teams will be top seeds going into the postseason which begins May 17.

 

By Bill Landon

It was another beautiful edition of the “Live Like Susie” remembrance and fundraiser Saturday May 14th at Rocky Point High School, where the annual charity baseball game between the Rocky Point and Mount Sinai varsity teams was played in remembrance of Susie Facini.

Facini was a Rocky Point graduate who passed away suddenly in 2011 of a cardiac event; she was 19 years old.

There was plenty of grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and salads along with T-shirt sales and raffles to raise money for local scholarships in Susie’s name.

The only requirement to receive a scholarship was to be nice, according Bernadette Facini, Susie’s mom.

Photos by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Saturday, May 7 was truly a day of remembrance for Mike Bowler, the legendary Rocky Point boy’s lacrosse coach, in the school’s second annual Mike Bowler Tribute Day. 

Bowler, who passed away in Dec. 2019, was someone who left his mark on the community throughout his 43 seasons at the helm. His impact on student athletes was felt well beyond the playing field. He established the boy’s lacrosse program in 1978, amassing more the 600 wins during his career. Bowler also led his team to a state championship in 2008.

In 2020, coach Bowler was named New York State Coach of the Year in boys lacrosse by the National Federation of High School Sports. The award is presented to those who have made the greatest impact on student athletes in their respective sport.

It was a cold, windy and wet day on Saturday, but that didn’t dampen the spirit of the game as the Eagles hosted Bellport in this Division II matchup. 

Sophomore attack Ryan Meyers had an assist and six goals to top the Eagles scoring chart in the 16-7 victory. Senior Tyler Moeller had a goal and five assists and teammate Kyle Moore had four goals and two assists for the Eagles. Eighth grader DJ Xavier had six saves in net and Aidan Donohue, a sophomore, also stopped two.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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By Bill Landon

It was all Comsewogue in the first 24 minutes of play when senior attack Michael Katz had his hat-trick two minutes before the halftime break. 

Miller Place co-captain Anthony Bartolotto arrested the Warrior scoring frenzy when the senior buried his shot to take the goose egg off the board in this Div. II showdown on May 3. The Warriors stood on the gas and never looked back, putting the game away 10-3.

Katz finished his day with four goals and two assists. Teammates Justin Bonacci had an assist and three goals, Brayden Arias scored twice and James Krieg stretched the net. Goalie’s Adam Wachholder had eight saves in net and Gavin Larsen stopped five.

Miller Place senior Devon Duchnokski and Robby Cunningham each had a goal apiece and keeper Kenny Leen had six saves.

The win lifts the Warriors to 8-3 in league and the loss drops the Panthers to 7-4 with three games remaining before post season play begins. 

The Comsewogue Warriors had their hands full when Bayport Blue-Point came to visit. 

Trailing by two goals in the early going, senior Mackenzie Beck brought them back with a hat trick. Teammate Shannon Harrington had an assist and two goals, and Madison Schubert’s goal put the Warriors over the top, 6-5, in a division II matchup on April 25. Kamryn McCrary also had an assist in the victory, and senior Gabby Tommaso had seven saves in net. 

The win lifts the Warriors to 7-3 in league play while the loss drops the Phantoms to 9-2. Comsewogue is back in action on April 28 with a road game against Elwood John Glenn. Gametime is scheduled for 4:00p.m.

Photos by Bill Landon 

After trailing Harborfields by two goals in the opening quarter, the Miller Place Panthers clawed their way back to victory. 

After trading the lead for a 7-7 tie at the end of the third quarter, Miller place senior Anthony Bartolotto scored his fourth goal of the game in the final 12 minutes of play, holding off Harborfields, for the 9-8 victory in a Div. II matchup at home, April 26.

Harborfields senior Luke DeRosa led his team with 3 goals, Hunter Droskoski stretched the net twice, and teammates Ethan Radecki, Dylan Wolf and Brendan Hohner each scored.

Anthony Bartolotto topped the scoring chart for the Panthers with four goals. Seniors Devon Duchnokski and Jack Davis also scored, and teammates Robby Cunningham, Nick Oliva and Scotty Seymour had one goal a piece.

The win lifts the Panthers to 6-3 in their division while the loss drops Harborfields to 3-6. The Tornadoes retake the field with a match up against West Islip on April 30 at noon and the Panthers will host Comsewogue on May 3 at 4:30 p.m.

Photos by Bill Landon