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Cougars blank Wolverines, 3-0

by Bill Landon - March 23, 2021

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Senior Co-Captain Julia Ragone clears the ball up-field for the Cougars in a 3-0 road win against Newfield in a league IV match up March 23. Photo by Bill Landon

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The Cougars of Centereach left no doubt who was in charge when they traveled to their crosstown rival Newfield, scoring five minutes in off a penalty kick by Centereach senior Nicole Fabris to take the early lead. Newfield struggled to keep the ball up field and found themselves defending their half of the field when Fabris struck again with a big push up the left side where her solo shot found the right corner for the insurance goal 12 minutes into the second half. Fabris wasn’t done when she buried another penalty kick with 13 minutes left in the game for which Newfield had no answer.

The win, their third in a row lifts the Cougars to 2-2-1 in league IV for third in the standings behind Smithtown West and West Islip. The loss drops the Wolverines to 0-4-1

Both teams are back in action March 25 where the Cougars host Bellport at 4:30 p.m. and Newfield has a home game against North Babylon searching for their first win of this early season. Game time is 4 o’clock.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Field hockey powers Smithtown East and Northport have epic battle

by TBR Staff - March 23, 2021

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By Steven Zaitz

Sixty regulation minutes was not enough.

The extra 10 in overtime could not decide it either.

When the Northport Tigers field hockey team invaded Smithtown East March 22, the matchup pitted two of the elite teams on Long Island. They needed a shootout to decide it, and it was Smithtown East goaltender Gianna Festa who stood tall.

She did not allow a goal in the shootout, stopping all four Northport attempts. Dani Brady, one of Long Island’s top players scored on her mano y mano with Northport goalie Natalie McKenna, who was also excellent, that decided it for the Bulls. The final score was officially 2-1.

Festa, who had 12 saves in addition to her four stops in the shootout, sparked a wild, equipment-flinging celebration seconds after making her final stop. Brady, teammate Sydney Anderson and Northport’s Sophia Bica are all listed on Newsday’s Top 25 players of Long Island, but it was Festa that earned the Most Valuable Player of this star-studded affair, making several acrobatic saves throughout regulation, overtime and the shootout.

This game was a hard-fought war and the survivor — Smithtown East — has now equaled Northport’s record of 5-1. Ward-Melville, who beat Sachem East Monday, is atop the Suffolk County leaderboard with a record of 6-0.

Kings Park football outmatched by Hills East on Senior Day

by TBR Staff - March 23, 2021

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By Steven Zaitz

The Kings Park defense did something of a rarity on March 20 against Half Hollow Hills East.

They scored four points on two safeties. That’s a pretty neat trick.

Unfortunately for the Kingsmen, Hills East superstar Quarterback Leisaan Hibbert rushed for four touchdowns, as the Thunderbirds cruised to a 35-4 victory in this non-league matchup in Kings Park on Senior Appreciation Day. Touchdowns are much better than safeties.

The Kingsmen, having drawn two tough matchups to start the season, are now 0-2 and have been outscored by a combined 93-10. They lost this year’s opener to Sayville in a rematch of the 2019 Suffolk County Division III semifinal playoff game. In so many ways, that playoff game seems like it was a 100 years ago.

As for Hills East, in their two games, Hibbert has rushed for seven touchdowns with three against Malverne and four on this day against Kings Park. He rambled for 195 yards against the Kingsmen, running around, through, and over the K.P. defense in a variety of ways. The Kingsmen had no answer for running backs Jared Gallub and Kris Tillis either, as the Thunderbirds rolled up over 300 rushing yards on the afternoon. Tillis took the second play from scrimmage 45 yards for a touchdown and Hills East never looked back.

On this spring-like Saturday, the artificial turf and the sun might have been a factor in conditioning, but both teams had to play on the same field. The Kingsman simply got their crowns handed to them.

Kings Park starting quarterback Jonathan Borkowski was harried and hassled all day, with defensive linemen Obiri and Konadu Boadu setting up shop in the Kingsmen backfield from the opening gun — both of whom refusing to leave. Hills East had six sacks and Middle Linebacker Josh Isaacs had one of those sacks. The leading tackler on Hills East Team was Gallub with 11 tackles. James O’Melia replaced Borkowski in the 4^th Quarter but fared no better.

It doesn’t get any easier for Kings Park, as they host Westhampton Beach Friday, March 26. The Hurricanes blew away Centereach 48-0 on Saturday, have won both their games and are ranked fourth in Newsday’s Top Ten Small School poll for all of Long Island.

Port Jefferson Royals fall to Center Moriches Red Devils

by Bill Landon - March 23, 2021

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Emily Brown digs one out for the Royals at home March 22. Bill Landon photo

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The Port Jefferson Royals opened their season with four straight wins with shutouts against Babylon, Southampton and Pierson/Bridgehampton, before they were blanked by Mattituck 0-3 on March 20. Looking to get back to their winning ways the Royals had their hands full in a home game against Center Moriches falling to the Red Devils 3-1 in four sets, 18-25, 25-23, 23-25 and 21-25 in League VI play March 22.

The loss drops Port Jefferson to 4-2 for third place in league behind Center Moriches at 5-1 and undefeated Mattituck who sits atop the leaderboard at 5-0. The Lady Royals retake the court March 24 with a road game against Shelter Island before returning home against Pierson/Bridgehampton two days later. Game times are 6:15 p.m. and 4:30 respectively.

Photos from left to right: Evelyn Walker from the service line in a home game against Center Moriches; Port Jefferson’s #34 spikes it; Selena Roth-Veno with a save for the Royals.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Smithtown East football downs Connetquot

by Bill Landon - March 22, 2021

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Fresh off their season opening 66-0 blowout over Copiague, Smithtown East was in the driver’s seat from the opening kickoff led by senior quarterback and co-captain Nick Karika who scored four touchdowns for the Bulls to win it 27-19 at home March 20.

Karika had touchdown runs of two yards, nine yards, 12 yards and his longest, a 49 yarder to put his team out front by 14 with six minutes left in the game. Connetquot managed to find the endzone with seconds remaining in the game.

The win lifts to Bulls to 2-0 for the top spot in League 3. They will hit the road March 27 where they’ll face Hills East. Game time is 1:30 p.m.

Ward Melville Patriots sweep Colonials in 3

by Bill Landon - March 21, 2021

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Ward Melville girls volleyball opened their season with a pair of wins, a road game against Longwood, 3-0, and a nail biter at home versus Pat-Med that went five games before falling to Commack and Sachem East at home both games in three sets. The Patriots snapped their two-game losing streak with a convincing three set romp over visiting William Floyd 25-11, 25-11 and 25-9 March 20.

Unstoppable at net were outside hitter Sophia DiGirolamo, a junior, and eighth-grader Emma Bradshaw, who between them killed 18 along with nine digs by senior Phoebe Bergson to lift the Patriots to 3-2 in League I.

The win puts the Patriots solidly in fourth place behind Commack and Sachems East and North with surprisingly 11 games left in this COVID-19 abbreviated season.

Wildcats blank Mustangs 28-0

by Bill Landon - March 20, 2021

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Shoreham-Wading River junior Max Barone breaks free and goes the distance in a road game against Mt. Sinai Mar. 19. Photo by Bill Landon

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Last season, which was a year-and-a-half ago, Mount Sinai dealt Shoreham-Wading River their only loss of the regular season and the Wildcats weren’t about to let that happen again, blanking the Mustangs 28-0 on the road March 19.

Senior Johnny Schwarz found the endzone on a 36-yard pass from senior quarterback Chris Visintin and punched in again from 8 yards out for a 14-0 lead. Visintin connected with Jake Wilson on a 10-yard pass play in the 3rd quarter and found Max Barone on a 22 yarder late in the game. Jake Ekert’s foot was perfect on the night splitting the uprights all four times.

The win lifts the Wildcats to 2-0 with 3 games remaining while Mount Sinai opens their season 0-1 after they were forced to postpone their season opener due to one or more players testing positive for COVID-19.

Shoreham-Wading River is back in action in another road game against Miller Place March 26 with a 6:30 start and the Mustangs hit the road the following day against Islip. Game time is 2:00 p.m. Photos by Bill Landon

SBU Sports: Women’s hoops draws Arizona in NCAA tourney debut

by Press Release - March 19, 2021

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SelectionCelebration1_71 — The women's basketball team reacts to seeing itself in the NCAA Tournament bracket.

The Stony Brook women’s basketball team will face Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament next Monday at 2 p.m. ET in San Antonio on ESPN2.

The bracket was revealed during the ESPN-televised selection show on Monday night.

Making the program’s first-ever appearance in the Division I Big Dance, the Seawolves were awarded the No. 14 seed and pitted against the No. 3 Wildcats.

“It’s just magical for our women’s basketball program, our athletic department and our university to be recognized,” coach Caroline McCombs said.

Stony Brook student-athletes and staff gathered on the court at Island Federal Arena and were shown on ESPN during the selection show.

President Maurie McInnis addressed the team before the ESPN-televised event.

“The whole Seawolves nation will be watching you in San Antonio,” McInnis told the team. “We’re all so proud of you. What a great accomplishment for Stony Brook, for women’s basketball. What role models you are. We’re all so excited.”

The Seawolves clinched their historic bid on Friday, with a 64-60 win against Maine in the America East title game. Stony Brook rallied from an 11-point deficit, with Anastasia Warren pouring in 31 points.

Stony Brook departs for San Antonio on Tuesday morning via a chartered flight from Long Island MacArthur Airport.

The Seawolves waited a full year for this chance after last postseason was canceled on the eve of the championship game. This year’s title-clinching win came on the precise one-year anniversary of last year’s COVID-induced cancellation.

“It just makes it that much more special,” McCombs said. “Any time you can have some delayed gratification, that’s what we’ve waited for. I’m so proud of our perseverence throughout this season. We never knew what was going to happen, but our players were able to stick together.”

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Newfield Wolverines come up short at North Babylon

by TBR Staff - March 18, 2021

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newfield football — The Newfield Wolverines went against the North Babylon Bulldogs this week to kick off football season after a year-long hiatus. Photos by Andrew Zucker

By Andrew Zucker

It was not the opening day either team was hoping for, but once the Newfield kicker’s cleat made contact with the ball, the spring 2021 season was officially on.

For both the North Babylon Bulldogs and the Newfield Wolverines, the game on Saturday, March 13, was the first time both teams faced outside competition in over 480 days, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down all high school sports last year.

The final score, a 26-20 North Babylon victory, is a tale of two halves, and then a little more.

For most of the first quarter, North Babylon controlled the game as they held the ball for over eight minutes, driving as far as the Wolverines 16-yard line. But the Bulldogs walked away from the opening drive empty-handed as quarterback Tyler Hovanec bobbled the snap on the field goal attempt and was forced to throw away the ball or risk being sacked.

Newfield scored its first points of the season on a 71-yard run by Joe Hackal with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter. The Wolverines had the extra point attempt blocked by North Babylon, putting them 6-0, a score that stood for another five minutes.

Malachi Hunter gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the day via a hard-fought 2-yard touchdown run less than four minutes into the second quarter.

“They [North Babylon] got down early, they stuck it out, they ground back,” North Babylon head coach Terry Manning said following the game. “That’s our offense. Grind and grind, ground and pound; that’s what our nickname is, and we just took the ball and kept doing that all day long.”

Just before the end of the first half, Newfield managed to grab hold of the lead, this time via a Matt Hirsh TD. Once again, they would miss the extra point.

Take Jackson looked to give North Babylon the lead on the ensuing kickoff, taking it over 50-yards to the end zone, but the TD was negated following a Bulldogs penalty. North Babylon would not capitalize on the field position, finding themselves down 12-7 at the half.

After halftime, everything changed — or so it seemed.

The Bulldogs scored the only points in the third quarter, a 15-yard TD by Hunter, and headed into the final frame up 14-12.

“I want my North Babylon kids to play, to be tough, to be aggressive, to never stop,” Manning said. “And to finish strong like that, which they did, so I was pretty proud of it.”

Hunter continued his impressive performance scoring a TD in the fourth quarter, his third of the game, putting the Bulldogs up 20-12. Newfield responded with a touchdown of their own with 3:25 remaining in the game and converted the two-point conversion, knotting it up at 20 apiece.

Starting with the ball on their 44-yard line and 3:19 remaining in the game, North Babylon found themselves in a position most kids dream about. Tie game, ball in your hands, final minutes of a back and forth contest. A game, within a game.

Hovanec led the Bulldogs down the field, making their way to the Newfield 7-yard-line, before spiking the ball to stop the clock with seven seconds remaining.

Jason Kolk missed the potential game-winning field goal with four seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, North Babylon forced a turnover on downs before DaiVon Lofton broke through the Wolverines defense for a 20-yard touchdown run to end the game.

“Middle Country is very excited about the full return of sports,” said Middle Country Director of Physical Education, Joseph Mercado. “We feel that interscholastic sports is an integral part of a student’s education. We are working very diligently to ensure the safe return for all our students, staff and spectators. With the return of athletics, we hope all our student-athletes and spectators will have a positive and safe experience.”

Newfield (0-1) once again finds itself as the road team, when the Wolverines head to Smithtown West on Friday, March 19. Kickoff is set for 6:00 The Bulldogs (1-0) square off at Bellport on Saturday, March 20 at 2 p.m.

Ward Melville boys volleyball prevail in 4

by Bill Landon - March 17, 2021

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Ward Melville boys volleyball started strong with Sachem East winning the opening set but fell behind in the second clawing their way back to win it by two points.

East had no intention of going quietly when they nipped the Patriots in the third match winning it 25-22 to force a game four. Ward Melville rallied back to take the fourth set to win the match 3-1 at home March 15.

Senior co-captain Bryan McCaffery led the way for the Patriots with 15 kills followed by Christopher Sohl who had five kills and five blocks, along with teammate Charlie Fernandes who served up four aces. Ward Melville took it in four sets 25-16, 26-24, 22-25 and 25-15 in the Division I matchup to lift the Patriots to 2-2 in this COVID-abbreviated season.

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