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Farmingdale Dalers derail Ward Melville Patriots

by Bill Landon - November 27, 2022

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Ward Melville football’s journey to the Long Island Championship game was an unlikely one, where the Patriots concluded their regular season with a 5-3 record then peaked in post-season play.

Ward Melville picked off Whitman in the opening round of the playoffs, took down previously unbeaten William Floyd, 14-7, Nov. 12 and eliminated Longwood a week later for their first Suffolk County Championship in 35 years.

The Patriots in uncharted territory looked to make history at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Saturday, Nov. 26, where they faced the Dalers of Farmingdale (11-0) in the Long Island Championship game.

In the opening minute of the second period Ward Melville quarterback Andrew Belli hit Brody Morgan on a diving touchdown catch covering 35 yards to make it a one score game, but Farmingdale surged ahead to take a 28-14 lead into the halftime break.

After two unanswered Farmingdale touchdowns, Belli punched in on short yardage for the score but it was too little too late as the Patriots fell to Farmingdale, 42-20.

SBU Sports: Women’s basketball falls to St. John’s 78-52

by Press Release - November 24, 2022

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SBU Sports women's basketball — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s basketball team was led by a trio of student-athletes who scored double-digits, but it was ultimately not enough as the squad fell at St. John’s University on Nov. 19, 78-52, inside the Carnesecca Arena.

Junior guard Shamarla King registered a team and career-high 13 points after shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line. The Virginia Tech transfer also notched six assists and a rebound in the defeat.

The Seawolves came out with a strong first quarter as sophomore forward Sherese Pittman scored the first six points for the squad, jumping to an early 6-2 lead. The Virginia native finished one point away from her season high with 12 points today and collected four rebounds, three on the offensive side.

After two made free throws by graduate forward Nairimar Vargas-Reyes that would give Stony Brook an 11-9 lead, St. John’s would go on an 8-2 run to take a four point lead heading into the second quarter. Vargas-Reyes collected her first double-double of the season and second of her career, as the forward scored a season-high 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

In the next 15 minutes of play, the Seawolves would hold off the Red Storm by cashing in on three pointers from senior guard Gigi Gonzalez, graduate guard Anastasia Warren and Vargas-Reyes. However, another late run by St. John’s gave the Red Storm a 35-26 lead heading to half.

In the second half, the Red Storm found their rhythm as St. John’s shot 57.1% (16-28) from the field and 61.5% (8-13) beyond the arc to take the victory, 78-52.

The team was back in action on Nov. 23 when it took on High Point in its first game of the Puerto Rico Classico. Results were not available as of press time.

SBU Sports: Football drops season final at Monmouth

by Press Release - November 24, 2022

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B66I9786_e2fGu — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook put forth a valiant effort after trailing by as many as 17 points, but ultimately fell to Monmouth, 24-21, in the 2022 season finale at Kessler Stadium on Nov. 19.

The Hawks took a 17-0 lead before Stony Brook was able to get on the board. With 3:55 to play in the first half graduate defensive back Carthell Flowers-Lloyd stepped in front of a screen and picked off a pass by Monmouth’s Enzo Arjona and returned it for a touchdown. Flowers-Lloyd’s interception was the first of his career and it swung the momentum in Stony Brook’s favor heading into the second half.

After Monmouth and Stony Brook traded punts to start the second half, the Seawolves cut the Hawks’ lead to 17-14 after a 66-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore running back Ross Tallarico with 5:02 to play in the third quarter. Tallarico took the carry up the middle and rushed untouched into the end zone for the longest rush of his career.

The Seawolves continued to apply the pressure on the defensive end and that pressure resulted in a sack-fumble by graduate defensive end Eric Black. Black blew past Monmouth’s offensive line to strip-sack Arjona and redshirt junior linebacker Aidan Kaler recovered the fumble.

On Stony Brook’s ensuing drive redshirt freshman quarterback Daron Bryden found Tallarico for a five-yard touchdown pitch and catch to give the Seawolves’ a 21-17 lead with 8:17 to play in the game. For Tallarico, it was his second touchdown of the game.

Monmouth took the lead, 24-21, with 7:32 to play when Arjona found Dymere Miller for a 72-yard touchdown and held on to win by that very score.

“I am really proud of how we competed. We’ve had a lot of adversity in regards to being a better football team; but our kids competed. Offensively, we were not able to generate much throughout the game. The parts kept on plugging, our defense made some stops, and we were able to convert some things. If you’re in the game in the fourth quarter, you got to try to find a way to win,” said coach Priore on his reaction to Saturday’s game.

SBU Sports: Swim and Dive team racks up 8 first place finishes

by Press Release - November 24, 2022

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SBU Sports swimming — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook swimming and diving team picked up eight first place finishes en route to a 157-143 win over Siena in Loudonville on Nov. 19.

The Seawolves started the meet off with a bang, securing a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay with a final time of 1:50.20. The relay team was comprised of senior Reagan MacDonald, graduate Jess Salmon, junior Mary Kate Conway and freshman Michelle Vu.

Freshman Clara Armstrong kept the momentum rolling with a win in the 1000 freestyle with a final time of 10:54.66. Conway and sophomore Brenna McLaughlin followed behind with wins in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, respectively.

Senior Maddy Enda touched the wall at 2:11.23 to earn the win in the 200 butterfly and MacDonald clocked in at 2:07.66 for a first-place finish in the 200 backstroke. Junior Sara DiStefano and Vu closed out the day for Stony Brook with first-place finishes in the 3-meter dive and 100 butterfly, respectively.

The team is back in action on Dec. 2, when they compete in the ECAC Championships in East Meadow.

Tigers end 2022 at county final

by Steven Zaitz - November 21, 2022

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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.

Ward Melville Patriots punch ticket to Long Island Championship

by Bill Landon - November 21, 2022

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Thirty five years is a long time to wait, but the Patriots of Ward Melville satisfied that hunger with a convincing win over the Longwood Lions to capture the Division I Suffolk Championship game at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium — their first Suffolk title since 1987.

Ward Melville quarterback Andrew Belli orchestrated four Patriot touchdowns, three through the air, along with a 20-yard run for the 34-19 victory Saturday, Nov 19.

Belli connected with seniors Lorenzo Velez on two plays, good for 35 yards, and found Trevor Murray down the right sideline on a 15-yarder for the score. Ward Melville junior Brody Morgan on a punt return went the distance for a Patriot touchdown covering 36 yards.

The win propels the Patriots to the Long Island Championship game where they’ll return to Lavalle Stadium to face Farmingdale (11-0) for the Long Island Class I title Saturday, Nov. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30pm.

Tickets can be purchased at gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI.

Lidl and Stony Brook Athletics launch Hoops for Hunger campaign

by Press Release - November 20, 2022

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LIDLxSBU_16x9_zPnq9 — Image from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook University Athletics Department has expanded their partnership with Lidl to launch the “Hoops for Hunger” campaign. Lidl, recently ranked a top 5 U.S. grocer in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, will donate one dollar for every basket that the Stony Brook men’s basketball team makes at Island Federal Arena throughout the 2022-23 season. All proceeds will be donated to Long Island Cares, a local food bank on a mission to feed Long Island’s food insecure.

“We want to thank the Stony Brook University Athletics Department and the men’s basketball team for joining with our corporate partners at Lidl to launch this very exciting Hoops for Hunger campaign,” said Paule Pachter, CEO of Long Island Cares. “Lidl is one of our major corporate donors that donates thousands of pounds of food to assist The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank in meeting the needs of 230,000 Long Islanders struggling with food insecurity. We’re also very grateful to the players on the Stony Brook men’s basketball team for getting involved in this campaign. Each ball scored will bring hope to those in need of emergency food assistance here on Long Island.”

At the completion of the 2022-23 campaign, Lidl will host an on-court check presentation revealing the total money raised throughout the season with representatives from Long Island Cares.

SBU Sports: Men’s Cross Country records sixth-place finish at NCAA Northeast Regional Championship

by Heidi Sutton - November 19, 2022

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DWP13_XC__NQNOe — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s cross country team returned to competition today, at the 2022 NCAA Regional at Van Cortland Park. Six of the seven Seawolf runners finished within the top 80 of the field, with four student-athletes recording top 40 finishes, including two Seawolves placing inside the top 20.

As a team, the Seawolves finished sixth overall for the best finish out of any CAA team that competed at the NCAA Regional race. Northeastern came in eighth and Hofstra rounded out the conference teams in 27^th.

The squad was led by senior Evan Brennan and graduate Robert Becker, as both All-CAA runners capped off their season with NCAA All-Region honors after their performances in the race.

For the second year in a row at the NCAA Regional Championship, Brennan was the top finisher for the squad and Becker finished second-best for the Seawolves. The senior took 12^th-place after crossing the finish line in 29:45.9. Coming in shortly after Brennan to round out the top 20 was Becker completing the race in 20^th (29:57.7).

Carlos Santos Jr., Shane Henderson, Conor Malanaphy, and Michael Fama all placed within the top 80 as they helped the Seawolves pick up a sixth-place finish in the Regional Championship.

HIGHLIGHTS

Brennan took 12^th-place as he crossed the finish line in 29:45.9. He ran at a pace of 4:48 per mile.
Becker finished in 20^th-place overall as he clocked a time of 29:57.7 and ran an average mile of 4:50.
Santos Jr. came in shortly after Becker in 36^th-place with a time of 30:26.8.
Henderson took 39^th-place with a time of 30:29.6, Malanaphy finished in 57^th at 30:54.4 and Fama took home 70^th with a time of 31:10.5.
Over 227 runners competed in the championship race on Friday.

“The men’s team closed out the season with another competitive performance in the Regional Championship; the goal going in was to challenge for a top four finish. They came up a little short taking sixth-place but it wasn’t for lack of effort, led by two very good runs from Evan and Rob, who earned All-Region honors. All seven guys that lined up gave it all they had on the day and can be proud of the effort they gave, not only today, but throughout the season,” said head coach Andy Ronan.

SBU Sports: Seawolves football fall to Towson on Senior Day

by Press Release - November 19, 2022

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DSC00348_cHZvG — Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook football team put forth a valiant battle, but was narrowly edged by Towson, 21-17, on Nov. 12 at LaValle Stadium. The back-and-forth game was decided in the final seconds as the Seawolves nearly found the end zone as time expired, which would have lifted them to a thrilling finish.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Daron Bryden earned his fifth career start for the Seawolves and tossed a career-high 273 passing yards including a career-high two touchdowns. Stony Brook got on the board with 25 seconds left to play in the first quarter when Bryden found redshirt junior wide receiver Shawn Harris Jr. for a 70-yard touchdown pitch and catch. The score tied the game up at 7-7, and was the Seawolves’ longest play from scrimmage this season.

The Seawolves and Tigers were all knotted up at 7-7 after the first 30 minutes of play, which was highlighted by strong defensive efforts on both sides. Stony Brook struck first in the second half as Bryden threw his second touchdown of the day with 7:54 left to go in the third quarter when he found graduate wide receiver Khalil Newton for a 30-yard strike. For Newton, it was his fourth touchdown catch of the season and sixth of his career.

Towson tied the game up on the ensuing drive when Tyrrell Pigrome found Darian Street for a 36-yard touchdown. The game remained tied at 14-14 until redshirt junior kicker Angelo Guglielmello gave the Seawolves a 17-14 advantage when he knocked in a 26-yard field goal with 2:32 to play in the game.

Guglielmello cashed in on a Stony Brook drive that went 11 plays for 42 yards and consumed 7:13 of the clock. Towson responded on its next possession with a three-yard touchdown run that gave it a 21-17 lead, which it held on to down the stretch.

Prior to the game, Stony Brook honored its senior class which is comprised of Seba Nekhet, Eric Black, Khalil Newton, Carthell Flowers-Lloyd, John Corpac, Carson Tebbetts, Sam Howson, Cameron Lucas, Larry Ross Jr., Matt Mirabito, Damien Caffrey, Delante Hellams Jr., Reidgee Dimanche, Randy Pringle, and Kyle Nunez.

CHAMPS!!! Ward Melville girls soccer wins first state championship

by Press Release - November 18, 2022

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Coach reflects on the road to the state championship

By John Diehl

Head Coach Ward Melville Girls Soccer

Last weekend, the Ward Melville girls soccer team won its first state championship in program history. After defeating perennial powerhouse Massapequa in the Long Island Championship, Ward Melville traveled to Dryden, NY, to compete in the Class AA State semifinal against Monroe-Woodbury High School, a program use to success, winning back-to-back state titles in 2018 and 2019.

This year’s state championship semifinal showdown would be played in rainy conditions. After a 0-0 draw at the end of regulation, the game went into “sudden victory” overtime.

Midway through the first overtime period, senior Grace Justiniano crossed a ball into the top of the penalty area. Sophomore Adri Victoriano pressured the Monroe-Woodbury goalkeeper as she tried to catch the ball, but the ball bounced out to the feet of Mia Pirozzi, who scored the game winning goal.

Following the thrilling victory, Mia those defining moments of play.

“Right place, right time,” she said. “I just happened to be there.”

The next day, the Patriots played Clarence High School in the final, where weather would once again be a significant factor, with snow, clouds, and sun taking turns sporadically throughout the game.

From the beginning, we established control and played a great game. We put three goals in the net during regulation, but they were all called back for either offsides or fouls. Once again the score was tied 0-0 in at the end of regulation, meaning yet another sudden victory-overtime.

At the coin toss before OT, captain Elyse Munoz learned that if the game was still 0-0 at the end of both OT periods, then both teams would be declared co-champs. This had happened to us in 2020, when Sachem East and Ward Melville were declared co-county champs, and the team was not going to let history repeat itself.

“I refuse to lose,” Elyse said. “I refuse to tie. I won’t let that happen again.”

We came out on fire in OT, and in just under four minutes of the first period, Maddy Costello passed a through ball to Adri Victoriano, who drove down towards the goal, passed the ball to Mia Pirozzi, just missing the hands of the diving Clarence goalkeeper. For the second consecutive game, Mia guided the ball into the net for the game winning goal.

En route to our state championship, we had an undefeated season with a 17-0-3 record. Along with winning the states, we also were crowned Long Island and Suffolk County Champions.

Our team gave up only eight goals on the season, earned 12 shutouts, and shut out both teams we faced in the state tournament.

Our players of the games at states were Mia Pirozzi in the semifinal and Peyton Costello in the final. Our captains are Elyse Munoz, Elian Hamou, Emma Ward, and Peyton Costello.

All season long, we reinforced to the girls that they continue to rise to every challenge that comes their way.

“It was an absolute pleasure being on the sideline watching such a talented group of players and coaches come together to make history for Ward Melville Athletics and our Girls Soccer program. It was a magical weekend, where so many family members, community members, alumni, and former coaches came out to support the team. … Congratulations to our NY State Class AA 2022 Girls Soccer Champions!” said Kevin Finnerty, Athletic Director.

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Farmingdale Dalers derail Ward Melville Patriots

SBU Sports: Women’s basketball falls to St. John’s 78-52

SBU Sports: Football drops season final at Monmouth

SBU Sports: Swim and Dive team racks up 8 first place finishes

Tigers end 2022 at county final

Ward Melville Patriots punch ticket to Long Island Championship

Lidl and Stony Brook Athletics launch Hoops for Hunger campaign

SBU Sports: Men’s Cross Country records sixth-place finish at NCAA Northeast Regional Championship

SBU Sports: Seawolves football fall to Towson on Senior Day

CHAMPS!!! Ward Melville girls soccer wins first state championship

Coach reflects on the road to the state championship

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