Dog days got you down? Come meet the bulldogs of LIBR this Saturday. Photo courtesy of LIBR
Dog days got you down? Come meet the bulldogs of LIBR this Saturday. Photo courtesy of LIBR
Long Island Bulldog Rescue will hold its 4th annual Barbecue and Yard Sale Fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, held at 304 Frowein Road in Center Moriches, will include a huge yard sale set on a beautiful horse farm, bullies on hand for guests to meet, as well as LIBR volunteers who will answer all questions on adoption, fostering and volunteering. Mobile dog grooming will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a wonderful barbecue, including hot dogs, hamburgers, and pasta salad, donated by the event sponsors, Iavarone Brothers, as well as beverages will be available for purchase during the fun-filled day. All proceeds will go toward providing medical, behavioral and other services to save the lives of bulldogs in urgent need of finding their own “LIBR 4EvrFamily!”® Free admission. Rain date is Aug. 28.
For more information, visit www.longislandbulldogrescue.org.
Sean O’Shea moves the basketball around the paint. Photo by Joe Galotti
By Joe Galotti
After suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday, the Northport boys’ basketball team wasted little time in getting back to its winning ways. On Tuesday night, the Tigers jumped out to an early 17-2 lead on visiting Lindenhurst, and never looked back, as they came away with a 55-41 victory.
The win improved the Tigers’ record to 15-1 on the year, and clinched a League II regular season championship for the program. While Northport’s players realize they have plenty of work ahead of them still this winter, the achievement was certainly not lost on the club.
Lukas Jarrett holds possession while looking to make a pass. Photo by Joe Galotti
“This is a really great accomplishment for us, because we play in probably the best league on Long Island,” Northport senior guard Brennan Whelan said.
Northport senior guard Sean O’Shea echoed his teammate’s sentiment.
“This is huge for us,” O’Shea said. “It’s great knowing that we’ll have a banner up on the wall, and that it will hang there forever.”
O’Shea finished with a game-high 15 points in his team’s win over the Bulldogs, while Whelan dished out 10 assists. The club also got nine points apiece from junior guard Kevin Cryer-Hassett and senior guard Rory Schynder.
In total, 11 different players scored for the Tigers in the contest. Ball movement has been a key for Northport all season long, and on Tuesday the team’s passing and court vision was once again on point.
“We’re an unselfish team by nature, and we also work a lot on passing,” Northport’s head coach Andrew D’Eloia said. “Our guys really do understand that if they move the ball, they get an open shot, and they enjoy playing that way.”
Northport’s veteran group seems to have fully bought into this philosophy.
“We’ve all been playing with each other for a couple of years now, and we always look to make the extra pass, because that’s what makes our offense work so well,” Whelan said.
The Tigers also put together a strong night on their own end of the court, giving up just four points in the opening quarter and 12 points in the first half. This allowed Northport to take a commanding 22-point advantage into halftime, and give rest to its starters down the stretch.
Ryan Magnuson makes a play. Photo by Joe Galotti
Senior forward Lukas Jarrett was a major catalyst on the defensive end, registering five blocks on the night.
“Our defense started everything tonight,” D’Eloia said. “We just really committed to helping each other, and trying to stay in front of them. We made them take tough shots, and that helped generate our offense early on.”
Lindenhurst outscored the Tigers 29-21 in the game’s final 16 minutes, but was never able to draw within single-digits again. Manny Oyakhilome led the Bulldogs with 14 points in a losing effort.
With a league title now in hand, Northport looks to have a strong finish to what has been a memorable regular season campaign to this point.
“We definitely want to go undefeated [in league play],” O’Shea said. “But we also know that we have to take it one game at a time.”
The Tigers, now 10-0 in League II, will next travel to face off against Walt Whitman on Friday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. The Wildcats have struggled of late, but D’Eloia is not overlooking the league rival.
“They’re a very well coached and disciplined team, and they would like nothing more than to knock us off,” D’Eloia said. “So we’re going to prepare for that game the same way we’ve prepared for all the other games.”
Elijah Riley scores three touchdowns on 10 carries for 210 yards
Newfield wide receiver Elijah Riley rushes with the ball behind blocker Justin Ottenwalder in the Wolverines' 32-6 win over North Babylon in the Division II semifinals on Nov. 14. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Elijah Riley stole the show Saturday.
The Newfield football team continued its winning ways when the Wolverines defeated North Babylon, 32-6, in the semifinal round of the Division II playoffs Saturday.
Newfield wide receiver Elijah Riley lunges for extra yards in the Wolverines’ 32-6 win over North Babylon in the Division II semifinals on Nov. 14. Photo by Bill Landon
And the Wolverines wasted no time hitting the scoreboard.
Riley, a senior wide receiver, scored his first of three touchdowns on the afternoon on a hand-off, where he broke to the right sideline and took off for the end zone, covering 60 yards along the way. Through swirling wind, senior kicker Jacob VanEssendelft split the uprights and Newfield took an early 7-0 lead.
North Babylon was unable to answer, and the team’s defense couldn’t stop senior quarterback Ryan Klemm next, who went to the air, finding senior tight end Austin Gubelman over the middle. On a second effort, Gubelman found the end zone for the score, and with the extra-point attempt wide left, helped put his team out in front 13-0 with 6:20 left in the opening quarter.
“We expected a very tough opponent — our defensive line started off with a big push on every play, it’s all on the defensive line,” Gubelman said. “[But] we didn’t play up to our best ability. Wer’e going to have to step it up with a good week of practice and we’re going to have to focus to get ready for Friday.”
The scoreboard went quiet until the opening play from scrimmage in the second half, where Riley struck again when he took off down the left sideline, outrunning any defender as he covered 63 yards for the score. With a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Wolverines settled for a 19-0 advantage.
New field quarterback Ryan Klemm throws the ball deep for a touchdown in the Wolverines’ 32-6 win over North Babylon in the Division II semifinals on Nov. 14. Photo by Bill Landon
Riley said North Babylon was a more potent opponent this week than they were when the Wolverines faced the Bulldogs earlier in the regular season, because the team had fewer injured players.
“They were a better team this week with their three returning starters — we had to prepare like we did last time, but just harder,” said Riley, who finished the game with 210 yards on 10 carries. “Our defense and our offense finished it out and our special teams did a great job.”
On their ensuing possession, North Babylon mounted its first sustained offensive drive. On a third-and-8 from Newfield’s 40-yard line, North Babylon’s ball carrier, Nick Grassa, took a hit from Gubelman that knocked the ball loose. Newfield junior Justin Ottenwalder recovered it at the 33-yard line with 8:38 left in the third quarter, arresting the scoring threat.
“We knew it was going to be a hard game and we prepared for them,” said Ottenwalder, who rushed for 49 yards on two carries. “But I knew it was going to be a tough game because they’re a good team.”
Newfield wasted no time cashing in on the Bulldogs’ mistake, and Klemm, despite the gusty wind, went to the air again. The quarterback found Riley in stride on a post-pattern play, and the wide receiver rushed across the field 39 yards for his final touchdown of the game. The stirring wind pushed the extra-point attempt wide left, and Newfield surged ahead 25-0 in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
The Wolverines weren’t done yet though, and on the second play from scrimmage to open the final stanza, Ottenwalder got the call. On a hand-off up the middle, the junior made something out of nothing when he broke to the outside, eluding two would-be tacklers for a 36-yard touchdown run. With VanEssendelft’s kick, the two helped the team to a 32-0 lead.
New field’s Jelani Greene plunges up the middle for extra yards in the Wolverines’ 32-6 win over North Babylon in the Division II semifinals on Nov. 14. Photo by Bill Landon
The Bulldogs would not go down without a fight, and with just over four minutes remaining Jajuan Winters, on a handoff from quarterback Jared Ziegler, punched his way into the end zone from eight yards out to put North Babylon on the scoreboard. The point-after attempt failed.
Newfield senior Steven Hoynacky took over under center the rest of the way as head coach Joe Piccininni flushed his bench — ensuring everyone saw playoff action.
“North Babylon’s a great football team — they’re a ground and pound attack and they come at you and if you make a mistake against them, they’ll make you pay for it,” Piccininni said. “I’m so proud of our kids stepping up today. They maintained their composure and they just got it done.”
With the win, Newfield advances to the Suffolk County championship at Stony Brook University’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, where the Wolverines will take on Half Hollow Hills West Friday at 7 p.m.
“We’ll take it one day at a time — prepare each day,” Piccininni said. “But our preparation will be the same.”
The Huntington football team lines up against North Babylon. Photo from Huntington school district
Huntington’s football team never really got started last Saturday at North Babylon. The Blue Devils struggled throughout the Suffolk Division II quarterfinal round game, ultimately falling to the Bulldogs 36-7 before a crowd of 750.
Huntington’s vaunted ground game was ineffective for most of the contest. The Blue Devils were able to move the ball through their air attack, but were unable to mount sustained drives.
North Babylon (7-2) put the first points on the scoreboard on a 10-yard touchdown pass and later extended its lead to 14-0 before Huntington responded with a 36-yard touchdown from Blue Devils quarterback Will Wright to Jared Leake to cut the deficit to 14-7.
The Bulldogs scored again before halftime to extend their advantage to 22-7. The teams battled through a scoreless third quarter before North Babylon found the end zone two more times in the final frame.
“North Babylon is a well-coached team and they executed their game plan successfully,” Huntington head coach Steve Muller said. “They did what they had to do in order to win the game.”
Huntington (5-4) enjoyed a handful of big plays, but was never able to capitalize on any of them and gain any momentum. After their only touchdown of the game, the Blue Devils recovered a North Babylon fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the team’s drive fell flat.
Play was stopped in the fourth quarter after some on-field fisticuffs, but when order was restored, both teams played hard until the final whistle.
The loss ended Huntington’s season. North Babylon will now advance to the county semi-finals, where the team will play No. 1 Newfield.
