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high school sports

Rocky Point girl’s basketball downs Newfield 47-21

by Bill Landon - December 7, 2024

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By Bill Landon

The Rocky Point Eagles opened their 2024-25 girls’ varsity basketball campaign with a pair of non-league wins, defeating Deer Park and, with a swarming defense, downing Newfield 47-21 in a home game Tuesday. Dec. 3.

It was a three-point game after two quarters of play, but the Eagles’ defense kept the Wolverines in check, forcing turnovers and recording several blocked shots. Newfield struggled to gain traction in the final eight minutes, falling to 0-2 early in the season.

The Eagles will look to continue their winning ways when they open league play on Dec. 6, hosting Westhampton. Game time is scheduled for 4:45 p.m.

Newfield will also be back in action on Dec. 6, traveling to East Islip for another non-league matchup in search of its first win. Tipoff is at 5:45 p.m.

Smithtown East boys basketball tramples Ward Melville 77-39

by Bill Landon - December 7, 2024

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By Bill Landon

The Patriots of Ward Melville were no match for the visiting Bulls of Smithtown East in both teams’ season opener Saturday afternoon, where the Bulls broke out early in the opening quarter and never looked back, trampling the Patriots 77-39 in the non-league matchup Nov. 30.

Craig O’Neill, a junior, led the way for Smithtown East with seven field goals and five from the free-throw line for a team high of 19 points. Seniors Nico Skartsiaris netted 11 points, and Tom Fanning added 10.

Ward Melville senior Neelesh Raghurama topped the scoring chart for the Patriots, banking 10 points, and James Coffey, the freshman, notched nine.

Smithtown East retakes the court with another non-league game when they host William Floyd on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Ja’Quan is king: William Floyd football beats Ward Melville for Div I Crown

by Steven Zaitz - November 27, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

A cold and blustery night at LaValle Stadium on Saturday night, turned colder for the Ward Melville Patriots, as they were thumped by William Floyd 34-6 in the Suffolk County Conference I championship football game.

Floyd’s star running back Ja’Quan Thomas ran for 261 yards and five touchdowns and he delivered the keynote of the game, running for 45 yards on his first touch and then punching it in two plays later that gave the Colonials a 7-0 just three and a half minutes of the game. This early display by the Colonial junior was a microcosm of what he has done to opponents all year – use both his breakaway speed and bowling ball power to lead all of Long Island in rushing yardage with 2,322.

Ward Melville sophomore QB Hudson Philbrick, who emerged as one of Suffolk County’s premier passers in 2024, was adversely affected by the stiff headwind at the start. The Patriots gained only one first down on their first two drives, and with good field position, Thomas took advantage on both occasions. He gave Floyd a 14-0 lead to close out the quarter and the Colonials had effectively landed the first two haymakers of the game. When Philbrick threw an interception on his third possession, Floyd looked to land another.

But something happened on the way to Thomas’s third trip to the end zone. Ward Melville’s sophomore Swiss Army Knife Joe Karpowicz, who plays defensive back, punter, kick returner, receiver, and running back, recovered a fumble in his own end zone that prevented Floyd from taking what might have been an insurmountable three-touchdown lead to start the second quarter.

With renewed vigor, aided and abetted by a 54-yard run by WM running back Joey Benedetto, Karpowicz ran in a direct snap from one yard out with eight minutes left in the second quarter. Benedetto finished the game with 176 yards on 28 carries – and in half where they thoroughly dominated territorially, Ward Melville went into the locker room with only a palatable 14-6 deficit.

The second half would prove much less palatable, especially the first 180 seconds of play

After recovering a fumble deep in Floyd territory on the opening kickoff, Philbrick threw his second interception of the night, and any momentum that Ward Melville mustered from their takeaway was snuffed out.

But things would get worse for the Pats very quickly.

On the next play from scrimmage, Thomas galloped 72 yards into the endzone for his third TD of the night and a 20-6 Colonial lead.

“Ja’Quan is a great player,” said Ward Melville DL Nate Wain. “He is different from the other backs that we have faced because he runs with both tremendous speed and strength.”

Thomas would show that power burst after Ward Melville fumbled the ensuing kickoff, barreling over would-be tacklers on a ten-yard run to get the ball to the one and then taking it in two plays later. In a flash, the score was 27-6 with less than three minutes gone by in the third quarter – and the rest of the game was rendered a freezing formality.

“All good things come to an end”, said the senior Wain. “We left it all on the field today and while we may have lost the game, we won in heart, unity, and brotherhood. Every step we took together and every challenge we faced, they made us stronger as a team and I think I can speak for all the seniors, when I say that we will remember these experiences forever.”

One of those positive experiences was the 22-21 victory over Floyd in the regular season and the two playoff wins this year that sent them to Stony Brook for the Suffolk County finals. But for this night, especially the 15 or so seniors who played in their final high school football game, it was much colder and sadder than the Patriots would have hoped.

Ward Melville football edges Longwood Lions

by Bill Landon - November 22, 2024

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By Bill Landon

No. 3 seed Ward Melville came calling on No. 2 seed, Longwood Lions, in Friday night’s Suffolk Division I football semifinals. It was a ground-and-pound battle where the Patriots nipped the Lions 14-7, punching their ticket to Saturday night’s championship final at Stony Brook University.

Longwood opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 29-yard breakaway run by Kalen Percer, but the Patriots answered in the closing seconds of the half when Joey Karpowicz plowed into the end zone on short yardage to knot the game at 7-7. Six minutes into the fourth quarter, Ward Melville running back Joey Benedetto, who piled up 186 rushing yards, punched one in on a four-yard run, and Ethan Jargo’s kick split the uprights for the 14-7 final.

Ward Melville (9-1) will square off against William Floyd (9-1) in the Suffolk Division I championship game at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased here: gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI

Ward Melville Patriots celebrate a season of sports excellence

by Steven Zaitz - November 22, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

Undefeated seasons, long winning streaks and milestones? Check, check, and check.

Suffolk County crowns, Long Island championships, New York State supremacy and dominating dynasties? Yes, we’ve got those too.

It has been an unprecedented, exhilarating and ultra-successful fall season for the entire Ward Melville Patriot athletic program in 2024 — and the green and gold are not even close to being done.

In what stands as one of the most impressive athletic dynasties in New York State history, the Ward Melville Lady Patriot girls soccer program won its third straight New York State Championship on Nov. 17. The team traveled to SUNY Cortland and defeated upstate Arlington 1-0 in the tournament’s final match. Senior goalkeeper Kate Ronzoni made a lunging save on a penalty kick in the dying moments of regulation to preserve the win while Adriana Victoriano scored the game’s only goal in the 62nd minute. The Lady Patriots now boast a 63-game unbeaten streak and finished 2024 with a sparkling 20-0-1 record.

Both the boys and girls volleyball teams will compete in their respective State Championship tournaments after winning Long Island titles.

The boys secured their second consecutive Long Island Championship by defeating Massapequa in a five-set marathon in East Meadow on Nov. 15. They were led by senior Kyle Fagan, who earlier this fall recorded the 1,000th kill of his high school career. Now, the team heads to Albany to face upstate powers such as Penfield and Shenendehowa. After falling in the round-robin stage last year, the boys hope for a different result in 2024 bolstered by the valuable experience gained in 2023.

Fagan, who will attend Penn State next year, appreciates being part of Ward Melville’s winning tradition.

“It’s really cool being a part of a program that is so successful across the board. By being part of this program, it sets the expectation of excellence which I believe pushes its athletes and teams to work harder and do better. And so far, most teams have lived up to or exceeded these expectations,” he said.

The girls volleyball team will compete for a state title in Glens Falls this weekend against yet-to-be-determined opponents. Senior Emma Bradshaw, a Gettysburg College commit, led the team to victory over Plainview-Old Bethpage last week in Wantagh with 22 kills. The Lady Patriots dropped the first set, 22-25, but rallied to sweep the next three, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-20, earning a trip upstate. They remain flawless at 20-0 this season.

The football team advanced to the county final after two playoff wins. The Patriots will take a short trip to LaValle Stadium at Stony Brook University to face the William Floyd Colonials. The Colonials, talented and determined, are still smarting from a 21-20 loss to Ward Melville earlier this season. In that game, Floyd coach Paul Longo opted to go for a two-point conversion with no time left, but Ward Melville’s defense forced an incompletion, handing Floyd its only loss of the year and setting off joyous bedlam at Ward Melville stadium.

The Patriots reached the county final by defeating Longwood 14-7 last Friday, despite being dominated by the Lions in the regular season matchup 35-7. Sophomore quarterback Hudson Philbrick has been a key contributor this season, throwing 14 touchdown passes against seven interceptions. Excluding the loss to Longwood, the Patriots’ defense has held opponents to 14 points or fewer in seven of nine games this season.

While on the subject of football and game days, the cheer squad traveled to Hudson Valley Community College in Troy earlier this month and won a New York State Class A title in the Game Day Cheer competition, improving on its second-place finish in 2023. They earned the Suffolk County Championship in Game Day the previous week, outperforming local competition at Sachem North High School. Chalk up another county and state title for Patriot Nation.

The boys cross-country team also made history, capturing the Suffolk County Championship at Sunken Meadow for the first time in 51 years. Seven runners advanced to the state finals in Queensbury, just south of Lake George. Senior Jon Seyfert led the way, finishing 12th in the 5K race with a time of 15:41.70 while teammate Anthony Anatol placed 22nd with a time of 15:51.20. Andrew Senf, Matteo Ritieni, Tim Brown and Matt Fumai also represented the green and gold. Elizabeth Wright qualified on the girls’ side, finishing 45th overall in 19:13.80.

The Patriot field hockey team, a perennial powerhouse, made headlines by defeating the dynastic Northport Lady Tigers in the Suffolk semi-finals 1-0. Peyton Phillips scored the game-winning penalty stroke in the final minute, marking the first time in five years Ward Melville eliminated Northport in the playoffs. The Lady Patriots ultimately fell to Sachem East 1-0 in the county final. But they have made it to the Suffolk County finals for five consecutive years.

If you’re keeping score, that’s two state championships with two more pending, five Suffolk County championships and the football team aiming for a sixth. Add a program-wide winning percentage exceeding 90% and Ward Melville High School has firmly established itself as Long Island’s premier athletic powerhouse this fall.

“There has definitely been a buzz around the school and the community,“ said Ward Melville Athletic Director Kevin Finnerty. “We’ve been very successful over the years and many of our teams succeed year after year, but this year has been exceptional. We have great support from the community and the school district but most importantly our coaching staff. We have a very passionate and experienced coaching staff and they take a lot of pride in what they do.”

So far in 2024, Patriot Nation has countless reasons to be proud.

Playoff stunner: Emotional roller coaster ends on a downer for Northport football

by Steven Zaitz - November 15, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

In Week 4 of the regular season, Northport quarterback Enrique Hernandez piloted a desperate, two-minute drill for a touchdown to cap an exhilarating 20-19 victory over the Suffolk County Conference II defending champion North Babylon Bulldogs.

Five weeks later, the two teams met again in the first round of the playoffs, and the Tigers were again down by six points. This time, however, Hernandez was on the sidelines, his arm wrapped in a sling after being injured at the end of the third quarter.

With backup QB Simon Blissett also out, Tiger Nation turned its lonely eye to senior receiver Christian Campoli to step in behind center.

Could Campoli, who has played running back, wide receiver, kick returner and defensive back over the course of his Northport Tiger football career, lead another miracle comeback?

Yes … and no.

With five and a half minutes left, the Tigers, who had led for the first three quarters, were running out of chances. Campoli was operating what was essentially a Wildcat offense and a highly condensed version of the playbook, calling on himself and running backs Luke Loiacona and Asher Levine to chip away at the 70 yards between them and the potential winning score.

After a few modest gains on running plays, an automatic first down on a pass interference call and a critical 21-yard conversion on fourth down from Campoli to wide receiver Tommy O’Brien, the Tiger offense was set up inside the North Babylon 20. The home Tiger fans were now screaming and believing.

Six running plays later, their faith was rewarded.

Levine scored from three yards out behind a key block by Reid Johansen with 45 seconds remaining to tie the score at 20. Kicker Zac Loh trotted in to add the extra point for Northport and give them a one-point lead.

Loh, who was a perfect 24-for-24 on extra points this year, kicked a ball that skimmed the top of his offensive linemen and dribbledunder the goal post — and a wildly happy and raucous crowd just seconds before turned stone silent.

Instead of a one-point Tiger lead, the game would now be decided in overtime.

Bulldog star running back Jawara Keahey scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the extra session and their extra point was successful. This compelled Northport to hold serve.

Loiacona rumbled eight yards to set up first and goal at the five, as the Tigers looked to send the game into a second overtime. But Northport was stopped three times for minimal gain, setting up fourth and goal from the 2-yard line.

On the next, and what would be the game’s final play, Loiacona was swallowed up behind the line of scrimmage by three Bulldog defenders shortly after he took the handoff. The game was over, and with it, Northport’s football season.

As the visiting team in white threw cups of water and Gatorade into the air, the entire Northport offensive unit lay scattered across the end zone in various states of shock and despair. Campoli, who stood to be the game’s surprise hero was one of the few players left standing.

He looked to the heavens and held the front of his facemask in disbelief — his helmet, slathered in tiger paw print stickers for past acts of football heroism, gleaming in the western afternoon sun.

Despite the loss in his final game as a Northport Tiger, he deserves at least one more sticker for his helmet.

Hauppauge football falls to Islip in first round of playoffs

by Steven Zaitz - November 15, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

The Suffolk County high school football playoffs kicked off this weekend, and in most cases, the higher-seeded teams were met with little resistance. But when the sixth-seeded Hauppauge Eagles flew south down Route 111 to No. 3 Islip on Friday night, they did everything they could to sink the Buccaneers’ planned pleasure cruise in the Conference III quarterfinal.

After a brilliant 23-yard touchdown scramble down the left sideline by Eagle quarterback Nick Lachapelle, Hauppauge had a 22-14 lead and was less than 10 minutes away from a not-so-mild upset. Islip came into the game with a 6-2 record and was fresh off a rousing 42-6 win over Amityville in the final week of the regular season, while the Eagles had suffered a soul-crushing shutout at the hands of top-seed Sayville, 49-0.

But the slate was blank once the playoffs started, and Hauppauge wasn’t thinking about what happened at Sayville. They needed to continue to bottle up Islip’s All-County quarterback Brady Nash for the next nine minutes and 42 seconds to survive and advance.

After Lachapelle’s TD run, Buccaneer scatback Dylan Smith got Islip to midfield immediately as he took an end-around on the first play from scrimmage. A completion to wide receiver Jack Rao moved the ball to the Eagle 29, and two plays later, Nash found a wide-open Rao for a 16-yard touchdown. Islip converted the two-point conversion, and the game was tied at 22.

Lachapelle, who was beaten and battered throughout the game by a relentless Bucs pass rush, also plays as a defensive back and long-snapper on punts. When he made a tackle on a critical third down with less than four minutes left and the game still tied, he limped noticeably but stayed on the field. The lanky lefty was sacked on third down by Josiah Patterson for the third time in the game and needed assistance getting to his sideline as the Eagle punting unit came onto the field with 2:15 remaining.

As an injured player must sit out for one play, Lachapelle handed over the snapping duties to backup Matt Cira.

“I was cramping really badly and couldn’t even stand, so we had to put in our backup snapper,” said the junior Lachapelle, who rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries and threw for 89.

These cramps put a real crimp in Hauppauge’s chance to win the game.

As the gentle, southerly breeze that blew in from the Great South Bay at the start of the game turned colder and more biting, Eagle punter Jackson Ruple took the field. Lachapelle could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as Cira’s snap fluttered way over the head of Ruple, who chased the ball near his own 20-yard line and was immediately decked by Islip’s do-it-all Christian Hall.

A minute later, Nash, who totaled exactly 300 yards of offense, took a third-and-3 shotgun snap and darted up the middle for a 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown. It was 29-22 with 58 seconds left, and a gimpy Lachapelle and Hauppauge were out of bullets.

“That loss really hurt, and I wanted a playoff win more than anything,” Lachapelle said. “It’s unfortunate I had to sit out that one play.”

Eagle running back Gershon Diaz had the other touchdowns on runs of 6 and 18 yards.

For the senior Nash, he and his teammates had a playoff win after an abysmal 2-6 season in 2023. He finished with two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns, the last of which won the game.

“The winning touchdown run was one of the moments that everyone dreams of having, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Nash said. “It was huge for the town, the team, and it was an amazing moment.”

Nash is ticketed for more amazing moments when postseason award banquets start up in a few weeks. But before he hits the carving stations and the salad bars, Nash and his Buco teammates have a date with fellow All-County quarterback Joe Filardi and Half Hollow Hills West next Saturday at West in the Suffolk County Conference III semifinal game. The Colts beat up on the Bucs 56-20 in Week 7 of the regular season.

“We learned a lot from that week against Hills West,” Nash said. “I think we’re all pulling in the right direction.”

Stroked and stoked: Ward Melville field hockey gains playoff win over Northport

by Steven Zaitz - November 9, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

The Ward Melville field hockey team defeated Northport 1-0 on Saturday in the Suffolk County semifinals, ending the storied career of Lady Tigers coach Gina Walling.

Peyton Phillips scored on a rare penalty stroke with two and a half minutes remaining in the game, securing the game’s only goal and sending the Lady Patriots to the county final against Sachem East on Tuesday.

Ward Melville goalkeeper Olivia Zummo held Northport scoreless, making four saves and extending her 2024 shutout streak against the Tigers to seven consecutive quarters. The teams previously met on Oct. 22, with the game ending in a 0-0 tie as officials called it due to darkness midway through the fourth quarter.

This time, bright skies lit the field on Saturday afternoon. Both teams struggled to generate scoring chances despite a healthy number of penalty corners awarded, with much of the game contested at midfield.

With 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Phillips was brought down in front of Northport goalkeeper Mariselle Camillone, earning the rare penalty stroke. The two had been in this situation before: on Oct. 16, 2023, Phillips attempted a penalty stroke but was denied by Camillone. That game marked the end of Northport’s 68-game winning streak, which lasted nearly 1,000 days.

Ward Melville won that matchup 3-0, despite Camillone’s save.

This time, Phillips placed the shot — taken from only seven yards out — between Camillone’s leg pad and left blocker glove, sending it into the net. She was immediately mobbed by her teammates, a celebration that would repeat two and a half minutes later when the final whistle secured Ward Melville’s playoff victory. The Patriots had finally overcome Northport, which had eliminated them the past four years.

The game marked the final regular-season contest for longtime Northport Coach Walling, who has led the Lady Tigers for 17 years, winning multiple Coach of the Year awards, Suffolk County titles, and New York state championships in 2021 and 2022.

Ward Melville lost to Sachem East 1-0 on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the Suffolk County Championship game. Sachem East completed their undefeated season in Section XI play with a 17-0 record. They will play the winner of Massapequa and East Meadow for the Long Island championship game on Sunday.

Gone with the wind: Commack beats Northport in girls soccer playoff

by Steven Zaitz - November 8, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

A tale of two halves ended with the CoA tale of two halves ended with the Commack girls soccer team having the best of times. For the Northport Lady Tigers, not so much.

With a start time of high noon on a blustery Halloween, the home Cougars scored against a strong westerly wind when striker Elena Dean put one past Northport keeper K.K. Howard with six minutes left in the second half.

The goal gave the third-seeded Cougars a 2-1 victory in the Suffolk AAA quarterfinal. Northport, the sixth seed, finished with an impressive 10-4-3 record, exiting in the quarterfinal round for the second consecutive year.

Each team dominated the half in which they had the wind advantage.

With the game scoreless as the first half wound down, Commack’s Breanna Mender launched a twisting, diagonal shot from 20 yards that eluded the outstretched glove of Northport goalkeeper Cara DeMarco. It found the top corner of the net, giving Commack a 1-0 lead at the half. DeMarco splits time in goal with Howard for Northport.

In the second half, Northport quickly pressured Commack keeper Olivia Bezmalinovic’s goal.

When the Tigers were awarded a corner kick in the 53rd minute, they capitalized. Northport striker Ava DeMarco took the corner from Finnley Wickard and fired a shot off the crossbar. Northport’s Brooke Heffernan and Bezmalinovic both went for the rebound, and as the Cougar keeper tried to secure the ball, Heffernan’s head, neck, and shoulder jostled it loose and powered it into the net.

As Heffernan and her teammates celebrated, Bezmalinovic lay briefly dazed near her net and had to leave the game. She returned minutes later, but Northport had secured its equalizer.

With the aid of Howard’s booming, wind-aided goal kicks, Northport maintained control for much of the second half but couldn’t get the go-ahead goal. With 5:19 left, Dean slipped behind the Tigers’ defense and fired a shot that Howard got a hand on but couldn’t stop. Commack had its game-winner.

After beating North Babylon on Nov. 2, the Lady Cougars played the mighty state champion and number one seed, Ward Melville on Tuesday, Nov. 5 for the Suffolk County AAA title. Ward Melville won by a score of 3-1 to win their second straight county title. Photo by Steven Zaitz.

Newfield football falls in season finale to West Babylon

by Bill Landon - November 8, 2024

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By Bill Landon

Newfield was thirsty for a win on senior recognition day when the team hosted West Babylon, but the Wolverines would go unquenched, falling 21-12 in their season finale Saturday, Nov. 2.

After a four-minute sustained drive by the Eagles that yielded no points, Newfield’s Matthew Evers threw deep to Gavin Smith on a 50-yard pass play that went the distance for the touchdown. Newfield’s two point-conversion failed.

West Babylon scored two unanswered touchdowns before Evers found Smith again, and a 42-yard strike was good enough for the score. With another failed conversion, the Wolverines trailed the Eagles 14-12 at the half.

West Babylon struck again in the third quarter but Newfield was unable to answer as their offense struggled to gain traction the rest of the way.

Newfield concluded their 2024 campaign with a 5-3 record in Division II.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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high school sports

Rocky Point girl’s basketball downs Newfield 47-21

Smithtown East boys basketball tramples Ward Melville 77-39

Ja’Quan is king: William Floyd football beats Ward Melville for Div I Crown

Ward Melville football edges Longwood Lions

Ward Melville Patriots celebrate a season of sports excellence

Playoff stunner: Emotional roller coaster ends on a downer for Northport football

Hauppauge football falls to Islip in first round of playoffs

Stroked and stoked: Ward Melville field hockey gains playoff win over Northport

Gone with the wind: Commack beats Northport in girls soccer playoff

Newfield football falls in season finale to West Babylon

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