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Steven Zaitz

Northport boy’s basketball earns first league win

by Steven Zaitz - December 19, 2024

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The Northport Boys Basketball team earned their first league win on Thursday, Dec. 12, on the road against North Babylon — but it certainly wasn’t easy.

Down by as many as 12 points to the Bulldogs, Northport came storming back with a dominant 17-9 4th quarter. But after a free throw by North Babylon guard Kameron Quinn, the Tigers were down by one point with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

Northport elected not to take a timeout and guard Shamus Burke rushed the ball up court and gave it to big man Sean Cogan in the corner. Double-teamed, Cogan handed it off to senior guard Patrick Gimpel, who drove diagonally through the lane and threw up a right-handed scooping layup that evaded the outstretched block attempt by North Babylon’s Logan Artherly. It gave Northport a 49-48 win and stopped the Tigers three -game losing streak.

Gimpel scored all 11 of his points in the second half — obviously none bigger than his last-second game winner. Senior forward Owen Boylan led the Tigers with 13 and Cogan had 10. Brody Gozzo had 9 and Burke 8.

Northport began its comeback when they scored 7 straight points midway through the third quarter. Boylan hit a short jumper in the lane and Gimpel spun out of a pick and roll and scored on a nice feed from Cogan, as North Babylon committed three turnovers in a two-minute span in that third quarter which allowed Northport to sneak back in.

The final ten minutes were hotly contested before Gimpel scored the final bucket of the game.

Northport moved to 2-3 overall on the year and 1-1 in the newly configured Suffolk County League 3. They play league contests against Copiague and Huntington this week.

Photos by Steven Zaitz

Northport girl’s basketball victorious over Smithtown East 59-28

by Steven Zaitz - December 14, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

Northport Senior forward Claire Fitzpatrick scored 20 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 59-28 victory over Smithtown East on Tuesday night.

Fitzpatrick, who transferred back to Northport after a year at St. Mary hit on four of her seven three-point attempts and had 10 points in the first quarter to set the pace for the Tigers, who improved to 2-0 on the young season. Smithtown East drops their second consecutive game to even their record at 2-2. Senior Meredith Brennan led the Lady Red Bulls with eight points.

But it was Northport’s Fitzpatrick who set the pace, calmly hitting open jumpers and spinning in the lane to help open up a 23-9 early in the second quarter for the Tigers. The score would stay that way for a stretch of five minutes, as both teams played hot potato with the basketball — turning it over a combined nine times in the quarter. Northport would go into their halftime locker room leading 28-9, completely shutting out Smithtown East in the second quarter.

Tiger Sophomore guard Ava DeMarco nailed a pair of three in the third quarter and the Bulls had no answer for Northport’s physical style. Northport out-rebounded Smithtown East 32-22 for the game and the Tigers led 48-22 after Fitzpatrick hit a triple midway through the quarter — her fourth three-pointer of the game.

DeMarco finished with 11 points and senior guard Hallie Gilmartin had 7, two of which came on a gorgeous reverse layup in the fourth quarter. Her sister, junior Grace Gilmartin had 2 points and 4 rebounds.

Northport 8th grader Lyla Quinn had five points, including a three-pointer. Brennan’s sister Carolyn, also in 8th grade, had 7 points for East. Junior Emily Giordano had six points and senior Isabella Moragiemos had five for the Lady Red Bulls.

Smithtown East will travel to Newfield on Dec. 12th to take on the Wolverines and Northport is home against North Babylon, also on Dec. 12th.

The win was Northport Head Coach Rich Castellano’s 755th of his career — adding to his record of most wins in the history of girls high school basketball on Long Island.

Port Jefferson boys cross country team gives late coach best tribute possible

by Steven Zaitz - December 6, 2024

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PTJeffxc-2 — Colin Veit at the finishing stretch of the 5K in Queensbury New York. He is the first Royal to cross the line at 16:33.50. Photo courtesy Shannon Handley

By Steven Zaitz

The 2024 Port Jefferson boys cross-country team experienced the lowest of lows as well as the highest of highs this past season.

The Magnificent Seven — seniors Colin Veit and Max Joyner, juniors Christopher Nam, Sviatoslav Zalizniak, Chase Davis, Lucas Sweeney, and sophomore Sean Grossman —captured the Class D New York State Championship on Nov. 16. It was the first state title for Royal runners on the boys side since 1976.

Max Joyner running in the State Championships for Port Jefferson High School. Photo courtesy Shannon Handley

The team was coached to victory by Andy Cosci, who took over the team in 2022 from longtime coach Roderick Cawley, who had served the Port Jefferson School District in a variety of track and cross-county roles for close to four decades. He died this past October at the age of 65, just six weeks prior to the Royals’ historic victory.

“Coach Cawley deeply impacted not only the cross-country team but everyone in Port Jeff,” said Joyner, who ran 16:48.90 in the 5000-meter race held in Queensbury. ”I have two older brothers who ran, going back to 2017 and he really touched everyone. He had nicknames for everybody and he built up the program to what it is today.”

Grossman, the youngest, but tallest, of the winning septet of runners, also felt the warmth of Cawley’s glow.

“Not only was he a coach here, but he also taught here for many years,” said Grossman, who finished up at 17.12.10. “We were devastated when he passed away and we knew that his last wish was to win the state championship. It was one thing he wanted and I’m glad we were able to do that for him.”

Davis recounted when he initially became a track-and-field athlete.

“Cawley had a great effect on me and he would encourage me to try different events,” said Davis, who ran in 17:56.20. “He really helped me fit in and feel comfortable when I first joined this team.”

The team was led by Veit, who finished 10th overall at 16:33.50 at Queensbury. The team as a whole had the top 5 average of 17:05 – 17 seconds ahead of second-place Remsen.

“We trained for months leading up to this race so we were really well prepared,” said Joyner, “It was really rewarding to have it pay off in such a phenomenal way.”

The entire team made a great tribute to coach Cawley by inscribing his name on their forearms as they ran the state championship race. Cawley was well known throughout high school running circles, as he won 19 league titles, Coach of the Year in Suffolk County 24 times and was a great organizer and promoter of track and field across New York state. Port Jefferson High School was the host of the state meet 17 different times in Cawley’s career.

He will be missed not only in Port Jefferson but by the track-and-field community of coaches, athletes and colleagues throughout the State of New York.

Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame celebrates 20th anniversary

by Steven Zaitz - December 6, 2024

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limehof sun — Ernie and the Band perform on Dec. 1 at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steven Zaitz

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) held a jam-packed, two-day 20th Anniversary Holiday Celebration Party, on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at its museum in the back section of Stony Brook Village.

The event featured continuous Long Island-connected entertainment giants, including Mark Newman and his band, Kerry Kearney, DMC, with Johnny Juice, Stanton Anderson, Ernie & the Band and American Idol contestant Christian Padavan. During the two-day event, music videos of LIMEHOF inductees played on the wall-sized screens throughout the museum, as visits from Santa Claus took place. The gala also did its part in community support by organizing a Christmas Toy Drive in partnership with Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church’s Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center, supporting 1,500 children in need on Long Island during this season of giving.

From left to right: LIMEHOF board of director members Norm Prusslin, Jim Faith, Tom Needham, Jeffrey James and Ernie Canadeo discuss the evolution of Long Island music scene with the crowd. Photo by Steven Zaitz

On the first day, LIMEHOF board of director members, including Chairman of the Board Ernie Canadeo, Norm Prusslin, Tom Needham, Jeffrey James and Jim Faith waxed nostalgic about the origins of the organization, its trials and tribulations throughout the years, how it established its current home in Stony Brook and its association with Long Island music legends like Billy Joel, Twisted Sister, Mariah Carey and Blue Öyster Cult.

“Long Island, the people in the area, and the artists of the area were so happy that we have established this organization and this place,” said Faith. “In the 1970’s and 1980’s musicians were told to say that they were from New York City, because the perception was that Long Island wasn’t “cool.” No musician has to say that anymore. They can say they are from Long Island because we helped change the perspective of music on the Island.”

In attendance on Saturday was Larry “Duck” Dunn. Dunn was a disk jockey at WLIR, a station which introduced “New Wave” bands like Long Island’s Stray Cats, INXS, The B52’s and Depeche Mode, to area listeners in the 1980’s. He sat and listened as the LIMEHOF board of directors spoke of the past, present and future of the music scene on Long Island.

Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage being an important resource, which should be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook Village. To date, the organization has inducted more than 120 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships and awards to Long Island students and educators.

Since 2004, the not-for-profit organization will now be able to be recognized in a permanent home. The space — covering 8,800 square feet — features a large exhibition area, theater, gift shop and an official “Hall of Fame Museum.”

“We always wanted a permanent home, but for a long time the organization never had enough money,” said LIMEHOF Canadeo. “We were using a 1998 Winnebago as a mobile museum for many years and now we are lucky enough to have this beautiful facility.”

Aside from original concert posters and promotional material that adorn the walls on both levels of the building — much of which is related to Hicksville-raised Billy Joel — the museum features artifacts, such as musical instruments, famous awards, apparel and other memorabilia from many of Long Island’s favorite artists. The wide variety of talent represented by the 120 inductees includes names like Joel, KISS, LL Cool J, Debbie Gibson, Louis Armstrong, Vanilla Fudge, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond and Run-DMC, among many others.

LIMEHOF is also proud to partner with Steven Van Zandt’s TeachRock.

Launched by Van Zandt, who is not only Bruce Springsteen’s longtime guitarist, but also starred in the HBO hit series the Sopranos, created TeachRock, along with Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese and Springsteen, to provide free, standards-aligned resources, which use music to help K-12 students succeed in science, math, social studies and language arts.

TeachRock improves students’ lives by filling every classroom with the sound, stories and science of music.

It aspires to keep the arts in the DNA of school systems, empower teachers with a methodology to engage a generation with the internet in their pocket, create inclusive spaces through the arts by providing teachers well researched, abundance-framed classroom resources, which feature positive representations of all Americans. This is done in the hopes of increasing graduation rates.

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

by Steven Zaitz - November 27, 2024

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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 Patriots celebrate a season of sports excellence

by Steven Zaitz - November 22, 2024

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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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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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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.

Northport Tigers football take it to the house on homecoming

by Steven Zaitz - October 25, 2024

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Northport High School broke out their new uniforms on homecoming, this past Saturday, and then broke out the whoopin’ stick on Deer Park, blanking the Falcons 49-0, in front of packed house at Northport Tiger Stadium. Northport improves to 4-2 on the season, and Deer Park remains winless at 0-6.

From midfield and sporting a new camo-tinged, navy and butterscotch uniform, Tiger junior running back Grayson Cabrera scored on the first offensive play from scrimmage, which gave Northport a 6-0 lead. Northport scored a safety when they bungled a punt for another two points, and junior Luke Loiacono returned the free kick 71 yards for a touchdown. Northport had a 15-0 lead after just four minutes of play. It was much of the same for the rest of the game.

Cabrera added a touchdown on a 39-yard pass from QB Enrique Hernandez to start the second quarter and Loiacono zig-zaged his way to the end zone, for 47 yards to give the Tigers a 36-0 six minutes, before halftime. Senior fullback Jesse Castillo blasted his way in from five yards away to put a cap on the half. Northport led 43-0.

After a gala halftime show, starring the famous Tiger Marching Band, Tigerettes, the Flagline and varsity cheer, Northport inserted junior Simon Blissett. He scored on a brilliant 49 yard bootleg midway through the fourth quarter. Perhaps the only blemish on this sun-drenched day, from a Northport perspective, was the missed point after touchdown, which would have given the Tigers an even fifty.

The defense for Northport, led by linebacker Reid Johansen, allowed only 102 yards of Falcon offense on the day. Johansen had 10 tackles, and defensive tackle, Gio Valenti, had six.

For Northport, the celebratory vibe will have faded upon hitting the practice field on Monday, as they will now prepare for the undefeated East Islip Redmen, who are ranked number one in Newsday’s power rankings.

East Islip is undefeaded at 6-0 and have outscored opponents 240-42, and most recently, defeated 2023 Suffolk County Conference II champions North Babylon, 42-7.

The Redmen are led by QB Thomas Costarelli and running back Ryan Parker, who has scored 14 touchdowns so far this year.

The game will be at East Islip on Friday Oct. 25 at 6 p.m.

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Steven Zaitz

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