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Here comes Peter Cottontail … 

On Sunday, April 4, Barbara Ransome, director of operations with the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, dressed up in her Easter Bunny costume to hand out treats and take photos with passerbyers for the holiday.

Over the past 25 years, Ransome has played the role, carrying a basket full of candy — and carrots for herself — throughout Main Street.

From 11 a.m. until the late afternoon, Ransome visited the local shops to say hello, and took pictures with several families. 

“We’re hoping next year we can have our parade and egg hunt,” she said, “But in the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to spread some cheer.”

Last year, the holiday events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year was the same but that didn’t stop people from snapping a selfie with Ransome, or a quick group photo with the local Easter Bunny.

By Steven Zaitz

Demolish, rinse, repeat.

The Northport Tigers football team made Smithtown East its latest victim this past Saturday, as they cruised to a 50-13 road victory in St. James and ran their record to 3-0. The Bulls drop to 2-2.

Senior running back Andrew Argyris rumbled for 139 yards and three touchdowns, leading a rushing attack that gained 376 yards.  Junior Jack Sandrib had 89 yards, and senior Rafe Carner had 71 and two scores.  This trio averaged over nine and a half yards every time they touched the ball against Smithtown East. The Tigers have averaged 301 rushing yards in their three victories this season.

“Our philosophy is to run it down their throats until they prove they can stop us,” Argyris said. “Our offensive line is nasty, and they open up big holes for us.”

Smithtown East found itself in a nasty situation right from the opening whistle.  They won the coin toss but elected to kickoff to the Tigers. Ten plays later, it was 7-0 Northport on Carner’s 3-yard touchdown run. The Bulls fumbled the ensuing kick and Argyris scored on the very next play to make it 14-0 — and Smithtown East’s offense had yet to touch the ball. “It was like an avalanche,” said Northport Head Coach Pat Campbell. “We didn’t give them a chance to breathe because we did a good job of turning their mistakes into early points.”

Northport converted three East turnovers in the first half into 17 points and had a 44-0 lead at halftime. One of those turnovers was an interception by senior cornerback Tom Tini.

“They had a stack on my side of the field, and I read what he [Bulls Quarterback Nick Karika] was trying to do and he threw it right to me,” Tini said. “I’ll take that any day!”

Despite his perfect diagnosis of the play, Tini was kicking himself for not turning the interception into a pick six. “My coaches were busting my [butt] because if I made one cutback, I would have been gone, “Tini said. “It cost me a steak dinner.”

Regardless of Tini having to pay for his meal, the Tiger defense was its usual mauling self.  They were responsible for only one of the Bulls’ touchdowns — the other was a 86-yard fumble recovery by East’s  Santino Pollina — and have given up only two scores in three games this year, both of which came in garbage time.  The Bulls eked out 162 total yards, which is the high-water mark this year for a Northport opponent. The Tigers have allowed only 129 per game on average – a remarkably low number.

“Our TNT [defensive line and fittingly also an abbreviation for dynamite] is just dominant,” said Campbell.  “They do a lot more than take blockers. It’s three against five up there and most times, our three are winning that battle against the opponents’ five.”

One of those three is Cole Ronan, who registered a sack and two tackles behind the line of scrimmage versus Smithtown East. His nickname is Big Nasty.

“Our main goal is to eat up the blocks and let our linebackers come down hill and make the tackles,” said the 6’3” senior. “We work really hard all week in practice to get ready and it shows up in the games.”

His linemate, senior Dan Lugo, loves to have ‘meetings’ with fellow linemen Ronan and senior Ryan Farrington.

“We are always talking about meeting in the backfield, meeting at the quarterback, meeting at the line to stop the running back”, laughed Lugo, who is known around the locker room as Big Daddy. “We have great chemistry.”

So far that chemistry has resulted in the Tigers outscoring their opponents 99-19, with Copiague next on the schedule. The Eagles have laid quite the egg this year, having dropped all three of their games, outscored 155-8 in the process.

Pictured clockwise from above, Smithtown’s Matt Kaires stiff-arms Northport’s Ryan Bell; the Tigers Andrew Argyris on his way to a 28 yard touchdown run; and Jack Sandrib takes on two tacklers in Northport’s win against Smithtown East.

 

The Comsewogue Warriors at 0-2 this season looked to notch its first win when it hosted the Eastport South Manor Sharks at home in a League V conference matchup in a rare Monday night game April 5. Comsewogue’s first win would have to wait as they fell to ESM 20-8. 

The Sharks set the tone early when on their opening drive consumed nearly 7 minutes off the clock to punch in on a touchdown pass to take the early lead. Comsewogue struggled to get traction and after a blocked punt gave the Sharks another scoring opportunity with 9:06 left in the half for a 13-0 lead. 

With less than a minute left in the 3rd the Sharks found the endzone again to take a 20-0 lead. The Warriors took the egg off the scoreboard in the final 2 minutes and were able to convert for two more but it was too little too late and that elusive victory will have to wait.

The Warriors conclude their COVID shortened season with a road game against West Babylon April 10. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. 

Photos by Bill Landon 

It was Rocky Point quarterback Cody Miller who provided the spark for the Eagles in a League VI matchup at home where the senior found the endzone three times, one of which was an interception for a 73-yard return. But it was Kings Park running back Nico Laviano who countered with a pair of short yardage runs and a 29 yarder for the 42-31 victory April 3.

Kings Park quarterback Jonathan Borkowski, a junior, found the endzone twice, and Scott McConville, a sophomore, punched in for the opening score on a five-yard run.

Rocky Point senior Charles Gerace covered 62 yards on a pass reception from Miller, and teammate Devin Cline scored from 10 yards out.

The loss drops the Eagles to 1-2 in their division, and the Kingsmen notched their first win (1-2) of this COVID-shortened season.

The Eagles retake the field April 10 in a road game against Harborfields at 1 p.m. Kings Park is back in action at home April 9 against Hills West with a 6 p.m. start.

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Scoreless after 40 minutes of play, Ward Melville senior co-captain Aidan Long broke the ice in the opening minute of the second half ripping a shot that found the left side of the net to put the Patriots boys soccer out front in a League I matchup against visiting Pat-Med April 3.

Pat-Med answered midway through the second half to even the score which stood until time expired for the 1-1 draw. Ward Melville goalie Jack Jesperson had 5 saves at net.

The Patriots didn’t need a win to move up a position in the League I standings courtesy of Brentwood’s defeat of Walt Whitman and Commack’s unblemished record with a win over Longwood. Ward Melville at 5-3-1 moves up to third place with two games remaining before post season play begins.

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The Smithtown Historical Society opened its grounds for a few Easter egg hunts Saturday, April 3.

Partnering with the Smithtown Center for the Smithtown Performing Arts Center, the historical society offered socially-distanced visits with the Easter Bunny, opportunities to pet the animals on the grounds, creating holiday treats with Myra Naseem from Elegant Eating and more.

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For two days in a row, Benner’s Farm in East Setauket was filled with holiday joy.

On April 3 and 4, the farm was filled with socially-distanced egg hunts spread out throughout the two days. Children were able to take photos with the Easter Bunny, who sat in a wagon while children sat a few feet in front of him to keep everyone safe.

Benner’s also had vendors on hand at the annual event, and families were able to visit with the farm’s animals.

 

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office held a swearing in ceremony for 20 new Deputy Sheriff Recruits on Thursday, April 1, 2020, at the Maxine S. Postal Auditorium in the Riverhead County Center. These new Deputy Sheriff Recruits will begin a rigorous six-month training program that includes instruction in firearms, emergency vehicle operations (EVOC), EMT training, and individualized field training. The recruits will graduate in the early fall, joining a force consisting of 230 Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs.

Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. welcomed these new deputies to the Sheriff’s Office, reminding them that they “now hold a position of authority in Suffolk County, and with that authority comes great responsibility.”

 For more information on the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Policing Division, please visit www.suffolksheriff.com.

Photos courtesy of Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office

The Huntington Arts Council recently announced the winners of its High Arts Showcase XVII art exhibit.

High Arts Showcase XVII is a component of the JOURNEY Arts in Education Program providing partner school 11th and 12th grade students with the opportunity to present their talents in a gallery setting through this exclusive visual art exhibition. Participating school districts include Cold Spring Harbor Jr/Sr High School, Commack High School, Harborfields High School, Huntington High School, King’s Park High School, Northport High School, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, and Walt Whitman High School. For more information on the artists and their work click here.

Congratulations to the following students awarded Best in Show and Honorable Mentions for their work:
  • Best in Show
    “Isiah” by Anthony Colley, Harborfields High School
  • Honorable Mentions
    “Conceptual Portrait 1” by Samantha Drouin, Commack High School
    “Grandpa John” by Olivia DeFeo, Northport High School
    “Primary Tribal” by Kendal Eggert, Kings Park
    “The Son of Man” (video) by Lauren Gooding, Huntington High School

The exhibit is on view at the Huntington Arts Council’s website, www.huntingtonarts.org, through April 10.

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Smithtown West went head-to-head with West Islip vying for the top spot in League III volleyball action at home where the Bulls swept West Islip in three sets winning 25-19, 25-22 and 25-21 March 30.

With the win on their home court, Smithtown West remains unbeaten with a 5-0 record while the loss drops West Islip to 8-2.

The Bulls have a busy schedule in the COVID-compressed season and will play four games over three days beginning with a doubleheader April 1 at home against Bellport at 10 a.m. and a road game against Deer Park at 2.