Forty-eight players showed up to the two-a-day workouts last week at Riverhead High School. For a Division I varsity football program, and for Riverhead in particular during its heyday, 40 players was the norm to suit up and compete for a varsity championship. But even with the school’s enrollment growing at a rapid pace, those 48 players were represented the entire program of both varsity and JV combined.

“In all my time here with the Riverhead football program we’ve never had numbers this low — it’s historically low,” Riverhead head coach Ed Grassman said. “We had a lot of kids that weren’t registered right away. We have a lot of kids that didn’t know the season started so early. A lot of freshmen aren’t playing. We have a very small senior group — that’s the group that, because of the failed budget, didn’t have middle school football.”

There’s just less interest in football these days. The program hasn’t had a winning record since the school budget was voted down in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though trophies from Riverhead’s glory years line the hallways at the high school, most of the athletes in the district can’t relate to the success the school once had because they just haven’t witnessed it themselves. The community has always come out to support the football team and during the best of times, it was so packed there was not even and standing room along the sideline. Now, half of the seats are empty. 

“We’ve got to start winning and attracting these kids back to the program,” Grassman said. “I’m not saying we need to win a championship, but in order to get more interest in the program, we need to win some games to make the athletes in the district want to play.”

Some of the best athletes who were Riverhead born-and-raised have left the district to compete elsewhere. Others just choose to stick to one sport rather than juggle the fall-winter-spring regimen that so many area athletes have gravitated to. Some simply just don’t have the time for football because they work summer jobs through Labor Day. When you add it all up, the program is shrinking.

When athletes that were meant to be cornerstones for the program for years to come decide to leave, that is what really throws roadblocks to restoring a semblance of what once was. Grassman called up seven sophomores to the varsity team last year to give them a taste of high-level high school football. He knew they would struggle but felt the reps they were getting so early on in their careers were going to pay off as they grew and matured. 

Six of those seven sophomores have since left the school and transferred elsewhere. Maurice Scott was the first to go. The promising 6-foot-2 quarterback who exhibited the smarts and arm strength to compete on the varsity level transferred to St. John the Baptist. Scott leaving started a domino effect. Damien Moore, who got playing time at running back and linebacker last year, moved to East Hampton to live with his father. Madison Murrell, who was the starting running back last year and showed flashes of greatness, transferred to Longwood. 

“Some were reasonable circumstances and others, I think, thought the grass is just greener elsewhere,” Grassman said. “If your parents just decide to up and move, I get it. It happens. The grass isn’t always greener though.”

But low participation numbers, transfers and any other obstacle that may get in the way of success hasn’t stopped Grassman and the coaching staff from trying to build a product that the community will be proud of. Grassman even brought on Mike Heigh, who starred on Riverhead’s 2003 championship team, as a coach this year.

“He’s been coaching PAL the last few years,” Grassman said. “He’s won here. He’s Riverhead born and raised. He wants to bring the program back. He’s also a substitute teacher in the high school which can help with recruitment.”

There has to be a next-man-up mentality for Riverhead — there’s no other choice. Karter Doyle, who played center last year, will be the starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

“He’s been on varsity since his sophomore year and was always a smart, strong kid,” Grassman said. “But this year he came into camp in tremendous shape and lost a lot of weight. He understands the offense and has the capability to lead. He’s also going to play middle linebacker for us so we expect a lot from him this year.”

Running back duties will be split between Kavion Hobbs and Nathan Nentwich. The two backs have different running styles — Hobbs is more of a downhill runner whereas Nentwich can be characterized as more shifty. In practice squad game against Southampton last Saturday, Hobbs stood out as one of the best players on the field. He hit the holes quickly and his decision-making is precise. Ragene Short also figures to be in a lot of the team’s offensive plans at the wide receiver position.

“We’re definitely going to try to get all of our runners going,” Grassman said. “I think we have guys who, once they get their hands on the ball, they can make a lot of big plays. I think it’s also a big advantage to get most of the offensive line back.”

Kayvon Dennis and Syris Serrano Torres return to the offensive line with another year under their belts. Erik Czyrski, who enters his first varsity year, has had a very strong camp so far and figures to be a major part of the line going forward. 

“Our goal right now is to be able to finish a season with varsity and JV intact,” Grassman said. “I know that sounds horrible to tell people. It’s not about winning a championship or making the playoffs, it’s about finishing the season without having to fold the JV program. Once school starts maybe our numbers will pick up and we can get some more consistency in practice. We have the talent in our school, we just have to get them here to develop.”

Riverhead opens its season under the lights at Central Islip Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m.

The post Football: Blue Waves look to restore gridiron glory appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

But after COVID-19 restrictions and deep school budget cuts sparked a mass exodus of the best athletes in the district, there has been very little winning going on. The football team posted a 3-5 record last season, and every other major boys sports team missed the playoffs in their respective sports. The athletic department has been in rebuild mode. 

The Blue Waves are trying to turn the tide this year — and it all starts with the football team.

“We’re tired of using the COVID and budget cuts excuse,” second-year head coach Ed Grassman said. “This is the year we finally turn this thing around. We’re recruiting everyone in the school to play and although the numbers aren’t quite where they were in our heyday, they’re steadily climbing.”

Between JV and varsity, Riverhead typically fielded around 80 to 100 players at the start of summer training camp. Last year, only 40 players showed up. This year, the attendance was around 60.

“We know this program doesn’t get rebuilt overnight,” Grassman said. “But we’re doing everything we can to catch up. We’re doing extra work in the weight room, meeting more often in the off-season, doing flag football leagues to increase interest. I want to leave these younger coaches with something to build off.”

Former standout safety Edwin Perry — a member of the 2008 Long Island championship team — has fully taken over as defensive coordinator for long time coach Scott Hackal. And former JV assistant Ryan McCormick will handle the offensive play-calling. They’re spearheading a new culture, building on what Shay has left behind and making it their own. 

Riverhead has always been a run-first team, which forced opponents to consistently key in on the middle of the field, allowing for the occasional devastating, big-play pass. This year, it’s going to be quite the opposite; the coaching staff is going to run a spread offense with four wide receivers in the set.

“We don’t have those big tight ends like we always did in the past,” Grassman said. “We have to change based on what we got. We’re going to be more of a passing team this year. We’ve got a lot of fast, athletic guys that we are going to take advantage of.”

With emerging sophomore quarterback Maurice Scott under center for the first time this year, the future is bright. The signal-caller is wise beyond his years, stands 6-foot-1 and slings a sweet ball across the field. 

“There have been a lot of great quarterbacks in Riverhead’s history before me and I just want to follow in their footsteps and win games,” Scott said. “We’ve been working so hard to grow as a team and I’m hoping we can get back in the playoffs this year.”

Riverhead will rely on a handful of seniors this year to lead the way including OL/DL Andy Mardice, MLB/RB Aidan Daniels, WR/DB Mason McLean, DE/OT Connor Golz and WR John Lennon III.

“We’re approaching things a lot different this season,” Mardice said. “We’ve been a lot more team-oriented in the off-season with weightlifting and even pushing the younger kids to come practice with us. That changes a lot. I know we have a young core behind us and we have to lead by example.”

“We’re a lot more disciplined,” McLean added. “A lot closer than we’ve been before. There’s less goofing around at practice. We’re locked in.”

A lot of the turnaround is going to be predicated by the play of Daniels, whose brother Albert was a standout running back for the Blue Waves a few years ago.

“The community might not believe in us after the last couple years, but we’re going to make some noise this year,” Daniels said. “Once they see us play, they’ll believe in us.”

“Yeah,” Mardice intervened. “Don’t sleep on us.”

Riverhead will open the season Sept. 9 at home against Bay Shore.

The post Blue Waves set sights on return to gridiron glory appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Unfortunately for Riverhead, it was Walt Whitman that rose to the occasion early Saturday morning and shined in a Suffolk County Division I football game that had a 9:30 a.m. kickoff time.

And that’s no typo: 9:30 a.m., as in the morning.

Instead of a typical early afternoon start, the game was pushed to the morning because of a referee shortage, said Riverhead coach Ed Grassman.

That meant Dan Healy, who plays wide receiver and cornerback for Riverhead, had to wake up at 6:30 a.m.

“It [stinks], you know,” he said. “You wake up at 5:30 for school, so it’s not a great feeling.”

Things didn’t feel any better for the Blue Waves several hours later after they lost, 41-21, to visiting Walt Whitman at Coach Mike McKillop Memorial Field.

Asked about the unusual game time, Grassman said: “It’s not an excuse for not playing well. They had to get here and they probably got up an hour earlier than us.”

Whitman (4-2) whipped Riverhead last year in a playoff qualifier, 48-0, en route to winning its first county championship since 1984 and first Rutgers Trophy since 1974 with the aid of a magnificent passing game. The Cougars no longer have strong-armed quarterback Nicholas Bottoni, nor a number of other players, and were seeded eighth in the division this year, two slots higher than Riverhead.

But Whitman has former NFL quarterback (and ex-Bishop McGann-Mercy coach) Mike Buck as its offensive coordinator and the Cougars can still move the ball. Cameron Carlson ran for three touchdowns and Jayden Taylor rushed for another in addition to passing for 177 yards on 10-of-17 passing. One of those passes, a 73-yard slant to Joseph Harrison, went for a TD. Harrison, caught four of the five passes targeted for him for 99 yards.

Whitman generated 318 yards of offense to Riverhead’s 192.

“They’re defending Suffolk County champs and they retooled pretty good,” Grassman said. “They’re young, too. They had four sophomores and a freshman start.”

Two Whitman interceptions in the first half helped put Riverhead in a hole. Carlson had an apparent pick-six, but the score was nullified because of a penalty. No matter. Whitman scored on Taylor’s 1-yard run four plays later.

Trailing 20-0, Riverhead (2-4) mounted a drive to the Whitman 10-yard line before Brayden Zalbert intercepted the ball in the end zone with 26.5 seconds left in the first half.

“They were a bigger team,” Grassman said. “They were faster. I mean, that’s kind of what it comes down to.”

Riverhead’s LeVon Short, making his second start at quarterback, scored on a 16-yard bootleg run in the third quarter. But Whitman broke it open with a wild start to the fourth quarter. Carlson scored from 3 yards out on the first play of the quarter. Riverhead botched the ensuing kickoff, giving Whitman the ball at the Riverhead 6. Ryan Boutin ran the ball in on the next play.

“The biggest thing that I think went wrong for Riverhead is probably us letting little mistakes turn into big mistakes,” said Angelo Confort, who played slot receiver, free safety and punter for Riverhead.

The kickoff after that was returned 90 yards by Riverhead’s John Booker for a TD, his second kickoff return TD of the season.

John Lennon III quarterbacked Riverhead’s final drive of the game. Seven of the eight plays were runs by Yousses Rencher, the last being a 15-yard scamper around right end for his first varsity TD.

“He’s a senior and he’s not gonna be able to play next week because of a family commitment,” Grassman said, “so I was happy for him in his last game here that he scored.”

One of Riverhead’s highlights was an incredible diving catch by Healy for a 33-yard gain in the third quarter. “That was a great catch,” said Grassman.

Senior Amari Funn gained 71 yards on 15 carries for Riverhead.

Riverhead’s next game will be Saturday, a homecoming and Senior Day game against Brentwood scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Then the Blue Waves will close out the regular season Oct. 28 at Sachem North at 6:30 p.m.

“We’re gonna stick together,” Grassman said. “We faced some adversity this week, but we stuck together and we’re gonna play hard and we’re gonna be ready for homecoming.”

And, they’ll be able to sleep in a little later.

The post Football: Riverhead falls in playoff rematch of early risers appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

And it’s the sort of pain that will undoubtedly linger for the coming weeks.

Injuries are a reality. They are an inevitable part of football. They are going to happen. Teams have to deal with them and adjust.

Riverhead suffered its share of unpleasantness Saturday when junior Mason McLean, a two-way starter at wide receiver and cornerback, had to be wheeled off the field on a stretcher after injuring his right leg late in the second quarter of a Suffolk County Division I game at Commack High School. Another two-way starter, sophomore Karter Doyle, rolled his right ankle early in the third quarter and didn’t return.

If all that wasn’t enough, one of Riverhead’s top players, senior Amari Funn, was hampered early in the game when someone stepped on his ankle.

Those misfortunes didn’t make Riverhead’s 35-7 loss any easier to take.

“We don’t have a big team,” coach Ed Grassman said. “We don’t carry a lot of guys and every injury multiplies it. It puts kids out of position.”

The scariest of all the injuries came when McLean was left lying on the field turf following an interception by Commack’s Andrew Riggs with 59.6 seconds left in the first half. A splint was applied to McLean’s leg. McLean’s teammates walked over to him and applauded before he was wheeled off the field.

His older brother, senior Mike McLean, was on the field when the injury occurred.

“I didn’t see exactly what happened, but I remember just running over when I [saw] him on the ground,” said Mike McLean, who himself is normally a tight end, but was filling in at left guard for the injured Syris Serrano. “It looked like he might have been holding his knee or something.”

Mike McLean believes the injury was below the knee.

Connor Golz, who played right tackle and inside linebacker for Riverhead, said: “I’m a good friend of his. To see him like that, and he doesn’t really like to express pain.”

Meanwhile, Riverhead felt pain of another sort. Much of the damage inflicted on the Blue Waves came from the passing arm of Commack quarterback Jeremy Weiss. Weiss went 10-for-15 for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those TD passes were caught by Riggs (four catches, 132 yards), a 62-yarder on the game’s third play from scrimmage and a 46-yarder in which Riggs shook off a tackler. The other aerial score was a 37-yard pass to a wide open Richard Yopp.

Jake McKay banged his way into the end zone from 8 yards out on a sweep, followed by Ryan Wald’s extra point, to make it 21-0 by halftime.

John Booker provided Riverhead with its highlight of the day, a 76-yard TD dash in which he spun away from a tackler and broke free down the left side in the fourth quarter. Booker finished with 204 rushing yards from 21 carries.

Gavin Rothschild’s 40-yard TD run with 3:25 left and Wald’s kick closed out the scoring.

Riverhead turned the ball over four times, including interceptions by McKay and Jayden Salti. Commack’s Joon Choi made a game-high 11 tackles.

Both teams are 2-2 at the regular season’s midway mark.

“We played hard,” Grassman said. “They were just a better team. And they were a better team today. I think our team is better than that, but they played a better game than we did today, so it’s a tough one.”

Asked what he thought of how Riverhead played, Golz answered, “Not as good as we should have, but we’ll get better.”

Mike McLean said: “Currently, our backups need to step up. They really need to step up at practice and do what they got to do.”

More than anything else, injuries may be Riverhead’s biggest concern right now.

Said Grassman, “We’re fighting numbers to begin with and we have a lot of injuries.”

The post Football: Riverhead loss is painful in more ways than one appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

What was the source of that stress?

Player physicals.

Because they either didn’t have physicals or their physicals hadn’t been processed, some 20 to 25 players, by Grassman’s count, were unable to participate in the practice.

“To be honest, I did not feel like I was really coaching today,” Grassman said. “More or less, I was managing everything.”

Being a head coach entails a lot more than Xs and Os, that’s for sure.

Grassman, 48, Riverhead’s offensive coordinator the last few years, is the team’s new head coach, but he’s not exactly new. He has been involved in the program since 2003. Not only is this his first head coaching job at this level, but he succeeds Leif Shay, Riverhead’s longest-serving and winningest football coach who stepped aside after 24 years in order to have time to watch his two sons play football. Shay, however, is coaching one of Riverhead’s two middle school teams.

“I never really thought Shay was gonna leave,” said Grassman, who played for Longwood High School.

Grassman said Shay had asked him in March to do him a favor and attend the Suffolk County seeding meeting in his place. “So I went to the seeding meeting with all the information and then he sent me a weird, like subliminal text,” Grassman said. “He goes, ‘A new era has begun.’ And then he came and he goes, ‘I think you can do the job. I think you’ll do good with it.’ ”

Grassman has Scott Hackal, who had been a longtime defensive coordinator for Riverhead, as his offensive coordinator. “This is a rejuvenated Scott Hackal,” said Grassman. Joe Gianotti is the defensive coordinator and Ken Marelli is the special teams coach.

Light rain and temperatures in the low-70s greeted about 67 players for the first practice. Riverhead is seeded 10th among 12 teams in Suffolk Division I. But the Blue Waves haven’t let preseason seedings deter them in the recent past. In 2019, Riverhead’s first season in Division I, it was seeded last in the division, but surprisingly went 6-3, losing to Longwood in a playoff game. After losing the 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic, Riverhead was once again seeded last in Division I in 2021, but surpassed expectations again, reaching a playoff qualifier, losing to a powerful Walt Whitman team and finishing with a 4-5 record.

Can Riverhead surprise again?

Senior running back/outside linebacker Amari Funn thinks so. He said, “I like being the underdog.”

Riverhead has 14 seniors and 12 returning players from last year. “Basically, we’re a Division I school, with kind of Division IV numbers,” said Grassman, who believes the program is still feeling the bite suffered when the school district’s 2020-21 budget failed.

The quarterback position involves an open competition with five candidates: freshman Maurice Scott, sophomore Thomas Williams (who returned to Riverhead after transferring to St. Anthony’s), juniors John Lennon III (last year’s junior varsity starter) and Kevin Johnson and senior LeVon Short.

Riverhead must shore up a defensive line that lost two top players in James Foster, who was a four-year varsity player (he played one year for Westhampton Beach), and Lamarion Hopkins, who was a three-year starter. “That’s hard to replace,” said Grassman.

“Our lines [are] looking pretty solid, our receivers are looking good, running backs, quarterback, so it’s looking like we’re gonna have a good year, you know,” senior slot receiver/free safety Angelo Confort said. “Hopefully we can make it back to the playoffs and this time go a little bit further, and I think we can probably do that.”

Grassman has advantages in that he knows the team’s history, its system (which will not change much, he said), the players, and he also has Shay as an available resource. Grassman said Shay called him at 6 a.m. Monday morning to wish him good luck.

Grassman said the full impact of his new job will hit him Sept. 10 when Riverhead opens its season at home to Central Islip. That’s when it will become real.

“I’m going to say, it’s hard replacing, you know, a legend,” he said. “Twenty years, it’s hard to replace that. I’m just gonna try to do the best I can.”

The post Football: New Riverhead coach dealing with more than Xs, Os appeared first on Riverhead News Review.