Riverhead (3-4) was able to register only two goals in the first half and trailed 4-2 going into halftime. It only got worse when Patchogue-Medford scored the opening goal of the second half. 

“I think having no school today was a big part of our slow start,” midfielder Ruairi McElhinney said. “Maybe we were tired, I don’t know. First half we weren’t running our offense correctly. Defensively we weren’t talking. At the half, we made those corrections immediately.”

When asked by the referees how much time he needed for halftime, Riverhead head coach Vic Guadagnino asked for 10 minutes — a lot longer than the typical 5-7 minute midway break.

“I don’t want to take all the credit for our turnaround being a ‘rah-rah’ speach at halftime,” Guadagnino said. “But we had to fire them up and get their heads in the game. This was a game we felt that we absolutely should win.”

Though Riverhead was getting decent looks at goal in the first half, the shots were just off line or right at the goalie’s oversized stick. The coaching staff kept shouting reminders about the pre-game scouting report. The idea was to either bounce shots towards the net or deke low and finish high. Despite the advice from the coaching staff, Riverhead continued firing shots toward the five hole, which the opposing keeper had little trouble corralling.

But after the Blue Waves gave up that fifth goal, everything changed. Brayden Miller deposited his first career varsity goal with that exact low-high deke move to make the score 5-3. Logan Dempsey followed up with another goal a minute and a half later, and then McElhinney tied it at 5-5 with a strike from 20 yards out. 

“We knew the goalie, and we knew the scout on him,” said Dempsey, who scored three goals total. “We just had to hit the shots we weren’t hitting in the first half. We changed things up in that second half and played with some grit.”

Jacob Ohlbaum put Riverhead ahead, scoring his first career varsity goal.

“We talked about the guys breaking out of their shell at halftime,” Guadagnino said. “The seniors on defense encouraged our offense to show up and show out. They really responded to everything we said at half. I mean, we had two guys score their first goal, and this is our seventh game.”

Riverhead posted seven consecutive goals to open up the lead and ultimately put the game away, taking over the entire fourth quarter. Miller scored his second, and McElhinney netted his third. Nate Nentwich scored the final goal of the game, diving across the front of the cage. 

But defense was the key to sparking the comeback, conceding just two goals in the entire second half to give the offense a chance to regroup. Dillon Zaleski snatched 11 saves on the day, and the experienced defenders he had up front put a hurting on the attackers coming their way. Whether it was Brendan Wallace, Mike Gabriel, Liam Lennon or Kevin Qualey, they kept laying the boom.

“We know that the offense feeds off our energy,” Lennon said. “We have been trying to build up our offensive guys all season long. We know they have what it takes, but anything we can do as a defense and captains to help them along — we’re right there for them.”

Tucker Suter also had an impressive run during the goal-scoring stretch. The freshman kept winning faceoffs, showing that his youth has little effect on achieving the desired results.

“We’re young and there’s a lot of teaching that we’re doing right now,” Guadagnino said. “We’re getting better every week. Other games were just like this but we couldn’t make a comeback. This is an encouraging sign for things to come.”

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May 20: Sachem East 6, Riverhead 0

For the first time this season, Riverhead finished a game with a loss. In the winner’s bracket Class AAA semifinal, Sachem East prevailed behind a strong pitching effort by Olivia DeRose. Riverhead (20-1) beat Sachem East twice during the regular season, but Monday was simply DeRose’s day. Riverhead’s season isn’t over, however; the road to glory just got a bit longer. Being a double-elimination tournament, Riverhead drops down to the loser’s bracket semifinal against No. 2 North Babylon on Thursday. Should they beat North Babylon, Riverhead would advance to the Suffolk County title game. But because Sachem East was the finalist from the winner’s bracket, for Riverhead to be crowned champions, they’d have to defeat Sachem East twice. When there’s a chance, there’s a chance. First on the agenda is North Babylon, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

RIVERHEAD BOYS LACROSSE 

May 15: Ward Melville 15,
Riverhead 3

Riverhead’s best season in school history came to an end against a perennial juggernaut in Ward Melville. They earned the sixth spot in the Section XI Division I standings going to the playoffs, which was the highest they’ve ever finished. The 14-4 overall record was the best a Riverhead team ever achieved. On an individual level, Griffin Sumwalt set some school records that will stick around for quite some time. He set the record for goals scored in a single season with 56, total points on the season with 83 and career points with 192. This group of seniors made it their mission to bring Riverhead back to the pre-COVID era and they’ve absolutely achieved that. It’s on the classes that follow to preserve that energy and determination and build on it going forward.

RIVERHEAD GIRLS GOLF 

Riverhead sent a few girls from the team to compete in the Suffolk County individual championships to try to earn a spot in the New York State event. There’s never been a Riverhead girls golfer to make it to the state tourney. The top nine finishers in the qualifier earn a spot with the 10th-place finisher being an alternate. Madison Marshak, an eighth-grader, just missed the ninth spot but still earned All-County by finishing in 10th. Should someone not be able to attend states, Marshak would take their spot as the alternate. Marshak had a two-day total of 183 strokes at Middle Island Country Club. Junior Angelina Gust finished right behind Marshak in 11th place, with a two-day total of 184 strokes. The future is bright for Riverhead golf. Next year might just be the year.

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER SOFTBALL 

May 17: Kings Park 4, Shoreham-Wading River 0

After making it to the playoffs with a 10-8 overall record, the young Wildcats were just outmatched in two consecutive games against Islip and Kings Park. Though both the games were close, ending with a score of 4-0, Shoreham-Wading River was just unable to put some runs up against some of the best pitchers in the county. The Wildcats will lose their best pitcher, Erin Cahill, and dominant team leader and catcher Elizabeth Sabino to graduation.

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RIVERHEAD SOFTBALL (18-0 League I)

Back in September, first-year head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. had a meeting with the team and discussed their goals and how to achieve them.

“From day one these girls had the focus and they weren’t shy to say their goal was to win the league championship and then the County championship,” Vlacci said. 

One by one, Riverhead came up with victories with elite pitching, solid defense and timely hitting. It all amounted to a perfect 18-0 record — a first in Riverhead softball history. They won the school’s first league title since 2010 and just like that, one of their goals was checked off the list. Next up, a Suffolk County title. Riverhead has never won a county softball title in school history.

Jordyn Kwasna had an All-County type sophomore campaign, batting .483 from the plate with nine doubles, three triples and three home runs over the course of the season. She also led the team with RBIs with 24. Mya Marelli, who was League I pitcher of the year last year, is arguably the best pitcher in Suffolk County this season. The junior struck out 191 batters in just 103 innings pitched. Marelli also lit up the batter’s box, hitting .475 with eight doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs. Freshman Sophia Viola batted .458 in the lead-off spot. Kaysee Mojo led the team in home runs with five.

The Suffolk County Class AAA brackets haven’t been released yet but Riverhead is undoubtedly the No. 1 seed and will play Tuesday at home against Ward Melville. 

“This group never quits,” Vlacci said. “They want success not only for themselves but for each other. They love to see each other succeed. And they understand that if they fail, somebody else is going to pick them up. Hanging up a banner and bringing pride to Riverhead sports means the world to us going into playoffs. We have to keep our energy and composure.”

RIVERHEAD BOYS LACROSSE (11-3 Division I, 13-3 overall)

Riverhead put together its best season in program history with a 13-3 overall record, earning them the 6th seed in the Suffolk County Division I playoffs. It’s been a long road for the Blue Waves who hadn’t made the playoffs since 2019, battling budget cuts and playing underclassmen the last few years. This group of seniors made it their mission to bring the team back to glory — and they delivered, defeating many of the teams that gave them trouble over the years. Close games, clutch moments and pure heart, this season had it all. Griffin Sumwalt had an incredible senior season, recording 50 goals and 26 assists. Zach Timpone scored 33 goals and assisted on 24. Sean Payton and Jackson Redmond came through with several clutch goals and Zach Maligres has been an absolute menace in the face-off circle, winning crucial possessions time and time again. The team defense led by Binghamton University commit Danny Healy has been electric.  Sophomore goaltender Dillon Zaleski saved 118 shots over the course of the season. Riverhead beat No. 11 Commack in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER BOYS LACROSSE (10-4 Division II, 10-6 overall)

Shoreham-Wading River didn’t close out the regular season the way they wanted to with two straight losses, but the playoffs open up an opportunity for a fresh start. Their 10-4 record in Division II earned them the No. 2 seed in the Suffolk County Class C playoffs. 

“While losing our last two games wasn’t ideal, it does provide us with a clear picture of what we need to improve upon in preparation for the next game,” head coach Mike Taylor said. “It’s important to acknowledge that we’re fortunate to make it to the playoffs. Now, it’s a reset. Everything we do well needs to be done better and any weaknesses must be quickly resolved. Preparation becomes super important as we tighten up our defense, maintain possession and execute our game plan consistently to make a deep run.”

They face off against No. 3 Kings Park on Friday at Shoreham-Wading River High School with game time slated for 5 p.m. The Wildcats defeated Kings Park, 10-9 during the regular season. 

“Our last game against Kings Park was intense and tightly contested,” Taylor said. “To replicate that success we need to continue our disciplined defense, capitalize on offensive opportunities and maintain composure in pressure situations. It’s about elevating our game to the next level and executing with precision.”

Notable regular season stats:

Liam Kershis: 35 goals, 44 assists
Liam Gregorek: 29 goals, 12 assists
Andrew Cimino: 29 goals, 7 assists
Alex Kershis: 22 goals, 11 assists
Ryan Wilson: 19 goals, 15 assists
Jaden Galfano: 136 saves

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER BASEBALL (15-3 League VII)

The Wildcats regained their dominance from years past and put together a season that placed them in a tie for first place in the league. Their only blemish was a season sweep by Bayport-Blue Point. The Wildcats almost beat every other team in the division without dropping a game. Christian Cox was an absolute force from the plate all season long, hitting to an absurd .639 batting average. The shortstop only struck out five times the entire season. Gordon Votruba, Joseph Leo, Kyle Stella and Aiden Reilly all hit over .400. Votruba led the team in RBIs and was also the ace on the pitching staff. He threw a no-hitter in his last pitching performance of the season against John Glenn and posted a 1.629 ERA over seven starts. The Suffolk County brackets have yet to be posted but the Wildcats figure to be a high seed with a home game in round one.

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But Riverhead wasn’t going to go out that easy — not on their home turf. And certainly not after all they’ve been through the past few years with losing season after losing season.

“We knew what had to be done in order to win,” senior captain Griffin Sumwalt said. “We just kept our composure and focused on doing our jobs. We knew it was early and that eventually everything was going to fall into place.”

A resilient Riverhead squad emerged and showed no mercy the rest of the way. Led by a strong senior class, it was a full on scoring spree that flipped the game back Riverhead’s way.

“We had a couple bad shots early on and they made some good plays,” head coach Vic Guadagnino said. “We just needed to settle down. There was definitely a little bit of nerves out there. And just like that with five minutes left in the first quarter we banged out four straight goals to head into the break up, 4-3.”

“And that was it man,” the coach added. “The flood gates opened.”

No. 6 Riverhead (14-3) went on to score 12 more goals while only giving up one in the process to take a 16-4 lead before head coach Vic Guadagnino brought in all his substitutes.  The game ended 16-8 and Blue Waves banged the victory bell in front of the Pulaski Street school 16 times — one for each goal scored, sending echoes through the town and inking another chapter to their record-setting season.

All 16 goals were scored by seniors. Jackson Redmond and Sean Payton both tallied five apiece. Sumwalt found the back of the net four times and Zach Timpone scored twice, coming up with four assists as well. Senior Zach Maligres was dominant in the circle, winning 20 of 25 face-off attempts. Sumwalt has 54 goals on the season — a Riverhead lacrosse scoring record.

“We’ve been playing with each other since we were four years old in PAL,” Sumwalt said. “It’s been a culmination of years to get us to the point we are today. Lots of hard work and long hours together to make us feel so comfortable on the field. At the end of the day it’s the energy we all bring to the field. That’s what makes the difference.”

“This group of seniors saved Riverhead lacrosse,” Guadagnino added. “The last three graduating classes plus theirs kept this program alive. And now this class has gone down as the best in Riverhead’s history. It’s well deserved.”

With the victory, Riverhead advances to the second round of the playoffs Wednesday against No. 3 Ward Melville. Riverhead and Ward Melville matched up in the first league game of the season and the Patriots came away with the win, 14-3. 

“It was our first real competition of the season,” Guadagnino said. “They’re a dynasty over there. They produce every single year but we’re a totally different team now from the beginning of the season and we will be much more prepared this time around. [Assistant] Coach Nentwich has already watched hours and hours of film.”

Ward Melville features one of the best face-off specialists on Long Island, a major factor in most of their wins. Madden Murphy, who is committed to Boston University, will be a handful to deal with.

“If we can win some face-offs it’ll definitely put us in a spot where we can win the game,” Guadagnino said. “We’re going to have a whole new game plan this time around and if we can execute, we can absolutely win.”

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